Last year we interviewed Mark Santow, one of the plaintiffs suing the State of Rhode Island under the 14th Amendment for failing to provide some students civics curricula and other components of an adequate education. After we revisit our interview, Dr. Santow updates us on the suit and reflects on the lawsuit’s particular relevance at a time of pandemic and the Mobilization for Black Lives.
Overview
00:00-00:43 Update intro
00:43-02:03 Intros
02:03-06:50 Cook v Raimondo lawsuit background
06:59-08:31 A constitutional right to an education
08:32-10:11 Why Rhode Island and why now
10:12-11:55 Lack of civics and unequal funding
11:56-15:06 A vision of a civics curriculum
15:07-17:44 Role of ethics/ethical decision-making in a civics course
17:45-20:08 Federal courts’ resistance to accepting adequate education as a constitutional right
20:09-21:51 Relationship to slavery/race
21:52-24:47 Can education system compensate for economic inequality
24:48-26:51 Civics as center of entire curriculum could be transformative
26:52-29:29 Public organizing and the lawsuit
29:32-33:17 State of the litigation
33:18-37:05 Relationship to Movement for Black Lives
37:06-38:05 Outro
Transcript
Click here to see the full transcript of this episode.
References
- Opinion column by Aaron Tang, Ethan Hutt and Gary B. v. Whitmer published on The New York Times
- Gary B. v. Whitmer (lawsuit)
- Judge William E. Smith’s decision in this case
- Original episode: Mark Santow on Ethical Schools Podcast
Credits
Photo by Koshu-Kunii/Unsplash
Soundtrack by Podington Bear