Essentialism is the educational philosophy that emphasizes the importance of core skills and the development of those skills. I am primarily an essentialist due to my belief in the importance of the basic skills of a modern society, including reading, writing, basic math, communication skills, and basic history.
Academic Rationalism is the educational philosophy that emphasizes the importance of evidence-based learning practices and broad understandings of the world. It advocates against uniformity in education, placing importance in differentiation to accommodate for different minds of different students. It promotes the development of intellect, intuition, and deductive reasoning. I am an academic rationalist because I see these ideas and beliefs aligned with my own.