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Education should not only prepare people for work but also cultivate civic agency

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Education should not only prepare people for work but also cultivate civic agency

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Modern education focuses too much on vocational skills for the economy and neglects its role in preparing citizens for civic life.

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The vocational purpose of education focuses on developing technical and job related skills so individuals and societies can compete in a global economy.

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Vocational inequality theory: If more people gain marketable technical/professional skills, the skill premium shrinks and wages compress, reducing inequality.

The vocational mindset continued through reports, stating that science and technology are the key to national strength.

Presidents such as Barack Obama reinforced it in speeches promoting STEM education and “21st-century skills.”

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Education is a tool for economic equality. By spreading technical and professional skills, especially in STEM. Economic competitiveness and job readiness ensure fair opportunity. This technocratic view sees inequality as a skills gap, solvable through schooling.

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Expanding broad access to education compresses the skill premium and reduces inequality; "when education lags behind skill-biased tech change, the premium and inequality rise."(Goldin & Katz 2008)

National Defense Education Act of 1958

“Education became a matter of national defense,” a turning point that reframed schooling as training for technical advancement rather than civic participation.

A Nation at Risk (1983) and Rising Above the Gathering Storm (2007): Reinforced the notion that the purpose of education is to strengthen the U.S. economy and workforce.

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The court ruled that students have a right to civic education.

The case argued that eighth-grade education was not enough for “capable citizenship”; a 12th-grade level is required for “meaningful civic participation.” - 2006 New York Court of Appeals case

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Students must understand complex issues like ballot propositions and DNA evidence in trials.

Education must include critical thinking, argumentation, and social studies, not only math and science. By broadening political equality through participatory readiness, civic education enables policy reforms that reduce inequality

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Education fosters participation because it prepares people for democratic engagement. Reading, writing, and collaboration are the basic instruments of political action.

"Data from the Department of Education reveal that, among 2008 college graduates, 92.8 percent of humanities majors have voted at least once. Among STEM majors, that number is 83.5 percent." (Allen 2016)

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Both paradigms matter

Vocational education is necessary but incomplete. By centering education on civic participation, we build not just a stronger economy, but a stronger democracy. Neglecting civic education undermines equality, weakens democracy, and leaves policy decisions to the few rather than the many.

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Citizens need to learn how to think critically, deliberate, and make collective decisions.

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Allen, Danielle. “What Is Education For?” Boston Review, May–June 2016, https://www.bostonreview.net/forum/danielle-allen-what-education/. 7 Oct. 2025.

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Definition: The state of being prepared and skilled to actively engage in civic, political, and social life, encompassing not only political participation but also meaningful relationships and community involvement.

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Inequality is shaped by policy choices (not just tech/markets). Civic education builds political equality, therefore more people can participate and push for fairer rules in labor, housing, and finance. Therefore, civic education is a pathway to economic fairness as well.

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"Current inequalities reflect policy decisions" (Rodrik 2011)

"Inequality, has been a choice"

(Stiglitz 2015)

"Institutions/politics determine how markets distribute gains."

(Acemoglu & Robinson 2012).