Deborah Partridge Wolfe and Education for Democracy

Abstract

This paper examines the contributions of Deborah Partridge Wolfe, a previously overlooked female African-American educator, to social education. Throughout her career, Wolfe consistently drew attention to issues of democracy, diversity, and equity through her teaching, curriculum development, scholarly writings, speeches, government service, and social activism. This study adds to a growing body of work that investigates women's roles as social educators within the history of education and examines how Wolfe's beliefs about democracy and education manifested themselves in her work as a social educator. Specifically, this paper provides an overview of Wolfe's life and career, examines her conceptions of democracy and democratic education, and focuses on Wolfe's active involvement in multiple realms of community life, as well as her scholarly writings and speeches. The paper concludes with a discussion of Wolfe's major contributions to the field of education, particularly her advocacy for democratic ideals through her work as an educator.