The Unlikely Hero in Modern Education

When my kids were in high school, the only thing more suspect than the youth-sports industrial complex was the college prep cartel. It seemed like an unholy triumvirate: the SAT tutor -- to get your kid get ready not for one test but for a years-long marathon of “superscoring” opportunities -- an independent admissions advisor to help them build a resume of achievements, and finally the essay guide to help them weave it all into the perfect narrative.

I was a child of the 80s who’d had none of that and also a former teacher who trusted the schools to get the important stuff done. The “independent educational counselor” felt like a suspect and shadowy profession. I knew some personally, and liked them a great deal, but decided to take a pass.

So it might surprise you to hear: the independent college consultant—at least when doing the job right—may actually be the person getting it right in one important aspect of education reform.

By education, let me be clear, I mean more than schools and way more than just getting in to college. I’m talking about the broad, beautiful concept of a person’s whole education – their intellectual, personal and moral transformation from child to adult, including all the ways young people develop their authentic selves and their potential to contribute to society.

Today this process is happening as much outside school as inside it. The gold standard is not putting kids in a great school and hitting “play.” It is treating education, especially high school and college, as the path to self-discovery so students become active explorers shaped by relationships, pivotal experiences, and a variety of learning opportunities to build competency and even pursue mastery.

The people whose work is most aligned to this vision of education? It may just be those college preppers. (Though there are some interesting maverick educators, strongly relational schools, and other schools offering key elements of it).

These professionals are taking the time to get to know students as individuals, including asking questions, doing assessments, feeling around for motivations, nascent passions and potential sparks. They don’t work in one lane but across many, including academics, sports, extra-curriculars but also roles at home, paid jobs, and community contributions. They help students find and weave together a path that allows for discovery of passions and building of competencies. And perhaps most of all, they take the heat off of parents who aren’t equipped with the knowledge or resources for how to help kids develop.

I have some thoughts on how we could better achieve that transformation. And I have a lot of questions, especially about the cost, access, and quality of the college counseling industry. Even moreso about the relationship part. What does it say about us that we’ve made a habit of outsourcing our young people to professionals instead of developing them within the context of the closest natural relationships in their family and community?

But for now there may be a lesson here for the rest of the educational world: when we stop viewing students as widgets in an academic assembly line and start seeing them as young selves in formation, we open the door to a radically richer definition of success. In the end, the real revolution in education might come not from within our institutions, but from those on the edge—those bold enough to ask not just, “How do you get in?” but “Who are you becoming?” And in that sense, the consultant—in spite of their reputation—might be leading the way.

✨ Are we defining education broadly enough? How do you or others help nurture your teen’s development? Hit reply or leave a comment—I read every one.