{"product_id":"the-cradle-of-citizenship-how-schools-can-help-save-our-democracy-hardcover","title":"The Cradle of Citizenship: How Schools Can Help Save Our Democracy - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJames Traub\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerica's Founders placed great confidence in schools, which they believed would teach young people to understand our political system and to engage in reasoned political debate as adults. Yet today, when virtually all Americans graduate from high school, we remain stunningly ignorant of history and government. In 2022, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that only 13 percent of students scored a \"proficient\" level in history. Adults do no better: only 40 percent can name the three branches of government.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Cradle of Citizenship\u003c\/em\u003e, James Traub chronicles his year of observing public schools across the country, talking to teachers, scholars, and curriculum designers. He finds teachers in Florida who are afraid of discussing topics that might be seen as \"woke\"; a red-blue war incarnated in the 1619 Project and 1776 Report; a profound disagreement over what exactly civic education means; and, most dismayingly, ever-diminishing expectations of students with ever-dwindling attention spans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet \u003cem\u003eThe Cradle of Citizenship\u003c\/em\u003e also finds sources of hope. Traub learns that, despite endless right-wing critiques, virtually all social studies teachers keep their personal views to themselves and encourage students to develop views of their own. He describes the extraordinary collaboration between liberal and conservative scholars that led to the creation of \"Educating for American Democracy,\" a roadmap for the teaching of civics. Finally, Traub describes the \"classical school,\" a traditional model based on the study of great books and the conscious molding of character, which is derided as reactionary in progressive circles yet prompts students to discuss books and ideas with depth. Shedding light on one of the most divisive issues of our time, \u003cem\u003eThe Cradle of Citizenship\u003c\/em\u003e upholds a vision of civics education as it could be.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ePraise for James Traub\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eTrue Believer: Hubert Humphrey's Quest for a More Just America\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Compelling. . . . [James Traub] has rendered here a sensitive, vivid and sometimes poignant portrait of a political crusader.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-- Robert W. Merry, \u003cem\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eJudah Benjamin: Counselor to the Confederacy\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A cogent argument for acknowledging, rather than ignoring, Benjamin's role in both Jewish and American history.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-- Diane Cole, \u003cem\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eWhat Was Liberalism? The Past, Present, and Promise of a Noble Idea\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Traub's is the most muscular of these [liberalism-is-dying] books in tracing liberalism's evolution.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-- Timothy Noah, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eJohn Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Penetrating, detailed, and very readable. . . . [A] splendid biography.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-- Robert K. Landers, \u003cem\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 9.34 x 6.26 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 13, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44382581751910,"sku":"9781324079514","price":41.31,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/tz8lNLO1M9781324079514.webp?v=1769021429","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/the-cradle-of-citizenship-how-schools-can-help-save-our-democracy-hardcover","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}