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Danielle Allen argues in her work What Is An Education For, the importance of Participatory Readiness which corresponds with the ability of a person to participate civically and politically and also be able to engage within their communities. Based on this definition, she argues that "an education focused not merely on technical skills but also on what I call participatory readiness, provides a distinct and better way to promote equality through schooling"(Allen 9). This is the first of many arguments made by Allen advocating for civic education and she repeatedly uses the idea of participatory readiness to support her claim.

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Central Claim: A Civic Education Is A Necessity And Must Be Emphasized As Much As Vocational Education. 

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Central Claim: A Civic Education Is A Necessity And Must Be Emphasized As Much As Vocational Education. 

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Liberal Arts Education Is The Foundation Of Democratic Principles.

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Liberal Arts Education Is The Foundation Of Democratic Principles.

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Allen argues that STEM is vital to our society right now. Still, it is not the only type of education needed in our society and the liberal arts are responsible for political thoughts and democracy. Allen quotes the Declaration of Independence to emphasize the role that individual thought plays in the evaluation and decision-making process when it comes to government and citizenship. The author then extends this argument by stating that the mixture of both liberal arts and the STEM field is necessary to create the best "intellectual tools" as the current generation should learn from the prior generation and serve as a model for the next generation(Allen 12).

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Allen highlights in her argument the role education plays in political and economic standing. She mentions the works of several economists such as Dani Rodrik and Joseph Stiglitz. Allen quotes Stiglitz's work Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy, as the idea of inequality results from political choices that are affected by education and in turn implies that social and economic inequality are closely connected at the bottom by education. Allen then extends that civic education and vocational education provide the tools that build political and financial frameworks. She maintains however, that both vocational and civic education must be balanced in order to yield the best results.

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Allen uses many different studies and surveys to argue that civic education is necessary for political activity as she introduces a survey made by the Department of Education in which "92.8 percent of humanities majors have voted at least once finishing school. Among STEM majors that number is 83.5 percent"(Allen 13). She also then states the percentage of humanities majors that "had written to public officials" 10 years after finishing school and STEM majors once again trailed the humanities in this area(Allen 13). Allen then uses SAT scores to highlight how a higher verbal score correlated with a higher level of participatory readiness while a higher math score was the opposite. Allen concludes this argument by explaining the importance of humanitarian activities and education within schools and the positive effects that they bring such as "political equality and distributive justice"(Allen 13).

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The lawyers representing the Campaign for Fiscal Equity argued that education was for "civic agency"(Allen 8). This term is repeatedly mentioned in the text and serves as a foundation for many of the arguments made within this passage. Allen even goes as far as to say that civic agency is "an activity of co-creating a way of life"(Allen 12). The purpose of the civic agency is to create a society in which people collaborate and function together to benefit the whole community. Allen argues that education is critical in developing the skills necessary for civic agency.

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The Foundation Of Economic and Political Policy

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The Foundation Of Economic and Political Policy

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Allen adds to her previous arguments about education being a means to economic equality by stating that education decreases political inequality which in turn causes economic inequality to decrease. Allen once again uses Dani Rodrik's arguments as evidence for her own as Rodrik states how the political decisions made by governments have created an environment for economic inequality. Allen's argument is complex as she maintains that education is responsible for democracy as education incites participation and creates the basic structure for a democracy.

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A Current Imbalance Exists Between Vocational And Civic Education

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A Current Imbalance Exists Between Vocational And Civic Education

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Allen highlights that the idea of a greater education in the United States started to develop during the late 1950s as the Soviet Union had successfully launched the first satellite into orbit and many Americans feared that they were behind in the Space Race and needed to catch up to the Soviets. This fear caused the United States government to pass new acts that provided more funding for "vocational training"(Allen 9). The new emphasis on vocational education created a global competitiveness in which new jobs would emerge as technology advanced and competitiveness increased for these new openings. These new jobs at the end of the 20th century required particular skills which part of the large part were obtained through vocational education which led to a greater emphasis on education being the key to the competitiveness that emerged. Allen cites French economist Thomas Piketty in her work arguing that education was the path for the poor to catch up to the rich. This resulted in a major imbalance between vocational and civic education as many chose to simply neglect the civic aspect of their education in favor of pursuing a strict vocational path which they hoped would benefit them socioeconomically.

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Allen, Danielle. “What Is Education For?” Boston Review, 21 Aug. 2024, www.bostonreview.net/forum/danielle-allen-what-is-education-for/.