Read the passage from "Not by Math Alone" by Sandra Day O'Connor and Roy Romer.
What message do the writers want to convey in this
passage?
A healthy democracy depends on the participation of
citizens, and that participation is learned behavior; it
doesn't just happen. As the 2003 report "The Civic
Mission of Schools" noted: "Individuals do not
automatically become free and responsible citizens, but
must be educated for citizenship." That means civic
learning-educating students for democracy-needs to
be on par with other academic subjects.
O The responsibility of schools is to focus on teaching
academic subjects, not civic learning.
O Public schools no longer see it as their mission to
educate students for civic participation.
O Democracy is fragile and "needs to be reborn in
every generation" through education.
O Civic education is essential for a functioning
democracy, as citizenship is not automatic but
learned.
This is not a new idea. Our first public schools saw
education for citizenship as a core part of their mission.
Eighty years ago, John Dewey said, "Democracy needs
to be reborn in every generation and education is its
midwife."
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