Should schools teach empathy? If so, how can they do so effectively? If not, why not?

Yes.

Explanation: I'd argue that, more than anything, empathy should be the one thing a kid should walk away with as they graduate from school. Empathy is important because it helps us understand how others are feeling so we can respond appropriately to the situation. Say, if we look at the death of George Floyd this past summer-- if you're not a person of color, this is something that can be hard to relate to. When schools teach us how to offer a helping hand or a listening ear to people who are hurting, we become so much better equipped to help those who need it. Of course, empathy without boundaries can lead to self-destruction. By caring too much, one can fall into a spiral of feeling like they can't provide enough help to others. This, again, leads us to why schools should teach about empathy-- so we can properly give help to others but know when we need to focus on ourselves.