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What are the views on educations purpose?

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What are the views on educations purpose?

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There are two perspectives on what the purpose of education should be. These can be described as Vocational and Civic.

> Vocational education is the theory that education should be focused on distributing skills used in the workplace. It often focuses on STEM classes, or more specialized trades. Proponents of vocational education believe that if everyone has equal access to vocational skills, the distribution of money earned will be more equal.

>Civic education focuses more on teaching students skills needed to participate in our democracy. This involves liberal arts, such as history, rhetoric, and philosophy. Proponents believe that if students can effectively understand our political system and it's history, they can create policy that leads to a more equal future.

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History of the American Education System

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History of the American Education System

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The American school system began to take shape in 1845, when Horace Mann brought the Prussian system of education over to the United States. Focused around teaching and grading students in multiple basic subjects each day, it specialized in producing workers for factories with enough knowledge to get a job in the world of the Industrial Revolution. This put the American system firmly into the vocational theory. However, when Sputnik was launched in 1957, it was clear the system needed change. America needed scientists, mathematicians, and engineers to compete with the Soviet Union in the Cold War. This resulted in the curriculum being changed to favor the STEM courses, adapting to the vocational needs of the day. This was reinforced in Obama's presidency, when these courses were again pushed to the forefront to train Americans to get jobs in the technological age. This system, however good it is a getting students prepared for jobs, lacks training on the liberal arts, and does not teach American how to participate in their own government, or their history. This is the flaw that is discussed by Allen.

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Education is mainly currently focused on STEM-related subjects. Such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Technology. Which is also the structure of Vocational education. It is to develop STEM knowledge to prepare kids for the future workforce. But such education lacks civic understanding.

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Allen says that while the current US education system is meant to address access to skills, and is trying to distribute them equally, it will not work to lower inequality. She notes that the causes of these inequalities stem from political decisions, and that only through changing the laws of the land to be more equal can this be addressed. Yet, the education system does not teach how to do this. It sidelines studying history, leading to people not knowing about these legal issues. Students are not taught to debate each other, leading to a lack of discussion of ideas, nor are students taught to follow the democratic process, leading to them voting for people they know little about, leading to the inequities never being addressed. Allen suggests fixing this with an emphasis on teaching liberal arts, theorizing that through political participation, these problems can be solved from within.

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Legal Evidence: NY court ruled civic education is necessary for meaningful political participation.Historical Evidence: Education shifted towards STEM after Sputnik (1957), prioritizing workforce skills over civic learning.

Historical Evidence: Education shifted towards STEM after Sputnik (1957), prioritizing workforce skills over civic learning.

Economic Evidence: Economists Stiglitz & Rodrik argue inequality comes from policy choices, not just technology.

Statistical Evidence: Humanities graduates have higher voter participation than STEM graduates.

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Education should be focused on Participatory Readiness.

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Education should be focused on Participatory Readiness.

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Focusing on participatory readiness builds a strong democratic foundation, helping citizens with the skills for informed engagement. The New York court case highlights that 'meaningful civic participation' demands abilities like understanding complex ballot propositions and following legal arguments. Therefore, education must encourage these skills, ensuring citizens can actively and knowledgeably participate in democratic processes.

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Against Civic Education: No guarantee it improves politics or policy.

Rebuttal: It enables citizens to participate in informed debates and hold leaders accountable.

Against Vocational Focus: STEM prepares students for economic success.

Rebuttal: A strong democracy needs citizens who understand laws, history, and policy-making.

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Education should be focused on Participatory Readiness.

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Education should be focused on Participatory Readiness.

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Participatory readiness can also effectively help address inequality in education by empowering minority communities to advocate for change. The article argues that economic inequalities are 'products of policy choices' and 'political forces shape distributive outcomes.' Equipping citizens with the ability to deliberate, shift perspectives, and advocate effectively allows them to impact policy, resulting in a fairer and more equal society

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If Education Remains Vocational: Lower political engagement, growing inequality, loss of critical thinking.

If Education Shifts to Civic Focus: Stronger democracy, better policy-making, and a more equitable society.

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Education should be focused on Civic Agency. 

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Education should be focused on Civic Agency. 

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Education should encourage civic agency, enabling individuals to shape their communities and move beyond passive roles actively. Danielle Allen describes civic agency as 'co-creating a way of life,' which can occur at many levels. By fostering skills in deliberation and action, education prepares individuals to engage in this co-creation, shaping their communities and influencing policy decisions.

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Education should be focused on Civic Agency. 

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Education should be focused on Civic Agency. 

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The civic agency also helps encourage education, which is essential for promoting social change and empowering citizens to challenge existing norms. The passages point to examples like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Martin Luther King Jr., who used their civic agency to drive social changes. Education should equip students with the tools to engage in 'prophetic work intended to shift a society’s values,' empowering them to be a part of change.

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The education system should be focused on civic disciplines

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The education system should be focused on civic disciplines

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Allen argues that it is important for students to be educated in civics, since it prepares them to become active participants within their government. Civic education develops the skills that are essential to becoming citizens that are active in democratic engagement. Civics, as well as the liberal arts, serve as the basis for political action. While an education rooted in STEM discipline can be beneficial, it solely prepares students for involvement in the economy. Its goal is to help students develop the skills needed for specific vocations, in order to create more human capital. A civic education on the other hand, prepares individuals to become active citizens that are able to advocate for equality. This will also allow them to work towards eliminating inequalities within the education system.

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There should be more emphasis placed on the liberal arts and social sciences as well. These disciplines help students to develop skills such as critical thinking, creativity, reading, writing, etc. that will allow them to be able to make meaningful arguments and contributions to conversations in politics. Allen discusses how higher SAT verbal scores are correlated with increased participatory readiness, since those students were able to develop the essential skills. On the other hand, students who scored higher on the math section of the SAT were less likely to participate in politics.