Looking Across the Great Divide Part 1: A New Perspective on the Old Problem of Education Inequality

Outdated computers, shortages of essential books, broken down bathrooms…we are all aware of the many complaints lodged against our public schools, especially in poor urban neighborhoods. And, a line of inequality seems to have been drawn between those schools and their often better equipped suburban counterparts. But, although these problems have been around for a long time with no solution to date - and with none on the horizon - I am not here to discuss the need for funding or technology…or the lack thereof.

Instead, my aim is to reveal the existence of a more covert type of school imbalance - one that affects BOTH inner city and affluent neighborhoods alike. It lies unnoticed in the shadows of public debate while our attention is conveniently preoccupied. Simply stated, the true line of inequality has been drawn in the wrong place. And, therefore, any action taken to cure the ailments mentioned above will have little impact on classroom results.

I am talking about the Great Educational Divide between our country’s elite prep schools and the government school system, regardless of neighborhood. And, I think you’ll realize that even many private and parochial schools find themselves on the wrong side of this chasm.

Yes, I know that prep schools are privately funded, charge astronomical tuitions, and have multi-million dollar endowments. I’m not about to dispute the fact that money can certainly support the latest and greatest technology, updated curriculum, high-end materials, a noteworthy faculty, and functioning bathrooms. The question is: Are those things the primary ingredients of successful learning, or are they simply garnishes that enhance the main dish?

In reality, the most significant differences between prep schools and the government system have little to do with the things that money can buy. But, if it’s not material things at the heart of this divide, then what is it? Should we really assume that wealthier kids are just born with a superior intellect?

Or, could it be that the options, methods, and expectations are different - greater - throughout a prep school education?

In this 2-part series, I will introduce the underlying problems that plague our public school system. I will illustrate glaring differences between the educational mission, methods of instruction, resources, and course content through the words of each school profiled. I will then suggest some areas where change can begin.

Before we start with the comparisons, it would help to take a quick look at the very structure of our education system as it was designed. Only then will the differences that are uncovered make sense.

As I detailed in a previous hub, the foundation of American schooling was built upon foreign examples. One successful early approach was adapted from the Hindu model - designed to preserve the caste system - and brought to us through the efforts of Andrew Bell and Joseph Lancaster. Later, the love affair of scholars and utopian thinkers with the Prussian design, and its allegiance to a centralized state, shaped the development of early compulsory schooling and its transition into the modern age. Interestingly enough, this was from a culture whose principles were antithetical to the ones our nation was built upon.

William Torrey Harris, the U.S. Commissioner of Education (1889-1906) and prominent scholar of German philosophy, is a prime example of the forces at work during these pivotal years. In his Philosophy of Education (1889), he wrote:

"Ninety-nine [students] out of a hundred are automata, careful to walk in prescribed paths, careful to follow the prescribed custom. This is not an accident but the result of substantial education, which scientifically defined, is the subsumption of the individual."

You may not realize that that our nation’s school system has more than one level, just like its international influences. You might recognize this tiered Prussian pattern (emphasis added):

“At the top, one-half of 1 percent of the students attended Akadamiensschulen, where, as future policy makers, they learned to think strategically, contextually, in wholes; they learned complex processes, and useful knowledge, studied history, wrote copiously, argued often, read deeply, and mastered tasks of command.

The next level, Realsschulen, was intended mostly as a manufactory for the professional proletariat of engineers, architects, doctors, lawyers, career civil servants, and such other assistants as policy thinkers at times would require. From 5 to 7.5 percent of all students attended these ‘real schools,’ learning in a superficial fashion how to think in context, but mostly learning how to manage materials, men, and situations - to be problem solvers. This group would also staff the various policing functions of the state, bringing order to the domain. Finally, at the bottom of the pile, a group, between 92 and 94 percent of the population attended ‘people’s schools’ where they learned obedience, cooperation and correct attitudes, along with rudiments of literacy and official state myths of history.” (John Taylor Gatto, “The Underground History of American Education”)

If we’re willing to look at history through open eyes, it doesn’t take an Akadamiesnsschulen education to see a mirror reflection of our own system.

So, in light of this familiar format, I was curious to see just what is being offered at prestigious prep schools and what makes them different from those in “good” American school districts, including my middle class suburban alma mater. Is it computers, curriculum, faculty, or facilities that set them apart, that generate future leaders and scholars? What I found was both consistent and revealing.

Since not all of the top prep schools cater to the primary grades, most of this study will focus on Junior High and High School. There are, however, exceptions. And, this overview from Horace Mann in New York gives us a glimpse into this world:

“First and foremost, Horace Mann is and has always been a school that values The Life of the Mind. Kindergarten children are introduced to the logic and strategy of chess. Second graders explore nature on a stream walk at the [275 acre on-site] Dorr Nature Lab. Seventh graders visit New York City with their history class to understand and appreciate the culture and heritage of the city we share. Ninth graders perform Shakespeare in the original and modernized forms. Eleventh graders study calculus and ethical uses of genetics. These experiences stimulate our students to be avid learners eager for the chance to broaden their intellectual horizons.”

The following are mission statements, philosophies, and expectations found on prep school websites (emphasis added):

Trinity Prep, NYC = “The Upper School program enables students to pursue the intellectual, ethical, and physical elements of a liberal education. We understand these elements to include: the ability to be truthful and accurate as a reader and a writer, a desire to nurture curiosity, mindfulness that is critical and judicious, being accessible to the ideas of others, willingness to self-advocate, and a commitment of respect to self and others.”

