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by Danielle Allen

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The increased emphasis on STEM based education, in an attempt to reduce inequality, neglects the need for civic education and humanities, courses necessary to promoting equality and making fair judgments about policies of the government.

"once students had completed eighth grade, the public schools had met their responsibility to enable children 'to eventually function productively as civic participants.' This education level was adequate preparation for minimum-wage labor."

"students are entitles to learn in public schools the 'basic literacy, calculating, and verbal skills necessary to enable children function productively as civic participants capable of voting and serving on a jury.'"

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There is more than one solution to minimizing economic inequalities. 

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There is more than one solution to minimizing economic inequalities. 

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Current education focuses on making sure society is able to compete in a technology dependent economy by emphasizing importance to STEM education. But, economic inequalities are a "product of policy choices" and politics which requires education to focus on participatory readiness to ensure society is capable in choosing different rules in government.

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STEM based education attempts to place the poor and the rich on the same step of the ladder to economic success. 

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STEM based education attempts to place the poor and the rich on the same step of the ladder to economic success. 

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With US competing with the Soviet to be on top in the technological ladder, available jobs were biased toward high skilled workers. So "the poor catch up with the rich to the extent that they achieve the same level of technological know-how, skill, and education. Broad dissemination of skills is expected to drive down the wage premium on expertise and compress the income distribution."

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Authorities and parents feel that civic education will not help students attain success. 

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Authorities and parents feel that civic education will not help students attain success. 

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"policymakers, education specialists, and many parents—including low-income parents, whose children are most likely to see their civic education shortchanged—have narrowed their focus exclusively to the economic field."

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President Obama announces STEM as the main priority in education.

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President Obama announces STEM as the main priority in education.

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"President Obama, in his 2013 State of the Union address, announced a competition to 'redesign America’s high schools.' Rewards would go, he said, to schools that develop more classes 'that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math—the skills today’s employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and in the future.' More recently, in his 2016 State of the Union address, the president announced a Computer Science for All initiative that would make students 'job-ready on day one.'"

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"Income growth at the highest end reflects social acceptance of sky-high executive pay"

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"Income growth at the highest end reflects social acceptance of sky-high executive pay"

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Political choices determine and shape the economy and are also an explanation for the growing income inequality. Therefore, social and political changes are solutions. But in order to prepare society to have the knowledge to make those choices, there should be more focus on participatory readiness by emphasizing the importance of humanities and social science in education.

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There are 3 essential parts to civic agency.

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There are 3 essential parts to civic agency.

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Behind these three tasks: disinterested deliberation, prophetic frame shifting, and fair fighting, lies the idea that civic agency co creates societal practices. Liberal arts is such an education that helps the embrace an education for participatory readiness in order to prepare future citizens to create new societal practices.

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"Declaration of Independence is the pithiest summary of the intellectual demands of democratic citizens"

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"Declaration of Independence is the pithiest summary of the intellectual demands of democratic citizens"

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"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness—That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed; that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness"

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"Citizens must judge whether their governments meet their responsibility, spelled out earlier in the sentence, to secure rights. If a government fails in its core purposes, it is the job of the citizen to figure this out and decide how to change direction. To make judgments about the course of human events and our government's role in them and to decide on the core principles that should orient our judgments about what will bring about safety and happiness, we need liberal arts.

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Data suggest that humanities is "intrinsically related" to preparation of participatory readiness

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Data suggest that humanities is "intrinsically related" to preparation of participatory readiness

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"92.8 percent of humanities majors have voted at least once since finishing school. Among STEM majors, that number is 83.5 percent."

"High SAT verbal scores correlate with increased likelihood of political participation, while high SAT math scores correlate with decreased likelihood of participation."

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* 1983 Reagan administration report A Nation at Risk

* Claudia Goldin and Larry Katz book The Race between Education and Technology (2008)

* Thomas Piketty, french economist, book Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2014)

* President Obama's 2013 State of the Union address

* Declaration of Independence

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The misunderstanding about the solution needed to overcome the inequality masks the importance of civic education.

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The misunderstanding about the solution needed to overcome the inequality masks the importance of civic education.

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Continued emphasis on STEM education due to the misunderstanding that STEM is the necessary action needed to overcome inequality is the reason for the decreased interest in civic education. By understanding the root problem in the formation of these inequalities, one will be able to realize the significance civic education brings and finally be able to find the answer to reducing this inequality.