Legal Commentary

Children Left Behind

By TChris

Whether or not it makes sense to require eighth grade students to take algebra, as California will now do, the state's effort to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act raises a bigger issue. Sure, a basic understanding of science and math is useful, and exposure to those subjects (at least with good teachers) may encourage kids to explore fields that they didn't realize were of interest to them.

But as important as science and math may be, isn't it equally important for students to understand the basic structure of government and to have a fundamental grasp of the United States Constitution? Aren't children being left behind if they don't know that the Constitution protects rights and imposes limits upon governmental authority? What is the purpose of a law that focuses on "core" subjects like reading and math while neglecting a subject that is equally important to a functioning democracy: the workings of American government and the role that voters are supposed to play in shaping it?

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 10, 2008 (boomark / email).