I don’t know very much about how the educational structures work in America: But I think the issues behind the social injustice that’s sparked the Occupy movement should definitely be in the forefront of people’s minds.
A lot of young people don’t understand the concepts that underpin economics, or how distributive justice is essential to a just society. Social justice is all about the distribution of property: And while it’s difficult to argue against some people having a lot of personal property, it’s very difficult to rationalize them taking a huge percent of a company’s earnings, paying less tax than their shelf stacker and using this money to buy political influence which means they pay less tax, and continue to dominate the markets.
This leads to a snowballing of political power in the hands of personally interested individuals, an increase in poverty and joblsesness and a degrading of public services (because those with money won’t want to pay tax for a facility they don’t use). The fact that you can’t let those with money hold political power, can’t let the government mimic the actions of the markets and can’t let the wealth divide grow too big without dire consequences is something that every political philosopher will tell you (all of these things were banned in ancient Rome, and something we should be teaching our kids.
The fact is that if the Occupy movement goes even half way to causing the social justice that the people want the economic and political systems will change in a way that will still be in textbooks in a milennia. The NEA should petition to inform people of how important it is, especially since the news corporations (who are themselves large companies with things to lose) are imposing this media blackout on it all!