Dialogue x Exploring Prosperity | What is a School’s Ultimate Responsibility?

In this special collaborative episode of Dialogue: The Deerfield Podcast, long-form interviewer and essayist Bob Dewey ’77, P’12, ’14, ’17, ’20—host of the Exploring Prosperity YouTube channel and Substack—speaks with Head of School Dr. John Austin about the purpose of schooling and the responsibilities educational institutions have to students.

In this episode, Bob and Dr. Austin discuss how schools can create environments where students develop as thoughtful, effective contributors—without turning classrooms into platforms for ideology or partisan expression. Rather than focusing on political controversy, the conversation centers on institutional design, educational purpose, and the conditions under which serious learning can take place.

Dr. Austin is the lead author of “Thriving in a World of Pluralistic Contention: A Framework for Schools,” a resource used by institutions to clarify their mission, uphold expressive freedom, and foster intellectual diversity. Deerfield Academy recently received a second grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation to further the mission outlined in the Framework, now with an emphasis on advancing intellectual diversity in schools.

00:00 Introduction to Educational Frameworks
06:54 Challenges in Independent Schools
12:36 The Framework's Three Pillars
22:15 Expressive Freedom and Nonpartisanship
35:06 Intellectual Diversity in Education
43:43 Implementation and Community Response

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