The Atlantic's 'Indefensible' Story - Fine Point Communications

The Atlantic just published its April issue, with a cover story titled “Private Schools Are Indefensible.” By this, the magazine meant two things: Independent schools are too rich, and too many of its students go to the Ivy League.

Seriously, that’s it — it devoted 7,000 words to prop up a century-old stereotype as something new and sinister. Writer Caitlin Flanagan cobbled together recent anecdotes (including ones she and The Atlantic have already covered) and drew from them lots and lots of assumptions, some apt but many out-of-date or just plain wrong.

The end result was clever but not wise, punditry masquerading as journalism.

“The current system is devoted to excess—bigger, better, more,” Flanagan wrote. “The god of private school is money.” (Eight years ago, by the way, The Atlantic argued this the other way, saying independent schools were “dying out” for lack of money.)

“Money guides all sorts of decisions at these schools,” Flanagan added—including, she strongly implied, which students get A’s or C’s. “It’s not unreasonable for a big donor to expect preferential treatment for his or her child.”

Further, she continued, “These schools surround kids who have every possible advantage with a literal embarrassment of riches—and then their graduates hoover up spots in the best colleges.”

It was a full-throated call to outrage without the nuisance of posing any realistic solutions. Flanagan’s answer: Because public education is broken, its competition should be eliminated. Well.

The Danger of Stereotype

The Atlantic must be taken seriously. It has emerged over the past year as a must-read news outlet, with several outstanding staff writers (Anne Applebaum, David Frum, and George Packer, among them).

Yet the magazine also has stumbled prominently: It had to retract a fabricated report last fall on rich and powerful families in Connecticut. That article, as does Flanagan’s, conflated cases here and there involving upper-class families into a cultural norm.

Let’s be frank: At a handful of schools—private and public—around the county, too much wealth and too much power are very real problems. The difference is that, unlike with public schools, independent schools carry a stereotype.

It may be old and deeply flawed, yet it is still recognizable in the popular culture. There remains no simpler way to represent someone as out of touch and obscenely privileged than by dangling his prep-school background. Why is that?

Unfortunately, independent schools must shoulder some of the blame, through our refusal, individually and collectively, to put forward a more accurate, up-to-date narrative.

Tell Your Story

In fact, I’d go further and say that independent schools actually encouraged this story through our inaction: Without the context of the private school stereotype, The Atlantic would not have bothered attempting a takedown.

Unlike Flanagan, who left education a quarter-century ago, I still live in the world of schools, and I would have a hard time differentiating Dalton from Harvard-Westlake (both highlighted in her article) other than by geography. I can distinctively describe about 30 schools in the Washington, D.C. region, where I live. Yet that’s only about a quarter of the total.

And that’s using my definitions. The schools themselves shy away from using their websites and social media to identify and promote what makes them unique and essential. They leave the responsibility for sorting out these critical qualities to others.

This is a dangerous failing. If we won’t make the case for our schools’ individuality, who will? Only those with an ax to grind, who will fill the vacuum in a way that serves their interests, whether that’s in The Atlantic or on Instagram or on Niche.com.

Why are we so reluctant to talk about ourselves? I believe that this reflex comes from the top: Boards and heads of schools are afraid of being seen, from an inarguable position of privilege, as bragging or tone-deaf. They’d prefer to keep their heads down and say nothing, seeing the risk as outweighing any reward and mistakenly believing that a school’s reputation can withstand any story. Both tendencies are especially strong among the exceptionally wealthy schools that drew much of Flanagan’s scorn.

Inevitably, though, when the heat gets too hot, a school will speak out. Too late. By then, the response typically sounds defensive and ill at ease, rather than a school proud of itself and its decisions. The result: lost credibility and trust. Getting those back then take time and require significant investment.

Nothing Neutral

On the rare occasion when our schools do open up, we have an unfortunate tendency toward group-speak—stemming perhaps from a belief that being a bore is safer than expressing a point of view.

Our mission statements, websites, and admissions materials rely on common, anodyne language that often produces a word salad, rather than something clarifying. But even that carries a risk: When we sound just like any other independent school, we open the door for a critic such as Flanagan to lump us all together, even if the association is strained or unfair.

