This thoughtful piece from Ottawa’s Joel Westheimer reminds all of us that the foundations of democratic life are learned and practiced. The role of education in this regard is critically important.
“Most school districts now emphasize preparing students for standardized assessments in math and literacy at the same time that they shortchange the social studies, history, and even the most basic forms of citizenship education. Public schools in Canada were founded on the idea that democracy could not work if citizens were not taught the principles and habits of democratic life. But in the same period that support for democracy has declined, that founding purpose of schooling has shifted — you could say that it was hijacked — by […]”
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