September 2021

What does 'independent' reference in the context of independent schools, and how does the interpretation influence the future of independent schooling? 

Independence is most often seen as a positive attribute - we celebrate the independence of an individual as much as we celebrate the independence of a country. So, what does it mean to be independent in education, and who benefits from that independence? The mission of the school and the consistent reexamination and justification of that mission is what determines the success of an independent school. As a collective of mission-based institutions, independent schools positively contribute to the educational system. 

According to the National Association of Independent Schools, "Independent schools are non-profit private schools that are independent in philosophy: each is driven by a unique mission. They are also independent in the way they are managed and financed: each is governed by an independent board of trustees and each is primarily supported through tuition payments and charitable contributions. They are accountable to their communities and are accredited by state-approved accrediting bodies (1)." 

In the Boston area, where I have grown up and now teach, the rise of success in independent schools was marked by the ruling of the Morgan v Hennigan (1974) and the city mandated bussing to desegregated Boston schools. While independent schools were already popular by elites, after the verdict, "[a]mid the chaos, some 30,000 students, mostly white, left the Boston Public Schools for parochial and private schools (3)." The busing mandate directly resulted from previous redlining laws that made and continue to define the Boston area as one of the country's most racially segregated metropolitan areas. 

Today, there are 200 independent schools in the Boston area, according to AISNE. So, while exclusivity often defines independent schools due to their high standards for acceptance and price tag, it is also true that independent schools across the country offer a vast array of opportunities that cater to every student's needs. Having different schools with different missions means that students can pick a unique experience that serves the students' best interests. It is not a singular experience from which everyone is supposed to benefit. 

The first schools within The United States were private, created to teach white, high functioning, able-bodied children (2). It took significant legislative acts such as Brown vs. Board of Education (1954), IDEA, and Title IV to demanded equal opportunity for every citizen regardless of race, gender, and cognitive abilities. 

The challenge that public education faces in its current configuration is that even with these essential inclusion laws, the public school system does not serve every student. Due to funding structures and detrimental laws such as No Child Left Behind, enormous gaps divide opportunity for all students. 

Public schools adhere to a set curriculum that is followed across the country. Common Core and Statewide tests regulate what and how students are learning. Independent schools, in contrast, are allowed to reinvent what education means continuously. 

In our current era, amidst a global pandemic, our public school counterparts face the challenge of fitting their current curriculum into new systems of teaching. Independent schools, in contrast, have the autonomy to completely recreate what it is that we are teaching and how we are teaching. 

Choice and access are the strength of independent schools. As a consumer, if a student or parent is unhappy with a particular institution, they can go to a school where the mission is more aligned with their intended educational outcome. In my own journey through independent schools, and now as an independent school educator, I recognize how I have been able to carve my path and find unique learning opportunities to serve my needs within a robust mission-driven community of similarly motivated students and educators. 

As Noni Thomas López said in regards to her new role as a head of school, "[f]rom my time as a student to that as a teacher and now a head of school, independent schools have been the place where I could discover my gifts and where I was trusted to act on my own best instincts and abilities. So, happily, school continues to be the place I am meant to be (4)." And independent schools are meant to exist as another option to reach and teach our students in relevant and meaningful ways. 

References

“About Us - AISNE - Association of Independent Schools in New England.” AISNE. Accessed June 28, 2020. https://www.aisne.org/about-us.

“About NAIS - National Association of Independent Schools.” NAIS. Accessed September 4, 2021. https://www.nais.org/about/about-nais/. 

“Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1),” 0AD. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/347us483.

Gellerman, Bruce. “How The Boston Busing Decision Still Affects City Schools 40 Years Later.” How The Boston Busing Decision Still Affects City Schools 40 Years Later | WBUR News. WBUR, December 19, 2014. https://www.wbur.org/news/2014/06/20/boston-busing-ruling-anniversary.

“Independent Spirit: Noni Thomas López.” NAIS, 2019. https://www.nais.org/magazine/independent-school/winter-2019/independent-spirit-noni-thomas-lopez/.

Kennedy, Robert. “How Private Schools Evolved in the United States.” Boarding School Review, December 16, 2011. https://www.boardingschoolreview.com/blog/how-private-schools-evolved-in-the-united-states.

Lee, Andrew M I. “No Child Left Behind (NCLB): What You Need to Know.” What Was No Child Left Behind? | NCLB: 2002–2015. Understood, April 17, 2020. https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/your-childs-rights/basics-about-childs-rights/no-child-left-behind-nclb-what-you-need-to-know.