What message do the writers want to convey in this passage?
Read the passage from "Not by Math Alone" by Sandra
Day O'Connor and Roy Romer.
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.
This is not a new idea. Our first public schools saw
education for citizenship as a core part of their mission.
Eighty years ago, John Dewey said, "Democracy needs
to be reborn in every generation and education is its
midwife."
The responsibility of schools is to focus on teaching
academic subjects, not civic learning.
Public schools no longer see it as their mission to
educate students for civic participation.
O Democracy is fragile and needs to be reborn in
every generation" through education.
Civic education is essential for a functioning
democracy, as citizenship is not automatic but
learned