Elementary schools have contributed to national discord by neglecting to teach American history and civic principles, writes E.D. Hirsch Jr. in Democracy Journal. America is not a melting pot, but a mosaic that’s held together by “our national language and its public culture, including laws, loyalties, and shared sentiments, that make the language intelligible,” he argues. Over the past six decades, changes in the early grades of schooling have contributed to the decline of c
When a New York City school began inviting students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, it “sparked tensions,” reports DNAinfo New York. Some parents had pushed for the pledge at The Peck Slip School. They realized that much-ignored state law requires it and asked the city’s Department of Education to enforce the rule. “It’s a shame that this has become politicized,” said a parent who supports the pledge — and U.S. flags — at the school. “I’m not a Trump supporter, I just thi