May 26, 2022

Shiny new things are often the first noticed at a school. As well, trends grab hold of the popular narrative, and schools are forced to create programs that align with whatever way the wind is blowing to address current parents’ anxieties while marketing themselves for the future. Often, new academic and extra-curricular programs are driven by a need or perceived need, to compete with peer institutions lest they lose out on students or be seen as “behind” in the eyes of the independent school marketplace. Lost in all of this hype, fear, and marketing is the core of what schools are supposed to be focused on, education. 

In some ways, we are moving towards an era of progressive regression, in other words, we are starting to reset some of the educational values and programs in a way that is more in line with the pre-industrial model. Before the early 20th century, the very notion of education was a broad concept with different applications in different areas. No, it did not mean university for most people between the ages of 18 and 22. To the average person, many of whom still lived in rural areas or were…