Have you heard of the term "STEM Education"? STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. Sometimes a second "M" is added for medicine. This is the term used by educators and others who recognize the need to improve education in these fields. Part of this is a recognition that these fields are interdisciplinary, that it is artificial to try to teach one independent of the others. Part of it is the desire to make teaching in these subjects more inquiry-based. In other words, instead of the teacher lecturing and just telling the students information, the students discover it for themselves through loosely guided exploration. They may be given a task to perform, or a problem to solve, or a general area to observe. Work is often done in groups, with groups and individual students sharing their results with others along the way.
While this effort is focused on STEM subjects, the kind of problem solving and critical thinking skills developed during the best STEM lessons are essential for all aspects of education, indeed just for living life. Democracy will fail if the electorate is mis- or uninformed, or easily duped by outright deceit. Voters must be able to think about what they hear, to ask the right questions, and to analyze answers critically. Otherwise it is almost impossible to hold elected officials accountable.
I have for years been a volunteer both for the STEM education effort as well as for the League of Women Voters. The goal of the LWV is an informed, empowered electorate. The connection here has thus long been apparent to me. The combination of critical thinking and collaborative work must form a backbone to support everything else we try to teach children.