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Horace Mann, NY = “The academic tradition of Horace Mann is one of rigor and excellence. Students are challenged in an age-appropriate manner in each Division of the School to think deeply, explore intensely, and express themselves surely in speech and writing.”

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Phillips Exeter Academy, MA = "The founder of Phillips Exeter Academy defined its mission more than two centuries ago. 'Above all,' John Phillips stated, 'it is expected that the attention of instructors to the disposition of the minds and morals of the youth under their charge will exceed every other care; well considering that though goodness without knowledge is weak and feeble, yet knowledge without goodness is dangerous, and that both united form the noblest character, and lay the surest foundation of usefulness to mankind…'

…The challenges that students meet at Exeter and the support they receive have a common purpose: to stimulate their development as individuals and as members of society. Exeter seeks to graduate young people whose creativity and independence of thought sustain their continuing inquiry and reflection, whose interest in others and the world around them surpasses their self-concern, and whose passion for learning impels them beyond what they already know.”

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Now, consider a sampling of mission statements of some of our government or private high schools:

"Fountain Valley High School is committed to maximizing the growth and
development of every student through the mentoring efforts of a caring
staff, in partnership with parents and community. Our students will become
critical thinkers, effective communicators, self-directed learners and
responsible members of society."

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"The students, families, staff and community of Redondo Union High School will create a safe educational environment that supports the needs and co-curricular interests of a diverse population of students in meeting high academic expectations and post-secondary goals."

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"Our vision at Righetti High School is to provide a safe and engaging learning experience featuring cooperative learning, relevant curriculum, and technological training in order to promote academic achievement, career opportunities and social responsibility."

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"Santa Barbara High School will prepare all students to be dedicated life-long learners, understanding citizens, and nurturing, healthy individuals."

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Brings a tear to the eye, doesn’t it?

Why is this significant? Well, these statements set the stage for each school’s learning environment in terms of academic expectations AND character development. Some of them are inspiring to read in themselves, awakening a desire to achieve, to try harder, to lead. Others are much more generic, only slightly more specific than “We’ll teach your kids something so they can get a job.” I’ll let you decide to whom that applies.

But, the bottom line is that some of these statements show a bar that is set much lower for almost 90 percent of American students. They also reveal that the whole purpose behind a prep school education is to promote individual thought and strength of character. The purpose of a public education seems to settle for functional literacy and an acceptance of ones place in society.

The public school sites do not advertise specifics about teaching methods of any kind. But, we are all familiar with the typical textbook, workbook, read/regurgitate, and lecture tactics used to bestow knowledge upon the student. In my opinion, it is an excellent way to build a better Jeopardy contestant, but it does little to foster deep - independent - thought.

So, what possible alternative is there? Consider the following (emphasis added):

Trinity Prep, NYC = “The strength of the Upper School lies in the full realization of Trinity’s vocation - the conversation between student and teacher is the heart of the student’s experience. ”

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Phillips Exeter Academy, MA (Courses of Instruction) = “On April 9, 1930, philanthropist Edward Harkness wrote to Exeter’s Principal Lewis Perry… ‘What I have in mind is [a classroom] where [students] could sit around a table with a teacher who would talk with them and instruct them by a sort of tutorial or conference method, where [each student] would feel encouraged to speak up. This would be a real revolution in methods.’

Since the arrival of ‘Harkness tables’ on campus, the principal mode of instruction at Exeter has been discussion around an oval table.”

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Phillips Exeter Academy, MA (Mathematics Courses of Instruction) = “As in most Academy classes, mathematics is studied seminar-style, with students and instructor seated around a large table. This pedagogy demands that students be active contributors in class each day; they are expected to ask questions, to share their results with their classmates, and to be prime movers of each day’s investigations. The benefit of such participation in the students’ study of mathematics is an enhanced ability to ask effective questions, to answer fellow students’ inquiries, and to critically assess and present their own work. The goal is that the students, not the teacher or a textbook, be the source of mathematical knowledge.”

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Phillips Andover, MA = “Although careful attention to writing and a deep love for literature run as common traits throughout the English faculty, there is no single way we teach. Walking through Bulfinch Hall on a class day, a visitor would see small classrooms, some with large tables, some with tablet desks arranged along the walls, and within them lively discussions, some led by carefully crafted questions, others steered by subtle course corrections.”

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Phillips Andover, MA = “Although their work is substantially assessed throughout the year, ENGL-100 students do not receive grades during the fall trimester. At the end of the term, their report cards will indicate Pass or Failure. Lively, purposeful class discussions reinforce the lessons of reading and writing and often leave students with especially fond memories of their ENGL-100 experience. The course prepares our youngest students well for the further challenges of their education at Andover.”

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What impressed me immediately about the prep school statements was the repeated emphasis on conversation and discussion, where the teacher takes on the role of moderator or mentor. This approach requires active participation on the part of the student and is reminiscent of the Classical Academies of ancient times or the tutor/student relationship that some of our Founding Fathers would have experienced.

While I know of public school teachers who try to employ different strategies in their classrooms, the need to adhere to a dominating textbook-based program can limit their time and options considerably. Textbooks require daily attention in order to complete the program within a given school year. But, I know from my homeschooling experience that a brief conversation can have a far greater - and more memorable - impact on a student than a month’s worth of worksheets and study questions.

There is a lot to consider when reflecting on the problem of mass schooling. So far, I have shown the discrepancy between prep and public schools when it comes to basic philosophy and instruction methods. But, this just scratches the surface, for there is more to tell.

You can read the conclusion of this comparison as well as some ideas that could improve the government school system in Part 2 of this Hub.