Americans are choosing schools that teach Western civilization, writes Mark Bauerlein on The Federalist. In "classical" schools -- public charters, secular private schools or Christian schools -- students read the Great Books, memorize poetry, appreciate Renaissance art and (usually) study Latin.
Parents seem to want that. Or perhaps they just want an orderly school with high expectations for students.
Valor Education opened in Austin in 2018, and now runs five schools with 4,200 students and even more on waitlists. Eighth-graders read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Tom Sawyer, and The Merchant of Venice. By 12th grade, they're reading Dante and Dostoevsky.
Alberta Classical Academy in Calgary, opened in 2022 with 294 students, and now has 1,300 in two campuses. Among the first cohort of students were "Nigerian Christians worried about safety and wokeness in the public schools." The curriculum includes Latin, starting in fifth grade. Ninth grade "readings include Shakespeare, George Orwell, and Marcus Aurelius."
Classical schools have coherent curriculum focused on "worthy things, whether it's great novels or a real history lesson," Kathleen O'Toole tells Daniel Buck. She leads Hillsdale College's Barney Charter School Initiative, which helps local groups start classical schools.
"The study of America is an important part of these schools — in history, government, and literature," says O'Toole. Teachers introduce students to primary source documents. "If we’re going to try to understand what America is, we should read the evidence first and ask questions of the evidence."
Comentarios