Abandon standardized testing; focus on teaching civic skills
Nader wants to abandon not only the standardized testing both Bush and Gore endorse, but to radically refocus schools. Students “should learn, as the core curriculum, developing civic
skills, learning how to practice democracy,” he said, “and the arithmetic, reading and writing will be a byproduct.”
Source: Scot Lehigh, Boston Globe, page D1
Oct 8, 2000
Invest in K-12 education; that will reduce poverty
Education is clearly a significant factor in enhancing the future of impoverished children. Education levels bear heavily on efforts to bring families out of poverty and in providing livable wages for low and moderate and middle-income families.
We need to invest in the nation’s children. We must assure an adequate safety net, health care, higher quality and more plentiful child care and vastly better educational opportunities, particularly at Kindergarten through the 12th grade.
Source: Statement on Child Poverty
Jun 26, 2000
Teach democratic principles & citizenship in schools
Our country’s schoolchildren need to be taught democratic principles in their historic context and present relevance, with practical civics experiences
to develop their citizen skills and a desire to use them, and so they will be nurtured to serve as a major reservoir of future democracy.
Source: The Concord Principles, An Agenda for a New Democracy, #10
Feb 21, 2000
Kick Channel One & commercialism out of class
Would you want your children to see propaganda that glorifies reckless driving or that reinforces the poor body image of teenage girls? That’s exactly the kind of thing schoolkids are watching on Channel One, a so-called educational broadcast piped into
classrooms. In essence, Channel One is run by a marketing company that uses the schools to deliver advertising to youngsters. Each school day, teachers turn on a TV show made up of two minutes of commercials and 10 minutes of “news.” Channel One’s
lobbyists say that it’s “an old-fashioned newscast that often reflects traditional values.” Nice try. The “news” is just filler. What Channel One really conveys is materialism: that buying is good and will solve your problems, and that consumption and
self-gratification are the goals of life. For real education reform that protects children, costs nothing, and increases productive class time, tell your school board to kick Channel One out of class.
Source: “In the Public Interest” newspaper column
May 12, 1999
Focus on civic & consumer education
Q: How would you manage the Department of Education differently?
A: I would put a very high priority on getting schools to teach civic education and connecting the classroom with the community. Getting youngsters, even as young as the fifth
and sixth grades, to learn how to practice democracy, to connect knowledge to action. To help people grow up civic instead of growing up corporate is an important function of the Department of Education.
Our education system is becoming
very vocational and very occupation-oriented, which is OK if it is not disproportionate and if it doesn’t squeeze out the most important role of education, which is civic.
I also would emphasize consumer education. Children are spending more
and more money directly -- under 12 years of age they spent $ 12 billion last year, and they caused their parents to spend $ 150 billion. They need a consumer perspective, how to become a smart shopper.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday Interview, p. 3/Z1
Oct 13, 1996
Click here for definitions & background information on Education.
