Walter C. Parker is professor emeritus of social studies and civic education and (by courtesy) political science at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a member of the National Academy of Education, a fellow of the American Educational Research Association, and author of, among others, Education for Liberal Democracy: Using Classroom Discussion to Build Knowledge and Voice, and Teaching Democracy: Unity and Diversity in Public Life and Social Studies in Elementary Education. He has taught pedagogy to new and experienced teachers in Colorado, Texas, and Washington.