How Past Informs Present: Identity, Mission, and Authenticity in American Independent Schools
Open AccessIn 2018, the impetus for this research study was to explore the intersection of history, identity, and mission at independent schools at a time when these types of institutions faced a supposed existential crossroads. This paradigm was predicated on the assumption that many independent schools, boasting decades or even centuries of institutional history, needed to reassess and reassert their values to remain relevant in a rapidly shifting 21st century educational landscape. Fortuitously, during the research, events of historical magnitude, ranging from political and social upheaval to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, with implications that remain yet in motion and yet unknown, pushed back, and extended the scope of this study even further into areas previously ignored, overlooked, or unforeseen. To explore these paradigms, this study was designed as a multi-case study with the intent of analyzing three independent schools, their histories, their mission statements, their leadership, and their respective community members. From this data, narratives emerged. The findings from this study reveal that the geography and institutional history of private schools are decisive in their trajectory and ultimate identity; during their tenure, a head of school is often the primary determinant of an independent school’s ethos and identity; the school mission, as dictated in the mission statement, serves as a pivotal guiding force in the daily operations of the school; and in 2021, the greatest challenges and opportunities at independent schools remain centered on the historical and contemporary shortcomings of each institution regarding race, privilege, and elitism.
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