an analytical, argumentative 4 full pages essay
Last Name 8
Name
Professor Lisa Munoz
English 101
13 March 2015
Most Pressing Educational Goals
Founding father and 3rd president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, wrote in a letter to William Charles Jarvis his explanation of the ideal purpose of the electorate, “I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.” (Jefferson) The goal of creating such a citizenry, that would be able to properly fulfill this role and be able to participate in society, requires educated and reasoned individuals. This led many states, such as Massachusetts in the early 1800s, to pass legislation giving families access to free education and by 1918 elementary school was compulsory in all states. (Deeptha) The main goals of a public education in a democratic republic, such as the United States, is to develop an electorate with the ability to think critically, that has a comprehensive understanding of history, and a working knowledge of our government and legal systems; goals our current education system has failed to meet.
To help students develop critical thinking skills is important because it is vital to their future civic participation. Critical thinking is defined by Oxford Dictionary as “the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment”. As voting citizens of a democratic government they must be able to read proposed legislation, and be able to form judgments on how to vote on particular issues using these skills of objective analysis and evaluation. They need to be able to understand the issues they are voting on in the context of their community and the nation at large and make informed and reasoned decisions.
A vital way for schools to teach these capabilities, and to help students develop analytical skills, is by developing a curriculum that asks critical questions that stimulate students to look at issues from different angles and ask their own questions. Robert Swartz, the director of The National Center for Teaching Thinking, gives an example of a curriculum that asks critical questions. He discusses a teacher who was teaching students about the American Revolution. The teacher cites two different sources with different accounts of what happened, one where the British fired first, and another where the Colonists fired first. He then begins asking questions that make his students think, “How can one find out which of these we should believe? He suggests that one way to do this is to ask which is a more reliable source? He guides the students explicitly to figure out what they would want to find out about a source of information to judge it to be reliable…” (Swartz) These questions require that students look at the issue objectively. They must first analyze the facts available, question the reliability of the source, and develop their own judgments on who fired first. By teaching his students more than just rote facts and figures he is helping develop critical thinking skills. His students will later use these skills to decide where they stand on key issues, how to vote on legislation and determine which candidates to support. These critical thinking skills will also be vital to attaining a comprehensive understanding of history.
To instill a thorough understanding of history is an important goal for the public education system to strive for. History provides an important framework for understanding current political issues and events. An example of this is seen in the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. He studied Mahatma Gandhi’s method of nonviolent protest and saw the results, “Today a mutual friendship based on complete equality exists between the Indian and British people within the commonwealth.” (King) This knowledge of Gandhi’s success inspired him during the Civil Rights Movement, “While the Montgomery boycott was going on, India’s Gandhi was the guiding light of our technique of non-violent social change. We spoke of him often.” (King) History in this case provided a framework for how to enact change. Through his understanding of India’s struggles and triumphs and the methods utilized, Martin Luther King was able to apply these constructs to the situation in the United States and achieved many of his goals in the Civil Rights Movement.
History also provides the chance to expose students to a common ideology. History professor and Pulitzer Prize winner Walter McDougall explains this purpose in teaching history, “That is its civic function. From the ancient Israelites and Greeks to the medieval church to the modern nation-state, those charged with educating the next generation of leaders or citizens have used history to impart a reverence for the values and institutions of the creed or state.” (McDougall) By imparting American democratic ideals such as freedom, equality, and liberty through history to students, they help create a more cohesive electorate united in principle. This focus on American ideology helps preserve our system of government as citizens strive to achieve and maintain these common values. Establishing the democratic ideology through history will provide students’ with an important background for understanding civics.
Teaching students about our government and legal systems is vital because the entire purpose of providing an education for our citizens lies in their future participation in this very system. These students will grow up to be our future electorate, the auditors of our government, and the last defense against abuses of constitutional power. Therefore instilling a thorough understanding of civics is of the utmost importance in preserving our government. This concept is illustrated by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, “… A foundation in civics is not a luxury but a necessity. Students today absolutely need a sense of citizenship, an understanding of their history and government, and a commitment to democratic values. They need to know their rights--and their responsibilities. Civics cannot be pushed to the sidelines in schools.” (Duncan) Public education has an obligation to prepare students to fulfill their responsibilities as citizens by teaching them about our government and the law of the land. These responsibilities include, “support and defend the Constitution, participate in the democratic process, serve on a jury when called upon, and defend the country if the need should arise.” (Citizenship Rights) To prepare students for these future responsibilities they need to understand the structures of our government and its three separate branches, the purpose behind checks and balances and the importance of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Through teaching students civics we prepare them to preserve their rights and fulfill their responsibilities as citizens, therefore realizing public education’s most important objective.
The United States public education system has failed to produce students who can think critically, understand history, and comprehend our government and legal system. The use of computers with standardized testing has created interactive tests that are now able to gauge critical thinking skills. The national science assessment shows concerning results, “most U.S. students struggle with the reasoning skills needed to investigate multiple variables, make strategic decisions, and explain experimental results” (Tran) These results show a failure to teach students how to apply critical thinking skills to situations. This lack of critical thinking skills are not the only deficit, many students lack a basic knowledge of history too. This is shown in an American history survey by the Center for Survey Research and Analysis (CRSA), “Sixty-five percent of the students -- from such schools as Yale, Northwestern, Smith, and Bowdoin -- failed to "pass" the test and only one student answered all 34 questions correctly” (Starr) The results of this survey show a fundamental failure in basic history knowledge. The fact that the majority of these students failed to even pass the test should be extremely concerning to educators. Unfortunately civics is not far behind. A test given by the National Assessment of Education Progress showed “…a smaller proportion of fourth and eighth graders demonstrated proficiency in civics than in any other subject the federal government has tested since 2005, except history, American students’ worst subject.” (Dillon) These three tests continually demonstrate how underprepared our students are. The U.S. public education system persistently fails to produce students with adequate knowledge of history and civics or the critical thinking skills needed to comprehend these subjects.
In conclusion, the main objectives of public education are to instill the ability to think critically, to create a strong understanding of history, and create citizens who are well versed in civics; goals we have yet to achieve as a nation. Various tests continually show that our public education system is failing its goals, producing students without a strong foundation to act as an electorate. To teach students to think critically we need to ask them to think deeper than just rote memorization. Public education needs to teach them to ask questions, investigate, and come to their own conclusions. To create a strong understanding of history we need to show them how to apply history as a framework to current events and expose them to the democratic ideology of our nation. Finally, to create citizens well versed in civics we need to stress the importance of our government system, Constitution, and the rights therein along with their responsibilities as citizens. By fulfilling these three goals the United States may achieve the educated and enlightened electorate who can “exercise their control with a wholesome discretion” and can act as a “depository of the ultimate powers of the society” (Jefferson).
Works Cited
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