Our Democracy and Our Schools

  A little over a year ago, our ex-school superintendent stated that the purpose of public schools is to provide students with the skills to obtain good jobs. To be fair, that superintendent’s belief is not much different from almost every other superintendent in our nation.

  Given the state of our economy and the plight of many families, few people in today’s society would argue with our superintendent’s goal. Yet, I would ask, “Should the acquisition of job skills be the primary purpose of any public school system?”

  Consider the following:

• The United States ranks at the bottom in the percentage of its citizens who vote when compared to all other industrialized nations.

• Two thirds of the best, formally educated American youth remain uninvolved in civic life

• In any given year the majority of adult Americans do not attend or participate in a single neighborhood, community or state meeting to help solve local or state issues

• Sixty-four percent of youth between the ages of 18 and 25 do not believe it is very important to keep informed about national and international issues.

• Newspaper after newspaper shuts down because of a lack of readers.

• Churches and volunteer organizations struggle to enlist volunteers.

  Thomas Jefferson said that the purpose of schools is to raise up educated citizens who could become active participants in this thing we call “democracy.” A democracy is a place where people come together to solve problems and improve the lives of all citizens through their active participation in the affairs of our nation and of our communities. Jefferson believed that citizens in a democracy must take responsible actions to assure justice for all and have compassion for the plight of their neighbor.

  That is not happening. We have become a very materialistic society. Our focus has been diverted to an individual goal of attaining good jobs and more of the “good life.” We have lost Jefferson’s focus on what a democracy needs in order to continue as a democracy.

  School purposes have gathered little interest from the average citizen. Yet, schools are the only place where formal training for citizenship can take place. Schools are the place where citizens can purposefully gain the skills, attitudes and values necessary for active participation in our democracy. But this can happen only if the school is guided by that over-riding Jeffersonian purpose.

  What is at stake in recommitting to Jefferson’s purpose is our nation “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” our democracy.