The May issue of Principal Leadership published by NASSP (the National Association of Secondary School Principals) describes the award winners of the “MetLife Foundation — NASSP Breakthrough School Project.” Ten schools were honored for meeting “academic requirements despite high poverty and other challenges” (Umphrey, p. 4).
None of the school turnaround stories mentioned either the word “virtue,” or any of the six virtues of the educated person. As I read the accounts, however, it was clear that, in every case the adults and students in those schools brought to bear understanding, imagination, strong character, courage, humility and generosity.
So, yes — this is a matter of semantics. Other virtues were mentioned (trust, community, commitment, equity, caring relationships, to name a few), and the learning of knowledge and skills was described throughout. But since none of the six virtues were mentioned, it must be that NASSP members don’t know the virtues of the educated person. This is unfortunate for the organization, for its members, and for its journal readers because no knowledge, skills, or other virtues can be developed without the modeling and teaching of understanding, imagination, strong character, courage, humility and generosity. Try it sometime. You can’t do it.
Principal Leadership did not describe how the six virtues were brought to bear because NASSP members, like most educators, don’t see that the 6-virtue scheme explains everything about becoming educated and improving education. Therefore, I emailed the editors and asked them to let me write an article on how next year’s award recipients bring to bear the six virtues of the educated person.
Two weeks later, I received a reply. It was, “No.” Their reason is that their whole issue is devoted to the stories of the ten schools. They believe an essay on how the people in those schools brought to bear the six virtues of the educated person would diminish the ten school stories.
What do you think? Does NASSP have a definition of the educated person? If not, should anybody join this educational organization or read any of its publications? Can an organization be educational, if it has no definition of “educated?”
What is your definition?
3 comments ↓
You say “Principal Leadership did not describe how the six virtues were brought to bear because NASSP members, like most educators, don’t see that the 6-virtue scheme explains everything about becoming educated and improving education.”
Or maybe NASSP and most educators just disagree with your labored, self serving efforts to peddle your book?
Are we starting a conversation about what it means to educated? What is your definition?
I guess not. Apparently Hechinger Reporters believe education can be improved without defining what it means to be educated. Good luck with that one.
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