Most Americans, polls tell us, are disgusted with the way their federal government is working -- or more precisely, not working. As someone who has worked in the political and public policy arenas, at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, I share the public's disillusionment and frustration. The climate for governing is worse than I have ever seen it.
There are many possible reasons to be offered for the policy stalemates and rancorous debates that precede them. Ideological polarization, exaggerated impacts of well-organized and well-funded special interests, and the effects of cycle after cycle of highly negative and poisonous campaigns represent just three factors that we think are responsible for the current situation.
But the voters should not be let off the hook, either. Too often citizens allow themselves to fall for specious arguments, distorted "facts", or appeals to latent prejudices and predispositions. When 40% of Democrats believe that President George W. Bush was involved in the 9/11 conspiracy, and a similar percentage of Republicans are convinced that Barack Obama was not born in America and is therefore ineligible to be president, we have a problem.
When signs at Tea Party rallies read "Tell the Government: Take your hand off my Medicare!" are taken seriously, we have a problem. When MoveOn.org ran anti-war advertisements in 2007 that maligned David Petraeus, one of America's great military leaders and patriots as "General Betray us", and every American -- left, right and center -- didn't rise up in outrage, we have a problem.
When less than one third of American eighth graders can identify the historical purpose of the Declaration of Independence, when less than a fifth of high school seniors can explain how citizen participation benefits democracy, and when less than a third of our students can identify the three branches of government, we have a problem, and it only promises to get worse.
A consortium of nationally respected organizations, including the American Bar Association, the Lenore Annenberg Institute for Civics, CIRCLE, the National Conference on Citizenship and the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, will issue a report that shines a harsh and penetrating light on the lack of civic knowledge and engagement in America. But unlike many reports, Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools will not stop at calling attention to the crisis, it also points the way to solutions, both in terms of public policy as well as educational practice.
I was proud to work on this report, and to join with John Bridgeland, Michael Gerson and Mike McCurry, in writing a key part of it: "Civic Common Sense: A Case Statement in Support of Civic Learning".
Among our arguments in the "case statement" are these:
Despite a past of educating children to be capable and engaged citizens, too many of our schools are now failing at their civic mission. Children in private or wealthy public schools often acquire the skills they need to participate while those from less privileged backgrounds do not. Our hope is that the publication of Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools will prove to be a galvanizing moment, something that will trigger action, rather than just a sigh or a yawn. This is a critical time in our nation's history, and our future is not assured. We have to work at it, and that work most certainly includes more and better civic learning.
Horace Mann forged our public school system directly from the Prussian model of churning out citizens who will obey, not question, their instructions. Creativity, individuality, critical thinking, were all programmed out of education so that students would learn compartmentalized thinking through the chopped up structure of education in small time blocks.
Education has accomplished its goal of producing blindly obedient voters who do not question authority, or challenge our elected officials.
Everything is Math and English. Ask any elementary or middle school teacher how social studies goes right out the window when it comes time for all their testing.
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If? Really? It exists now.
1) Access to public education is a right; continued matriculation in public school isn't. Like a drivers license, there are rules, regulations, penalties, suspensions and revocation. Sit down, shut up, respect property and others, be prepared for classroom studies and you will be allowed to continue your right of access to a public education.
2) If your child violates school rules and regulations and he/she is suspended or expelled; the school district no longer provides you an in-home tutor.
3) If a student fails 50% of courses by midterms, the student is tested; and if no handicap exists, the student's right to access public education is terminated.
3) Any parent of a student who appears in a rage on school property, threatening any school personnel, will be suspended without public paid tutorial services; and a harassment complaint will be filed against the parent(s) with appropriate authorities.
4) Then teach civics in a civilized environment.
I don't have the answers, and probably you don't either, but, together surely we can come-up with something better than what we're getting out of Washington!
Somewhere around the 1950s, we pretty much shifted from being citizens to ravenous consumers. And, if you're simply exchanging money for a product, why bother with a civic education? The focus has been so much on "teaching to the test," that very few children are getting a real education of the type that we used to see in this country.
I hope this report will get read, and its recommendations taken to heart. We really need to return to being citizens.
Teachers are liberal and socialistic, and they would be proud to say so.
The linkage to segregation makes no sense. Corporations and indentured servants. Geesh, can you stay on topic?
The Magna Carta , Declaration , Dois DHomme , all making advancements for the average human being (not really for the MC).
And , I would hope teachers are generally socialistic. Civics (back OT) is of itself a recognition of society. And how can individuals flourish within it? It is a far cry from recognizing some tenets of socialism and being a Trotskyite.
I also know from teachers in my friends and family group that in my state at least, it is very hard to have a disruptive kid permanently taken out of a class - and if the kid is downright violent they are put in an 'alternative school' at taxpayer expense and the cost is about 3x the per pupil rate of public school.
You need to go back and convince those on both ends of Penn. Ave of your mission. The solution already exists...if they'd fund it.