Perspectives of a Lifelong Learner
"Developing that sense of local connection could be the surprising secret to combating the rise of political alienation and extremism in rural areas. It’s not a challenge any local area can claim to have conquered — but it’s one they’re taking increasingly seriously." Fergus Peace https://apolitical.co/solution_article/how-to-tackle-populism-rebuild-rural-civic-life/
On to more important things and a reminder that our system of governance has worked in the past, and it will work again. Even with the disturbing events of our times, one could certainly argue that we've thankfully not matched the tumultuous times of the 1960's through to the end of the Vietnam War. For... Continue Reading →
"An especially noteworthy conclusion of the (Brown) report is that “strengthening the social studies teaching workforce is particularly important at a time when many Americans are wondering about their country’s civic and political well-being – and are wondering about what schools could do to help.” ASPA members—both academic and practitioners—have a vested interest in... Continue Reading →
"Our concern is that the civic mission of schools has been lost in an era that has placed such dominant emphasis on math and reading proficiency and the important-but-incomplete goal of preparing students for college and career success. Many of the country’s greatest challenges today are political in nature. Addressing those challenges will require schools... Continue Reading →
"Overcoming toxic arrogance is not easy, and our present political moment is not making it any easier. But if we want to live in a tolerant society where we are not only open-minded but willing to learn from others, we need to balance humility and conviction. We can start by looking past ourselves —... Continue Reading →
"And, therefore, the educated citizen has a special obligation to encourage the pursuit of learning, to promote exploration of the unknown, to preserve the freedom of inquiry, to support the advancement of research, and to assist at every level of government the improvement of education for all Americans, from grade school to graduate school" John... Continue Reading →
As Wisconsin’s and Minnesota’s lawmakers took divergent paths, so did their economies--Since 2010, Minnesota’s economy has performed far better for working families than Wisconsin’s "Since the 2010 election of Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin and Governor Mark Dayton in Minnesota, lawmakers in these two neighboring states have enacted vastly different policy agendas. Governor Walker... Continue Reading →
"This is localism, a bottom-up, practically oriented way of looking at today’s biggest policy dilemmas. Instead of always or only seeking to fix municipal issues through national policy, localism suggests that communities can and should find solutions to their own particular problems, within their own particular contexts." Gracy Olmstead https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/opinion/localism-partisanship-local-politics.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share ... Continue Reading →
For those of you, especially in the public service, that have not become acquainted with the Civitas Project I would suggest you do so. Developed and driven by Larry Arrington, the Civitas Project is a private, non-profit corporation in strategic alliance with Stetson University, its Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience and its Center for Community... Continue Reading →
"in the early 1990’s the image of the faceless governmental bureaucrat, top-down, regulatory minded, 'Administrative Man' was hypothetically replaced. Enter the champion of the New Public Management, the market driven “Economic Man. He is Reinventing Government---" "An expanded educational approach to civics and cultural literacy may serve to combat this narrow approach to governance. ... Continue Reading →
The Scholarly Participant 
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