bright and early

"If in fact the traditions of Western science and humanities mean what they say, modern universities are performing precisely the functions institutions of higher learning should perform: to stretch the boundaries of our understanding; to teach the young to value our intellectual heritage not by rote but through comprehension and examination; to continually and perpetually subject the 'wisdom' of our society to thorough and thoughtful scrutiny while making the 'wisdom' of other societies and other cultures accessible and subject to comparable scrutiny; to refuse to simplify our culture beyond recognition by limiting our focus to only one segment of American society and instead to open up the entire society to thoughtful examination."

Preach it, Lawrence W. Levine. This comes from page 21 of The Opening of the American Mind, a short book pretty well summed up in the paragraph here. He wrote it in response to a lot of conservative backlash in the 90's, when people were sure civilization itself was in decline becuase college freshmen no longer had to take Western Civ.

Levine's analysis has proved sound. The university has become increasingly diverse, the curriculum receptive of black studies, and the student population of black students. But multiculturalism of the kind he argues for convincingly in this book is, if anything, still too imperfectly borne out in our education system as a whole.

The books of, say, Jonathan Kozol, attest to this at some length and with some passion. A host of attempts are underway to address these savage inequalities: The Algebra Project, City Year, Teach for America, KIPP Schools, even a push by some student-leaders for a students' bill of rights. Even a thing called No Child Left Behind, if anyone takes that seriously (perhaps they would fund it if they did...)

Then there's the new school. When I talk about it, people assume it's going to be a private school for gifted students. I don't think that would do enough. It has to address the public. It has to address America, our historical uniqueness, our unfulfilled promise. To do less would be, yes, un-American.

The belief that all students can take on their history and their promise, can learn to read and discuss, to think critically--before college--can't be too foolhardy. It's predicated on all those humanist tendencies we prize in liberal education. For the sake of the kids--and the teachers-- whose lives are spent outside the academy, we ought to restore these ideals to the public school, making them the foundation for everything we do.