Viewpoint Diversity

At Vertex Partnership Academies, hard conversations are possible. We are committed to cultivate a school environment that values viewpoint diversity and democratic discourse of ideas. This means engaging talented faculty to refrain from imposing their individual political or social views on students, while simultaneously developing those students into discerning consumers of information who can grapple with multiple perspectives. 

Ultimately, we believe that is the best way to prepare students to develop the capacity to think for themselves, particularly as it relates to taking positions on contentious political and social topics. 

To address this issue, Vertex Partnership Academies has partnered with the Mill Institute at the University of Austin at Texas (UATX). The Mill Institute has long recognized that high school students and teachers across the country have become increasingly reluctant to discuss controversial issues or take intellectual risks for fear of harsh social or professional penalties. 

To ensure that does not become the reality at Vertex, Mr. Paulsson, Vertex’ US History teacher, had the honor of participating with his students in the Mill Institute Viewpoint Diversity Challenge.