If you’ve seen my States of Education map, you know the story: in the United States, education is mentioned nowhere in the federal Constitution. Instead, education is articulated in fifty different state constitutions. As a result, there’s no coherence as the the purpose of public education. In contrast, most other nations to whom we are compared have a national definition that ensures consistency nationwide.
In this new book, education policy and law professor Michael Rebell makes the case for civics education as a (if not the) primary responsibility of public schools in the United States. In Flunking Democracy: Schools, Courts, and Civic Participation, he makes a thorough and fascinating argument that, even though the Founders refrained from explicitly referring to education the the Constitution, a long history of other court rulings shows without doubt that schools have a primary responsibility to prepare children to participate in civic life. Rebell does so in a voice that is authoritative, nonpartisan, and accessible.
I highly recommend it.
Note: If you want to buy one, get it here to support Gradgrind’s. 😉