The Core Knowledge Blog

Alma Powell is urging schools to broaden their role in the lives of the children in their care. In a keynote address at last week’s ASCD Conference in New Orleans, the chair of the America’s Promise Alliance said it’s “unacceptable to sit by while millions of young people fail to complete high school, fail to get a healthy start, or get into trouble because they don’t have safe places to go.” According to the ASCD blog, Powell called for “using schools as hubs for delivering a range of services to disadvantaged young people from caring adults who know them by name.”

It’s a lovely sentiment, but perhaps an education equivalent of the Powell Doctrine—a set of rules governing the appropriate use of the U.S. military, famously described by Alma’s Powell’s husband—should be invoked here. The Powell Doctrine requires a clear attainable objective, a full examination of consequences, the support of the American people, and a clear exit strategy before involving the military. The same could be—should be—said for schools.