When we talk about education- what do we really mean?
Last week, I attended an alumni event called Education at a Crossroads put on by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. The event began with a call to preserve democracy, emphasizing that education is key to a flourishing society.
The presenters, Ivy League professors, argued for more equity and access in education, framing the discussion as a battle between those who want more equity and those who want less.
But here’s the problem: while equity was the center of the discussion, at no point did they question, or even consider, the system of traditional education, which is inequitable at its core.
One speaker shared a quote that encapsulated the issue: “Our goal, and what educators have been trying to do for at least twenty years, is to make sure that the least of our students have what everyone else has.”
While this sounds noble, it reveals a fundamental flaw: The conversation never defined what education is, only that it’s “important.”
I would argue that getting more students to “have” a traditional education is not actually what we want to be doing.
When the panelists spoke about education’s role in democracy, they focused on classrooms being places for difficult conversations. Yet they ignored the need to prepare young people to live democracy.
The truth is, our traditional schooling system is authoritarian, not democratic.
For the first eighteen years of their lives, children are told where to go, what to do, and how to do it by adult figures.
They are evaluated by external stakeholders, often strangers, and told they’ll fail if they don’t master arbitrary content in arbitrary timeframes.
When they don’t follow the expectations and demands of the adults around them, young people are punished, sometimes very harshly, for failing to comply with the orders they are given.
This system doesn’t prepare students for democratic living; it conditions them for authoritarianism.
If we truly want equity and access for all, we must fundamentally question this system. It was never designed to value or uplift most students.
To perpetuate such a system is to perpetuate harm.
This brings me to a special announcement.
Frustrated by the lack of discourse outside small progressive circles, I’ve spent the past four months working on Provocations, a new publication from Breaking the Paradigm.
Provocations brings together education leaders from around the world who are rethinking education in terms of human development and flourishing. These leaders care about a truly transformative education, and are willing to question the systematic barriers that prevent it from being available to all children.
At Breaking the Paradigm, we actually care about democratic education—not simulated democracy with an authoritarian regime, but real opportunities for young people to live democracy.
Provocations will launch later this June, and it’s a new benefit for our paid subscribers. It’s a space where we question assumptions, reject commonplace answers, and focus on the child—who they are, what they need, and how we can support them.
We must reject the idea that education is merely the transmission of content. Instead, we must embrace education as an aid to life, a foundation for human flourishing, and a lever for global peace and sustainability.
It’s time to provoke ourselves, our systems, and our leaders to think differently. Let’s unlearn the assumptions about who children are, what they’re capable of, and how they should spend their time.
Join us in Provocations as we explore what’s possible when we dare to challenge the status quo!
Paid Subscribers Get New Perks!
After two years of exposing the education status quo, we're going deeper.
Provocations, our new publication, brings together the most innovative global minds—the educators, rebels, and visionaries who refuse to accept that "this is just how school works."
Each issue reveals the hidden patterns keeping millions trapped in outdated systems, and the proven strategies already transforming communities worldwide.
This isn't another academic journal. It's the playbook for parents, teachers, and leaders ready to break free from an education system designed for a world that no longer exists.
Available exclusively to Breaking the Paradigm subscribers.
Thank you so much for your continued support!
Breaking the Paradigm is a division of Developing Education, which is on a mission to transform education globally to foster human development and flourishing for all people.
First Intention: Curriculum and pedagogy support for Montessori adolescent practitioners, specifically with math and language across the prepared environment.
The Enlightened Educator Project: Supporting educators with mindfulness and resiliency through professional development and downloadable resources.
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