David Gibson, a longtime communicator at the university level, urges us instead to embrace a dynamic of “nothing neutral, nothing generic.”

School magazines, reunion reminders, solicitations—each offers a chance to amplify the qualities that we value. Even better, by reflecting what people say about our school when we’re not in the room, we communicate authentically, earning the trust of our audience.

Anyone should be able to recognize, after just a Google search, how Dalton and Harvard-Westlake differ from one another—or from any other school.

Work the Media

Finally, our schools must get savvier about utilizing the news media. In our worry about negative stories, we tend to forget that newspapers and magazines also write positive stories about schools—if we are willing to highlight them.

Most independent schools regard community relations as a strategic imperative. Yet we may forget how media relations informs and can even shape community relations.

The Atlantic has a history of publishing exaggerated claims—shall we say, clickbait?—that cast a shadow over independent schools. Is anyone pitching them different stories?

Maybe a piece about the work in our classrooms on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the wake of Black@? Flanagan mocked these efforts as insincere; that fits her brand, which finds fault with everyone in education. Nevertheless, as our society tries to engage in “the work” toward anti-racism, our schools are ahead of most institutions, and our examples could be instructive.

Or a story about how teachers, administrators, and, yes, donors enabled private schools in many parts of the country to return successfully and safely amid a pandemic? Again, our schools are way ahead of public schools, and there are lessons to share. This is a job CASE or NAIS or the Heads Network could take up, but we shouldn’t leave it simply to the big organizations to make that pitch to national media.

How about closer to home? When is the last time you pitched the local newspaper, TV station, or radio station with a good-news story about your school?

In the worst-case scenario, where no reporters are biting on pitches, we should at least publish these good-news stories in our magazines and on our websites — serving as our own media outlets. That way, we will develop plenty of stories to use, for example, in a rapid-response email to rebut the overblown claims of a national magazine.

Today’s independent schools are not the same as those of our parents and grandparents, no matter what The Atlantic cares to believe or to present as a click magnet. Erasing the stereotype, however, requires us to be active in telling the real story to everyone who might listen.

Need tips on pitching the media? Email Scott to arrange a free consultation on how Fine Point Communications can help with this.

Don’t-miss clicks

It seems likely that, in 2021-2022, our schools will still need to communicate about COVID protocols and adjustments. With that in mind, Simon Hepburn has a good post on LinkedIn, taking an overview of last summer and fall’s COVID communications by schools. Simon touches on COVID images, and I’m surprised how many schools still don’t use their websites to show how they keep students safe.
As the anniversary of George Floyd’s slaying draws closer, it’s a good time for schools to highlight changes made this year related to DEI. In that light, big applause for new pages published by Lakeside School in Seattle. They provide such powerful testimony for the commitment and work by Lakeside’s parents — in a city, it must be remembered, that was the earliest in the U.S. to be hit hard by COVID.
Brendan Schneider highlighted a role I’ve never heard of before, one that makes great sense for communications offices: a photo organizer. We’re often so busy with taking the photos; who can pause to organize them?! Bringing in outside help — maybe a summer assignment for your regular photographer? — could solve the problem, plus you’ll get a second opinion at the gaps in your photo library. That’s useful intel in preparing for next year.
It’s hiring season, and if you’re looking at postings, here are some great tips about job-hunting in a Twitter thread by P. Kim Bui. It’s aimed mostly at journalists, but plenty of wisdom applies to comms world, too. Good luck!
Finally, speaking of hiring: A fun, two-minute video, sung by Sting, celebrates the job opportunities created for people with Down syndrome through “The Hiring Chain.” (The video release coincided with World Down Syndrome Day on March 21.) To learn more about this public-awareness campaign, check out TheHiringChain.org.

What’s New at Fine Point Communications

The Fine Points blog has several new posts, including a how-to for making a creative brief and a quick exercise to recharge if you can’t get away during spring break.

Currently, I’m producing a magazine story for an independent school, refining the marketing plans and brand strategy for a pair of nonprofits, and fine-tuning a website for a government client.

I’m also taking my own spring-break advice, with a quick getaway to see family in Houston. Crossing fingers for sunny weather!