James L. Mursell

In this book I have tried to present the doctrine of democratic education as we have come to understand it in the form of a set of ten principles. This book amounts to an attempt to look at democratic education as straight as possible, without any doctrinal presuppositions. It does not represent any formal system of philosophy or any preconceived educational theory. - Preface.

This book is focused on the proposition that the essential reality of education is the shaping of personality. The mechanisms by which human personality is shaped and molded are those of learning, transfer, and growth. The influence of individual traits and abilities are germane to the discussion, along with motivation and the dynamic aspects of learning. To succeed, students and teachers need, above everything else, an intelligent point of view brought into practical application upon their work. This will allow them to achieve a clear understanding of the nature of education, and how this understanding bears upon what ought to be done in the classroom and school.