One big idea to strengthen our civic stocks and create pathways to better outcomes in education and employment is universal national service – an opportunity for every 18-28 year-old to perform at least a year of civilian national service through well-known groups.

Civic energy is going to have to come from the ground up to strengthen social cohesion.

Another bold idea would be to engage philanthropy in a $1 billion annual campaign to restore American history and civic education to its rightful place in American schools.

A final idea is for community leaders from different parties and sectors to experiment boldly with ways to fix public problems. Sometimes promising ideas fail, but often they prove successful and spread nationally like wildfire.

Read the full article on healing our divided nation Robert D. Putnam and John Bridgeland by at PBS