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Morehouse professor tells State Board education must form 'the kind of person' as well as the worker
Summary
For Black History Month the board heard a virtual presentation from Dean Ilya Davis of Morehouse College arguing education should cultivate character, vocation and critical thinking, not only job training; board members responded with questions about social media, classical education and civic formation.
Dean Ilya (Ilya) Davis, director of freshmen and senior academic success at Morehouse College, delivered the State Board of Education’s Black History Month presentation on Feb. 11, urging a view of education that cultivates character, vocation and the capacity to disagree respectfully.
“Short version: the purpose of education is the cultivation of what it means to be a human being,” Davis said, drawing on a 1947 Morehouse essay by Martin Luther King Jr. to argue that education must go beyond utility and job training to develop imagination, critical reflection and moral character. He told the board college students often equate education with employment and urged educators to help students discern vocation and civic responsibility.
Davis recommended greater emphasis on the liberal arts and on explicit teaching of how to disagree “without being disagreeable.” He said teachers should require students to analyze sources critically, especially in an era of social media. “When they imbibe information from social outlets, I want them to always say, how do they know?” he said.
Board members asked questions about social media’s effect on critical thinking, the role of classical education and how to cultivate imagination in earlier grades. Tiffany Tilley thanked Davis for his remarks and said the presentation invited the board to “spark some things in us about the purpose of education.” Several board members praised the talk and suggested the department explore ways to embed character and civic formation earlier in the K‑12 curriculum.
The presentation was informational; no board action followed.
