On July 4, schools should celebrate a fourth ‘R’: reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic and rectitude

Can civic and character education in public schools – which have been around for decades -- bring us closer to the Founding Fathers aspirations for us to be virtuous, asks Kalman Hettleman. The answer is yes, if we decide to emphasize it, as Maryland has.

By: Kalman Hettleman

Outlets: Maryland Matters

Published: July 3, 2026

Words: 780

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 4 days ago

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Before lighting the grill or watching fireworks, celebrants of the 250th anniversary of our country should think about the meaning of the Declaration of Independence.

And then think again. Our nation has strayed far from the purposes of the Founding Fathers.

I haven’t read a better book in recent years than “Pursuit of Happiness,” by Jeffrey Rosen. It tells how the Founding Fathers held the pursuit of virtue as the central guiding principle for …

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