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academics pulse

  1. Thriving in a World of Pluralistic Contention: A Conversation with Dr. John Austin

    The Framework reflects my experience as a teacher and a school leader, and as somebody who’s spent a significant amount of time outside of the country. As a teacher, I’ve always had an interest in bringing to the classroom what Richard Light in his book Making the Most of College calls “structured disagreement.” That’s one of the things students he interviewed identified as being a very, very effective way of creating space for conversation and engaging with complicated and potentially controversial questions. This work has really emerged from a lot of reading and from my own experience as a teacher.
    R.E.A.L. Discussion August 7, 2024 4:04 pm

  2. Amid polarization, Deerfield Academy head of school authors framework to inspire productive dialogue

    In an increasingly polarized country, schools have often become battlegrounds for issues relating to free speech and academic freedoms. As the nation prepares for the presidential election — along with continued fallout from college campus protests this past spring — a nationwide group of secondary school leaders have released an educational framework they believe can help public and private high schools promote intellectual diversity and stimulate productive discourse.
    July 29, 2024 9:10 am

  3. Civil Beat Asks: Can A Framework for K – 12 Schools Guide Us Through Perilous Political Times?

    Last month a group of independent secondary school leaders released “Thriving in a World of Pluralistic Contention: A Framework for Schools,” which is intended to help educational institutions address issues of speech, inquiry and academic freedom. Researched and written by John Austin, the head of Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, its release comes at a time of polarization and conflict on school campuses nationwide.

    Helping Austin to discuss and draft the work were eight educators across the country, including Mike Latham, president of Punahou School in Honolulu. A 1986 graduate of the school, he earned a B.A. in history from Pomona College and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of California Los Angeles.
    July 8, 2024 12:49 pm

  4. Jermani Maker ’23 Honored by College Board

    The College Board has chosen Jermani Maker's portfolio from her AP Photography class to be included in the AP Art and Design digital exhibit as one of the top 50 portfolios from over 74,000 submitted. Jermani's thematic series was a powerful reflection on growing up as a "Katrina Baby" in New Orleans. Congratulations to Jermani!

    October 25, 2023 10:40 am

  6. Edward E. Ford Foundation Grant Awarded to Deerfield

    The Edward E. Ford Foundation is pleased to announce that Deerfield Academy has been awarded a leadership grant based on a proposal submitted by Head of School Dr. John P.N. Austin. This grant will support work led by Dr. Austin and a team of secondary school leaders drawn from across the United States to develop a practical, school-based framework in support of inquiry, expression, and viewpoint diversity, with a goal of advancing shared understanding and consensus building among various school constituencies, including boards, school leaders, teachers, students, parents, and alumni/ae. Ultimately, the goal of this framework is to deepen student learning and provide a broad and sturdy foundation for citizenship.
    Deerfield Academy April 19, 2023 6:02 pm

  7. Congratulations to Thomas ’23, Impromptu Speaking World Champion!

    We posted earlier about three Deerfield students qualifying the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships that took place in South Africa. Thomas '23, Justin '24, and Lily '25 were all finalists (the top 10%), and both Lily and Thomas qualified for the Grand Finals! Congratulations to Thomas, Impromptu Speaking World Champion, and to Lily, third overall in Interpretive Reading!
    Deerfield Academy April 7, 2023 3:27 pm

  8. Robert T. Hale Jr. ’84 P’15, ’17, ’18: 2023 Commencement Speaker

    Deerfield Academy is excited to announce that Robert (Rob) T. Hale Jr. '84, co-founder and President of Granite Telecommunications, LLC, will be our 2023 Commencement speaker. Mr. Hale has held leadership roles at Boston Children’s Hospital, The Massachusetts Soldier’s Legacy Fund, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Connecticut College, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and at Deerfield as a trustee. Mr. and Mrs. Hale received the Boston Red Sox Jimmy Fund Award for their long-time commitment to the lifesaving mission of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Among other recent awards and recognition that the Hales have received are the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Carolyn Lynch Humanitarian Award, Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Heritage Key Award, Partners Healthcare’s Jack Connors Philanthropic Leadership Award, Connecticut College’s Goss Award, and Deerfield Medal for Distinguished Service to the Academy.
    Deerfield Academy April 7, 2023 8:47 am

  10. Sunshine ’23 Published in the Concord Review

    The History and Social Science Department celebrates the publication of original scholarship by Sunshine '23 in the prestigious Concord Review, the only quarterly journal in the world to publish the academic history papers of high school students. Sunshine's article offers an engrossing and incisive exploration of the dramatic reappraisal of the merchant class in China during the Song Dynasty (960-1276 AD), when the state and the public no longer viewed merchants as "unscrupulous men" but rather "reputable, righteous, sophisticated, and politically powerful citizens." Head over to Boyden Library to see Sunshine's article in the latest issue of the Concord Review—on display now!
    The Concord Review September 16, 2022 9:53 am
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