Why Good Schools Are Countercultural

With all the spotlights on educational reform, we might just pause and shine a light on ourselves: In a democratic society, schools reflect the character of the culture.

By Patrick F. Bassett

For anyone in the baby boom generation, the term countercultural inspires reminiscences of our '60s and '70s pasts, replete with anti-establishmentarian grooming (basically hirsute), dress (heavy on beads and headbands), behavior (sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll), and politics (anti-war). From the vanilla-flavored culture of the '50s emerged what our elders regarded as a horrific abomination: a generation that seemed to share none of the values of the prevailing adult culture, and in fact snubbed its collective...