Preface: Keeping the Republic
Introduction: Civic Education, Devalued
Part I: Making the Case
1. The Democratic Purpose of Education: From the Founders to Horace Mann to Today
2. Safeguarding American Exceptionalism: An Uninformed Citizenry Risks Ceding Excessive Power to Government
3.The Right to Know Your Rights: Civic Literacy, the Miranda Warnings, and Me
4. My Immigrant Tale: Assimilation and the Road to Success
Part II: From the White House to the Statehouse—Policymakers' Lessons Learned
5. Civic Nation: My White House Mission After 9/11
6. Civic Literacy and No Child Left Behind: A Lesson in the Limits of Government Power
7. A Failure of Leadership: The Duty of Politicians and Universities to Salvage Citizenship
8.Forgetting MLK's Dream: How Politics Threatens America's Civil Rights Memory
9. Revolutionary Ignorance: What Do Americans Know of the Original Tea Party?
10. Core Curriculum: How to Tackle General Illiteracy and Civic Illiteracy at the Same Time
Part III: In the Classroom—What Works, What Doesn't
11. Fighting Civic Malpractice: How a Harlem Charter School Network Closes the Civic Achievement Gap
12. The KIPP Approach: Be the Change You Wish to See in the World
13.The Wisdom of 20,000 Teachers: Strengthen State Requirements, Stop Marginalizing the Founders
14. Teaching Political Sophistication: On Self-Interest and the Common Good
Part IV: Among the Ivory Towers—Fighting Civic Neglect in Higher Education
15.Good History and Good Citizens: Howard Zinn, Woodrow Wilson, and the Historian's Purpose
16.Talk is Cheap: The University and the National Project, A History
17.Don't Believe the Hype: Young Voters Are Still Disengaged, and Universities Have Few Incentives to Fix It
18. Donor Intent: Strategic Philanthropy and Civic Education on Campus
Part V: A Vision for the Twenty-First Century
19. After the Digital Explosion: Education and the Threat to Civil Liberties in the Internet Age
20. How School Choice Enhances Civic Health: Vouchers and Informed Politics
21. Education vs. Indoctrination: What Separates Sound Policy from State Overreach?
22. Letter to President Obama: A Policy Approach for the Federal Government

The past is critical to the future—a commonplace observation that would not be notable if the findings in this important book had turned out differently. As it is, Teaching America chronicles the nation’s civics deficit, arguing eloquently and sensibly for a renewed commitment to education about public life... This book and this project are excellent places to begin.

We need to heed the voices in this essential book. If America is going to continue to be a powerful force for good in the world, we must repair our public education system and cultivate citizens that have the tools and ideals necessary to ensure the success of our great experiment in democracy. Teaching America tells us how.