Patriotic Education
Schools and national identity
Each July 4, we celebrate America’s audacious declaration of independence from the British crown. In picnics, rallies, and parades, we ritually confirm the symbols of our national identity, only sometimes pausing to appreciate how that identity has evolved and broadened beyond its origin story.
What does it mean to be American?
America remembers itself on this day as a great nation with an inspiring and expanding vision. We are one, woven from many — a nation of immigrants and underdogs from the get-go. What unites us is not allegiance to a crown or creed, but to democratic principles expressed in our constitution. Our greatness as a nation springs from shared ideals.
Universal public education was not mentioned in our founding documents, but it plays an essential role in America’s unity and vitality. Education is a tremendous investment, and one of the major functions of taxation. Day by day, school by school, teacher by teacher, we invest in the future of each and every young person. With each generation, we have built a thriving democratic republic, striving toward a more perfect union that includes and supports everyone.
The great question now is whether this can be sustained. Political forces are rushing to undermine public education and the civic values embedded in it.
Excluding and Including
As we explore in Ed100 Lesson 1.7, America’s economy has grown as both a cause and effect of making public education universal. Over the long term, the education system has gradually challenged habits of exclusion so that public schools increasingly serve all children.
In the Ed100 blog
Should teaching about July 4 be banned?
We have made great progress since the days when public school systems could exclude girls, or discriminate by race. In today’s America, all kids must attend school no matter who their parents are or their documentation status. Public schools today include children learning English and children struggling with learning disabilities. Every day, schools serve children who are hungry, in foster care, who have no clear place to call home, or who are otherwise at risk.
There is still plenty of work to be done. For example, today about a fifth of teens identify as LGBTQ+, and our society currently lacks unity about how schools should support their path to adulthood. But access to public education is clearly part of that path.
Unity through education
In the Ed100 blog
January 6 vs. July 4
Collectively, America has bet big on educating its children. Over time, the bet has paid off handsomely, though unequally, in the form of national prosperity.
And it’s not just an American idea, either. The benefits of a public education system that includes everyone are so great that essentially all the major countries of the world have decided to commit big sums to it. Check out the summary report of education across the OECD, and similar reports for China and Japan.
America’s bet on public education is at risk
In the Ed100 blog
Trump plan slashes education
Our nation seems intent on inventing new ways to divide itself politically. The national consensus for support of public education can no longer be taken for granted. The Trump administration has proposed deep cuts to federal programs that support our schools and our children.
- Those most harmed: Our most needy children, English learners, and children with disabilities,
- Those most favored: Students from wealthy families who attend private and religious schools.
Public education plays a crucial role in society by educating children to become responsible participants in our democracy. This unifying function is precious, and we shouldn't take it for granted.
Especially in a fast-changing, uncertain world, the wealth of nations is found in its teachers and students. Let’s be united on their side.
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