Free the student press

Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is disturbed by research showing our nation's high schools are failing their students when it comes to instilling in them an appreciation for the First Amendment and civic issues. "Civic education - and, with it, civic learning - has been in steady decline for decades," she writes in the forward to Sam Chaltain's new book, American Schools: The Art of Creating a Democratic Learning Community. "As a result, too many young people today do not understand how our political system works, or how to be seen and heard in meaningful, effective ways." The best measure of a high school's commitment to civic education is the nature of its student news media. A student newspaper can provide the most visible evidence of whether schools just preach or actually practice First Amendment principles, democratic learning and significant civic engagement.