Disappearing Student Voice at Independent Schools

Spring 2020

Beyond a handful of the nation’s most prestigious and oldest independent schools, too few independent schools offer journalism programs or foster student publications. Where they do exist, they are likely to be on life support. This is a shame, especially because of journalism’s increasing centrality to everything that private schools hold dear about education, not the least of which is equipping young minds with skills to succeed after graduation.

The independent school community must take a difficult first step in acknowledging that, when it comes to supporting student voice, in which journalism and student media play essential roles, we have serious work to do. 200 institutions claim membership to the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE), the geographic epicenter of the private school world. Yet, Journalism Education Association (J.E.A.) membership usually includes fewer than a dozen independent schools.

But it’s not just on a local level that support for private school student media falls short. I spoke with the President of the J.E.A., Sarah Nichols, who oversees the nation’s premier scholastic educational body for student media and advisers. She told me that her organization doesn’t keep track of public versus private school membership, “but comparatively, the private-school number is quite low.” All of this reveals a simple but brutal truth—unless a private school is working to establish a dynamic journalism program, it’s not doing all that it can to support students or sustain its philosophy.

Curious about how often schools look to hire journalism teachers, I reached out to Carney Sandoe & Associates, the largest teacher-placement organization in the independent school world. According to Director of Communications Julie Landis, in the past decade, three to five journalism jobs have been listed with the company a year. “In our opinion, a job like that is often not listed externally,” Landis wrote me via an electronic exchange. “Instead, a current English teacher might take on such a role, so we might not see the full picture. It is indeed still quite a small number.”

This is unacceptable, all the more so because most independent schools also share similar mission statements, which emphasize critical thinking, communication, and creativity.

Moreover, the word “leadership” comes up often while scrolling through private school admissions materials—and while I believe that our independent school community upholds many of its core values, as a whole we are deficient at offering and teaching journalism, including newspaper production, essential for fostering these skills.

But not at Brimmer, where this year’s theme is Responsible Leadership and Student Voice.

As adviser to The Gator, the School’s multi-award-winning student news site, I have the best gig in the world. In the newsroom, budding reporters manage every facet of The Gator. No pitch or explanation is needed to help students realize the benefits of learning new and emerging communication skills, nor of enhancing writing, reporting, and critical thinking abilities.

To help student-journalists take ownership of their site—and also of their own learning—I strive to remain in the background as much as possible. Rather than teach as a sage-on-the-stage, I act as a guide-by-the-side. Students run the show, with editors holding meetings, assigning stories, keeping track of individual progress, and steering the general direction of the newsroom. Writers know to take it upon themselves to ask more experienced peers for help before coming to me.

Though I read each piece and offer suggestions on content before it appears online, on every occasion, I defer to the writer and editors to make the final call. Thankfully, students trust and respond to my insight and opinion, but the fact remains that The Gator belongs to them—it’s their product, not mine.

This isn’t to say that students don’t encounter obstacles or setbacks. Occasionally, writers have spelled names incorrectly, reported incorrect or inaccurate facts, and provided misleading statements. Even still, last year, Managing Editor Miles Munkacy ’20 applauded the School for not censoring controversial content. “It’s worth noting that some private school students don’t enjoy the same free speech protection afforded to our public-school peers,” he wrote. “This speaks volumes to how much our school values student voice, as well as the ability of the newsroom to weigh a wide array of ethical considerations.”

In recognition of Brimmer’s commitment to supporting student voice, The Gator recently nominated the School to receive J.E.A.’s First Amendment Press Freedom Award. I can think of no more befitting way to recognize this school as a leader in the independent school community, and I consider myself lucky to work here. 

History and Journalism teacher David Cutler ’02 helps students reach their fullest potential by encouraging them to take risks, learn from failure, and take ownership of their learning. Outside of work, David remains committed to writing and researching about the education landscape. His articles about education have been published by The Atlantic, the American Historical Association, PBS, and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) where he was selected as a Teacher of the Future in 2013.

Back

Disappearing Student Voice at Independent Schools

Brimmer and May School