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defining the teacher qualifications and stan-
dards that is so critical to fulfilling the mis-
sion. Public schools mandate that faculty
hold teaching certification, but such certifi-
cation isn’t regarded as the primary require-
ment at independent schools. For example,
Bassett says private schools would prefer to
see math taught by someone who earned a
degree in math, who took a range of special-
ized courses and was passionate about the
subject as opposed to someone who simply
holds a teaching certificate in math educa-
tion. “Someone who majored in math can be
more effective in many cases than someone
with a degree in education,” says Bassett.
Having the freedom to hire whomever
is best suited to advance the curriculum, and
providing that teacher with the opportunity
to create the curriculum, is integral to the
achievements being made at independent
schools. In Bassett’s perspective, high-stakes,
standardized testing emerging in the era of
“no child left behind” has undermined the
effectiveness of the public sector schools.
Though he is encouraged by the growth and
models deployed by some charter schools,
Bassett says NAIS advocates for less regula-
tion for independent schools as well as pub-
lic schools.
Bassett expresses concern for propos-
als to implement a national test modality, re-
ferring to it as “anathema.”
“Once you codify expectations
through the assessment mechanism, it re-
moves the freedom of the school and au-
tonomy of the teacher,” he says. Should such
a test be foisted on public school students,
Bassett says there is potential for some to ad-
vocate for a similar constraint on indepen-
dent schools, something NAIS will strongly
oppose.
Present standardized tests conflict
with the independent school model by dis-
torting curriculum or evaluating a student’s
