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Education must go beyond preparing students for the workforce and focus on training students for civic, political, and societal participation to promote democratic employment and address economic inequalities.

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Education should focus on developing skills for democratic participation (reading, writing, collaboration) over solely economic goals.

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An education system focused on civic readiness can also help address economic inequality.

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Allen discusses Glaeser, Ponzetto, and Shleifer's argument that education fosters democratic participation because it equips people with the necessary skills for political action.

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“92.8% of humanities majors have voted at least once since finishing school, compared to 83.5% of STEM majors.”

"within ten years of graduation, 44.1 percent of 1993 humanities graduates had written to public officials, compared to 30.1 percent of STEM majors."

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Danielle Allen’s article responds to the current focus of education on vocational training and STEM fields, driven by national and global pressures. This shift began in the mid-20th century after the 1957 launch of Sputnik, which led to the National Defense Education Act (1958) to improve science and math education. The 1983 Reagan report A Nation at Risk further pushed for vocational education to meet global economic demands, even though its data were debunked. By the 2000s, education reforms prioritized STEM over civic education. Allen argues that this focus has overshadowed the importance of fostering civic engagement and addressing social inequalities.

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Historical examples include how political participation drove egalitarian reforms in Britain and the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries.

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Allen notes how movements on both the right and left spread a “populist” focus on distributive justice, raising the stakes for civic education.

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Allen argues that a strong education system can prepare individuals to participate fully in civic life, leading to better representation and advocacy for equitable economic policies. She emphasizes that fostering civic capacities in students helps them become active participants in shaping societal structures, including those related to economic fairness.

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Allen mentions that democracy relies on an educated citizenry, stating that "economic equality cannot be achieved unless citizens have the knowledge and capacity to advocate for their interests" (Allen, 2016). She points out that a focus on civic education equips students with the tools to engage in political processes that influence economic policies, which can lead to more equitable wealth distribution.

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Allen emphasizes that education must prioritize civic skills, such as reading, writing, and collaboration, to prepare individuals for active democratic participation. She critiques the current focus on education for economic productivity, stating that this narrow approach undermines education's broader role in fostering a healthy democracy.

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"If we focus only on preparing people for work, we fail to equip them to be active participants in civic and political life." She argues that these democratic skills are essential for individuals to engage in public discourse and decision-making, which are necessary for the functioning of a democratic society (Allen, 2016).

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Supporters of the Vocational Paradigm argue that focusing on vocational and STEM education is essential for global competitiveness and addressing economic inequality. The Sputnik launch in 1957 sparked concerns about America’s scientific standing, leading to the National Defense Education Act (1958), which heavily invested in science, math, and vocational training. This emphasis continued through reports like A Nation at Risk (1983) and the National Academy of Sciences’ Rising Above the Gathering Storm (2007). These reports pushed the narrative that the U.S. needed to improve STEM education to remain globally competitive, focusing on preparing students for the labor market.

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The Race between Education and Technology by Claudia Goldin and Larry Katz (2008) argued that technological change created a demand for highly skilled workers, widening economic inequality. As they presented, the solution was vocational and STEM education to train workers for high-skill jobs. Similarly, Thomas Piketty in Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2014) claimed that “Historical experience suggests that the principal mechanism for convergence [of incomes and wealth]... is the diffusion of knowledge,” which implied that vocational training can help bridge income gaps.

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Allen references Piketty’s argument: “educational institutions should be made broadly accessible... and states should increase investment in ‘high-quality professional training.’” This supports the idea that vocational training is crucial in addressing income inequality by equipping low-income students with marketable skills.

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Allen counters that the vocational focus has led to narrowing educational goals and dismissing civic education. While vocational training addresses economic needs, it neglects the broader societal inequalities that can only be tackled through a well-rounded education that includes civic and democratic preparation. She argues, “Today, these technologically oriented, vocational approaches to education... leave almost no room for the civic alternative.”

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Allen asserts that focusing solely on economic goals overlooks other forms of inequality. She notes, “Policymakers... have narrowed their focus exclusively to the economic field. In the process, they have lost sight of the full range of inequalities from which our society suffers and which well-rounded education could alleviate.”

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Allen examines the importance of STEM education, stating that A Nation at Risk “deepened the country’s anxiety,” even though its “data were later debunked.” This stresses how the vocational push was based on poor assumptions, weakening the argument for banning civic education.