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The Mission of Washington Latin is rooted in the democratic idea central to the founding and subsequent development of the American republic. It is the idea that has guided our public schools from colonial times. Implicit in this democratic idea are two fundamental tenets. First, that every young person has a right to receive a formal academic education, and, second, that the nation's welfare depends upon making that right a reality.
Throughout the 19th century, and well into the 20th, the system of public schools that emerged helped make America a beacon of hope and opportunity for peoples from every culture and corner. Unlike the tribal and traditional societies from which they fled, the United States was an egalitarian engine and a material meritocracy. It was the one place on earth where aspiration and perspiration counted for more than ancestry and pedigree—and education was the key.
Based upon this historical understanding of the democratic mission of America's public schools and the real history of public schools in the United States, Washington Latin's philosophy of education can be stated as follows:
- Every young person in America has the right to access a formal education—one that will prepare him or her for college and for "the real business of living."
- The maintenance of liberal democratic institutions depends on this universal right to access a formal academic education.
- The study of Latin and Classical antiquity is an important part of a formal academic education and it critical for an understanding of Western civilization and the democratic tradition.
- The great end of education is not only academic, but what John Locke termed, "the principling of youth."
- Every subject has its grammar-and pedagogy that is developmentally appropriate begins there. In Lower School, (grades 5-6) direct instruction, memorization of facts and recitation are essential strategies for teaching and learning.
- In Upper School, (grades 7-12) students should be led beyond the grammar to the logic and rhetoric of each subject. Here, the Socratic Method has been proven most effective.
- The school culture—and the schoolhouse—are key elements in a formal academic education.
- Every classroom should, by its design, dignify the student, facilitate the pedagogy, and—whenever possible—express the unique personality and interests of the teacher.
- Great schools set high standards and empower parents, teachers and students to meet them.
- Great schools have no need for the latest educational fad, but succeed by employing proven pedagogies and research-based approaches.
- Great teachers model what they teach and are held accountable.
- The entire community in which a school is set is a classroom.
- To attend a great school is a privilege—but not a privilege for the privileged.
- It is possible for a school to offer both excellence and access, but if the former is sacrificed in the name of the latter, both are lost.
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