There is something about the way Pat Bassett, head of NAIS, captures the moment and sets the tone for these annual conferences. It’s not his flashy use of technology or his clever plays on words. It is the way Pat gets to the heart of the matter to point us in the right direction for a deeper take away to bring back to our schools. I loved Pat’s phrasing of the central questions which frame this year’s theme of advancing our public purpose:
Is producing well-rounded, “globally minded” independent school graduates serving our public purpose enough to justify the privileged status of independent schools? Is graduating these young adults making a big enough difference in America?
I think that if we can truly say our graduates are educated in our schools for activism and leadership for social justice, then perhaps this is enough to make a real difference in America. How many of us can say this though? There’s the question.