Common Core co-chair Diane Ravitch appears in the New York Times Magazine today, asking and answering the question: “Why do we educate?” Guess what? The answer is not to pass basic skills tests in reading and math:
“Why do we educate? We educate because we want citizens who are capable of taking responsibility for their lives and our democracy. We want citizens who understand how their government works, who are knowledgeable about the history of their nation and other nations. We need citizens who are thoroughly educated in science. We need people who can communicate in other languages. We must ensure that every young person has the chance to engage in the arts.”
That is well and good, but the answer more fundamental. Parents do not devote decades to rearing children for the benefit of the state. We do not educate our children in order to make them productive citizens, though we may certainly value that outcome. No, we educate children because we want to nurture them, to guide them toward actualization of their natural abilities and God-given potential. That is the business of parenting, and education is a subset of that business. Productive citizenry is a by-product.