Dear Readers,

In the continued exploration of classical studies, I thought it appropriate to examine the modern classical movement, from schools to curricula.

The overture of the following weeks will be Why Classical? What do students gain from a classical education that they would not otherwise in a modern system?

I hope to answer that question, amongst others, in the issues to come, so stay tuned.

But why did we stop educating students classically?

Classical education was the only education for most of Western civilization, leading up to the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

But with the Industrial Revolution, Enlightenment, and progressive reforms, education took a turn (for the worse?). The move from an agrarian to an industrial economy shaped the factory school model, whereas the Enlightenment inspired individualism and secularism, which weakened the moral formation once taught in school. The reforms prioritized modern languages, as opposed to Greek and Latin, along with science and more experiential learning, which is in opposition to the ideals of the Trivium.

With new factories being built daily to supply the goods that many citizens were purchasing, schools took on a “factory” model to help prepare students for what would eventually be their occupation.

Rigid schedules, obedience-based routines, and the standardization of lessons were the new norm. Efficiency was now the main priority, not the dialectical engagement that classical pedagogy spurs on.

Most of the 19th century saw a change in culture, at least as far as education is concerned.

A possible, and likely, reason for this was a change in curriculum. Away from the cultivation of personal virtue, but toward being a good citizen. What is a good citizen, you ask? Emphasizing civic duties and focusing on national history rather than the classical texts. This, alongside the democratization of education, created a sharp divide.

As public schools became larger and more prevalent, reformers categorized Greek and Latin recitations as “elite” and for the privileged only. Saying that they were not practical subjects for the masses. Pioneered by John Dewey and others in the early 20th century, progressive schools favored experiential, interest‐led learning over memorizing classical works, further sidelining the Trivium.

Finally, with the end of the Second World War, schools began to offer more vocational-style courses and tracks and started implementing standardized testing and curriculum across the nation. Combined with the secularization of education and the diminished role of the church’s push for moral values and virtues, emphasizing a career and a results-driven system, the classical way of doing things was nearly extinct.

Where is classical education now?

The early revival of classical education began in the 1980s; homeschoolers and small Christian schools started to reintroduce the medieval trivium alongside Dortht Sayer’s 1947 essay “The Lost Tools of Learning,” which reemerges as a source of inspiration.

The 90s saw the founding of the Association of Classical Christian Schools, while the 2010s saw the emergence of secular classical schools across the country.

This time, publishers such as Memoria Press and Classical Academic Press were also privy to rolling out comprehensive K-12 “grade kits,” which gave private and homeschooled students various curricula options.

However, the biggest push came during the COVID-19 pandemic, with enrollment in classical schools nearly doubling nationwide. Families wanted an alternative to what public schools were offering during the pandemic, and the classical model was a disruptor in that space.

Foundations like the Charter School Growth Fund have fueled the rapid expansion of secular classical charter networks, most notably the Great Hearts Academies.

In the 2023–24 school year, an estimated 677,500 students were enrolled in 1,551 classical‐education programs. Despite outreach efforts to lower‐income neighborhoods, classical-education demographics remain heavily white, although some charters in Texas report growth among Hispanic and Asian students. For example, Great Hearts’ Arizona network enrolls a diverse student body across its 24 academies, serving urban and suburban communities. Schools like Aristoi Classical Academy in Texas mirror local diversity, with approximately 50% white and 32% Hispanic enrollment, demonstrating modest gains in inclusivity.

Among private classical schools, Texas is at the forefront of the movement, leading all states with 35 ACCS‐accredited Christian academies serving close to 10,000 students.

Meanwhile, Great Hearts operates 25 tuition‐free public charter campuses in Arizona and 21 in Texas, making these two states the largest hubs for a free classical education.

What now?

As classical education continues to grow, the two main aspects must remain the same.

Curriculum and Pedagogy.

Why are these crucial for education? Specifically, classical education.

Curriculum refers to what is taught, and pedagogy refers to how it is taught.

The staple of a classic education is its curriculum, which rarely ever changes except to add a “modern classic.”

Modern curriculum changes all the time, to try to be more “inclusive” or introduce newfound knowledge that may or may not apply to students. Modern curriculum is constantly being changed, for the worse. Through the misrepresentation of facts and the pushing of a political agenda, modern curriculum has misinformed students and led them to lower reading and math scores.

A classic liberal arts education must remain intact for the movement to have any actual impact.

I’m all for finding “real-world uses” for school subjects, but when they get broken so far away from what their original intent was, we’ve lost the point.

Teach the classics how they were meant to be, don’t dumb them down for everyday consumption. They’re supposed to be hard. That’s the point.

Enough with the changing of the curriculum. We know what works and what doesn’t.

Who leads the charge?

The last thing we need in education is more government and political involvement.

As previously stated, I am in favor of a tax-funded public education, with as little government involvement as possible.

I’m all for checks and balances, but when the state and federal government are the ones doing the checking and balancing, that creates a conflict of interest.

This must start in the home.

Parents and families must be made aware of the lackluster education currently offered in public schools and the superior alternative that a classical education can provide. This is a grassroots movement. The mission is to inform the general public of the exceptional alternatives to public education and to hopefully influence public institutions in the right direction.

The education of a nation's youth is a charitable and valiant mission. But if done incorrectly, it can lead to a dystopian future, one where no one is truly educated but is instead corporately schooled, lacking any real knowledge or wisdom.

As we reclaim the time-tested wisdom of the Trivium and unite families, educators, and communities around its unchanging core, we lay the foundation for a generation equipped not just with skills but with virtue and discernment. When we embrace this grassroots revival and insist on a curriculum and pedagogy that honor the classics in their full rigor, we ensure that proper education, rooted in truth, beauty, and goodness, will flourish for centuries to come.

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Thanks for reading!

I appreciate you taking the time to engage with these ideas. I hope this newsletter gave you something to think about.

If you want to go deeper, check out my reading list, where I share the books that have radicalized me.

Also, I have a podcast called The Modern Republic. On this podcast, I see how many times I can say "um" or "whatever you want to call it" in a thirty-minute window. It's a great time.

This week's episode:

The Role of Liberal Arts in Fostering Moral Reasoning ​
In this episode, I discuss Texas public school funding, the risks of school vouchers, and why liberal arts education matters. I highlight how funding cuts hurt public schools and explain why a classical approach that fosters critical thinking, empathy, and moral reasoning is essential for shaping well-rounded individuals.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Watch on YouTube.

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See you next time!

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