What’s Wrong with Civic Education?

Ask the average American adult what he thinks of promoting “action civics” in the public school curriculum and his response is likely to be “Why not? Sounds like a good idea. Encourage kids to take an active interest in public affairs; attend city council meetings; participate in charitable activities like running soup kitchens to assist the poor.” Ask what that person thinks of promoting multiculturalism in the schools, and the response is likely to be similarly favorable: “Why not encourage an appreciation of the various cultures that our polyglot population stems from—artistic, religious, ethnic, racial?” And finally, what about adopting textbooks that embody “critical pedagogy”: Isn’t it a good idea to promote critical thinking among our youth instead of allowing them to become passive recipients of whatever ideological fad or erroneous factual claims that others have sought to inculcate?