Editor’s Note: Among the many commemorative exercises seeking to draw meaning from the events of one year ago today is a collection of short essays written in response to the question of “What Our Children Need to Know.” The compilation, published on the Web site of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, presents the thoughts of 23 prominent Americans from many fields and various political persuasions. While Education Week endorses no single view of how or what curriculum should be imparted in light of this moment in American history, we publish the following selection of essays, with permission from the foundation, as a means of stimulating thought on the vital issue of what we as a nation wish to pass on to our children.
The complete publication of “September 11: What Our Children Need to Know” is available from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.(Requires Adobe’s Acrobat Reader.)
- Truths of Civic Life
What should teachers teach their students about Sept. 11, 2001? William A. Galston offers some thoughts on lessons about American civic life.
- Protecting Our Liberty
The Sept. 11 attack on our country underscored the importance of instructing the rising generation in American history, says Lynne Cheney.
- Nothing Is Inevitable
Richard Rodriguez reflects on the events of Sept. 11 and says students musn’t take American freedom for granted.
