We put this issue together and sent it off to our designer just before news broke that a New York grand jury had decided not to indict police officers in the choking death of Eric Garner. This verdict, as you know, followed closely on a St. Louis grand jury’s decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
In the Brown case, the verdict set off a wave of protests in Ferguson and elsewhere. When the decision in the Garner case was announced, it set off a broader response from communities around the nation - demanding not just justice for Brown and Garner and their families, not just for an examination of police practices that led to their deaths, but also for a long overdue public dialogue on race and racism in this nation. At the time of this writing (mid-December 2014), it’s hard to say whether these protests will lead to productive national dialogue. I hope they do. The time is long overdue to examine the systemic issues that have maintained inequities based on race decades after the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s that were intended to move us toward true equity. If we let the opportunity slip our grasp, we remain a wounded nation, hobbled by an unwillingness to embrace our supposedly self-evident truths.
In the world of independent schools, these events encourage us, on the one hand, to be part of the public dialogue and, on the other, to reexamine our schools’ commitment to creating well-functioning multicultural learning communities - as part of broader educational programs in service to the greater good. Do our school communities mirror the diversity of the nation? Do we have a representative percentage of teachers and administrators of color? Do all educators and students of color and their families feel well supported? Do we offer a multicultural curriculum? Do we talk openly about social justice issues? Do we examine white privilege and its effects on school life? Do we offer professional development that helps all of our educators develop the skills to lead the way?
Change is in the air. Baby boomer heads are retiring in increasing numbers. New leaders are stepping forward to take charge in this brave new century. This issue on leadership transitions is part of our effort to help independent schools through the process of leadership transitions at a time of great flux in our nation. For all our nation’s troubles, I see this as a time of great potential. We have the opportunity to leverage our leadership transitions for the betterment of our schools and the nation we serve. But I also know it will require our best effort - some combination of wisdom, knowledge, empathy, skill, hard work, and an unwavering belief in our missions. This is what we mean when we talk about education for the head and the heart - when we talk about excellence.
Michael Brosnan
Editor