Can there be anything more important to each child and thus to our democratic society than to develop virtues and values such as respect for others, the ability to communicate and collaborate and an openness to diversity and new ideas?More important? Maybe not. But equally important might be things like basic math and reading skills. Oh, and don't forget critical thinking. Of course that would mean re-introducing something that has been systematically removed from the system over tens of decades.
As a secondary point, if you actually succeeded in teaching critical thinking skills, you might expect kids to figure out the value of communication and collaboration on their own.