Reminding our leaders of the civic mission of schools

11-02-2011

Blog by Anne Obrien/Edutopia

According to a recent study, U.S. governors talk predominantly about one role for education in our society -- an economic one. In analyzing "state of the state" speeches from 2001 to 2008, governors defined education in economic terms 62 percent of the time. Governors also appear to recognize the link between education and what the authors term "self-realization" (development of each individual's abilities, curiosity and creativity) -- they referenced that role for education in 25 percent of their comments. But how often do governors reference the role of education in developing civic responsibility? In just seven percent of their comments. And keep in mind that the data used in this study run only through 2008 -- as recovery from the Great Recession has faltered over the past couple years, I suspect that the proportion of references to education as an economic tool has increased. (more...)

Personal tools

Sections

Reminding our leaders of the civic mission of schools

Document Actions