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Thesis: Thus an education focused not merely on technical skills, but also…

- - - - "Data from the Department of Education reveal that, among 2008 college graduates, 92.8 percent of humanities majors have voted at least once since finishing school. Among STEM majors, that number is 83.5 percent. And, within ten years of graduation, 44.1 percent of 1993 humanities graduates had written to public officials, compared to 30.1 percent of STEM majors" (Allen 13).
        
        this means
        
        This shows that humanities graduates are able to be more connected politcally than STEM graduates due to their education. This can be explained by the fact that humanities graduates study more of the arts and social sciences while STEM graduates focus more on physical science and math rather than social sciences. This also shows that humanities graduates go the extra mile to contact public officials while STEM graduates are less likely to do so. An explanation for this could be that STEM graduates are more likely to look for a scientific solution to problems rather than a social solution, which humanities graduates are more likely to do.
    - - for example
        
        "High SAT verbal scores correlate with increased likelihood of political participation, while high SAT math scores correlate with decreased likelihood of participation" (Allen 13).
        
        this means
        
        The verbal section of the SAT relates to the humanities and liberal arts more which can be why the higher verbal scores correspond to higher political participation. A person who scores higher on the math section would be less likely to participate politically due to this section being closely linked to STEM which has lower political participation. This again emphasizes how a liberal arts education would be more beneficial politically because of the higher chance of political participation.
- - - - "Education, they argue, fosters participation because it prepares people for democratic engagement. Reading, writing, and collaboration are, after all, the basic instruments of political action" (Allen 11).
        
        this means
        
        This quote is talking about how economists argue that an education focusing on reading, writing, and collaboration is necessary for political participation. This is because these skills make people more social and able to be active in society. A liberal arts/humanities education would be the best method to acheive this because it focuses on these skills rather than a more quantitative education like STEM.
- - - - "Today, these technologically oriented, vocational approaches to education and the problem of inequality leave almost no room for the civic alternative. It is not that civic education is incompatible with professional training, but policymakers, education specialists, and many parents—including low-income parents, whose children are most likely to see their civic education shortchanged—have narrowed their focus exclusively to the economic field. In the process, they have lost sight of the full range of inequalities from which our society suffers and which well-rounded education could alleviate" (Allen 10).
        
        this means
        
        Here, Allen talks about how STEM is taking over and leaving no room for a civic education. This is because politicians and others are only looking at economics when making these decisions. This would still leave other inequalities in society which a well-rounded education could help solve.
      - "President Obama, in his 2013 State of the Union address, announced a competition to 'redesign America’s high schools.' Rewards would go, he said, to schools that develop more classes 'that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math—the skills today’s employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and in the future'” (Allen 10).
        
        this means
        
        In this quote, President Obama is giving his State of the Union address. He announces that high schools that create more STEM-based classes will be rewarded. This shows how the government was making a significant effort to focus on STEM being taught to students around the nation. Their reasoning was that employers were looking for those skills at the time and also the future. This is neglecting a liberal arts education which will lead to a less well-rounded education and harm people in the future.