I notice that a lot of people take issue with the "schools should teach..." line, then immediately proceed to "parents should..." replacement. Sadly, some kids don't have parents who either can or will, and I believe it's the responsibility of the state/nation/sociopolitical grouping to ensure that those kids get what they need. Sure, we can complain about lazy or uncaring parents all we like, but in the end the kids are the ones losing out, not the parents.

Anyway, I'd like to add to my points the crucial ones of responsibility, conflict resolution, and consideration. We need to produce kids who'll turn into adults who are not only capable of functioning in the world we've built, but can also make a better job of managing it than we have.

Comments on comments:

Ricky, just a correction there. Nobody was trying to 'force democracy' on anyone. There were other reasons, and democracy certainly didn't, and doesn't, get a look in.

Mike, no, very few students learn critical thinking skills from either maths or history. What they learn is how to integrate certain forms and the names of Australian Prime Ministers, not critical thinking. Yes, there is something very wrong with our system, part of which is that schools have been squeezed for many years, and now have to teach to the test. Another part is the division of curricula into arbitrary subjects, mostly taught via chalk and talk. Any students who do develop critical thinking skills are few and far between.