The cover of the book "This Earthly Frame," depicting clouds swirling around the US Capitol dome.

The Struggle to Make the United States Secular

How progressives came to think that any recognition of Christianity by a public institution violates others’ rights.
Mount Rushmore with painted crowd behind it

A Usable Past for a Post-American Nation

We are living through a time when we cannot take our shared identity—and therefore our shared stories—for granted.

Will We Still Be American After Democracy Dies?

Is being "political" the central force in our identities?
An integrated classroom in Anacostia High School, Washington, D.C. in 1957.

Have We Lost Faith in Public Education?

Economic rationales for schooling are eroding democracy.
An integrated classroom in Anacostia High School, Washington, D.C. in 1957.

Common Core Is a Menace to Pluralism and Democracy

But can locally empowered communities really fix our schools' problems?
Schoolchildren writing on a chalkboard.
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The New Tax Law Poses a Hidden Threat to American Democracy

Undermining public education will exacerbate polarization and mistrust.
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The Founding Fathers Made Our Schools Public. We Should Keep Them That Way.

They believed public schools were the foundation of a virtuous republic.

Why Do Schoolhouses Matter?

The rise of public education in America.

Fresh Takes on the Declaration of Independence

A new look at the Declaration of Independence from 24 scholars across the country.