Many Americans think that schools have no business asking children to debate controversial topics and come to their own conclusions. Yet times of political crisis show that such debates, and the skills students build be engaging in them, are essential to democracy. Kappan editor Rafael Heller notes that past crises have led schools to spend time teaching students about propaganda and rhetoric and to encourage them to analyze and participate in public persuasion.

中文翻译：

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编者注：让孩子们说服

许多美国人认为学校没有生意要孩子辩论有争议的话题并得出自己的结论。然而，政治危机时期表明，此类辩论以及学生参与辩论的技巧对民主至关重要。卡彭（Kappan）编辑拉斐尔•海勒（Rafael Heller）指出，过去的危机导致学校花时间教学生关于宣传和修辞的知识，并鼓励他们分析和参与公众的说服力。