Sandra Day O'Connor Unbound!

I'm liking Retirement seems to be a bit liberating for Sandra Day O'Connor. She is speaking her mind freely. I like what I hear.

In today's WaPo she co-authored an op-ed with LA school superintendent Roy Romer that touches on high school education priorities: Not By Math Alone

This country has long exemplified democratic practice to the rest of the world. With the attention we are paying to advancing democracy abroad, we ought not neglect it at home.

Two-thirds of 12th-graders scored below 'proficient' on the last national civics assessment in 1998, and only 9 percent could list two ways a democracy benefits from citizen participation. Yes, young people remain highly patriotic, and many volunteer in their communities. But most are largely disconnected from current events and issues.

A healthy democracy depends on the participation of citizens, and that participation is learned behavior; it doesn't just happen. As the 2003 report 'The Civic Mission of Schools' noted: 'Individuals do not automatically become free and responsible citizens, but must be educated for citizenship.' That means civic learning -- educating students for democracy -- needs to be on par with other academic subjects.

Read the rest. I couldn't agree more. My kids' teachers have always done an excellent job of teaching history and current events. But we can't rely on the strength of individual teachers. History and civics has to be a priority, a cornerstone of high school curriculum on par with math, science, and reading literacy.