Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
The Hillsdale Conspiracy
I’ve been reluctant to write about Hillsdale’s conspiracy to educate our K-12 children, for fear of betraying one of the most effective schemes to restore the Republic ever devised by the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.
But, since public education is a perpetual topic of debate here among the center-right (see here, here, and here), I thought readers might like to know about my kids’ public charter school, which teaches a classical curriculum provided by Hillsdale College. Yes, that Hillsdale. The Hillsdale of Ricochet’s own Paul Rahe, the online courses on The Constitution and The Great Books, Imprimis, and the most excellent Hillsdale Dialogue interviews by Hugh Hewitt of President Larry Arnn and other members of the faculty.
When my daughter began her career at The Vanguard School as a freshman, we didn’t even know the curriculum was provided by Hillsdale. We only knew that Vanguard was the top-performing high school in Colorado as measured by standardized test scores, college attendance by graduates, and scholarship earnings of its graduates. Vanguard’s first graduating class of 22 students earned over two million dollars in scholarships.
We were also unaware that the school appears to be a job-placement program for Hillsdale graduates, who have been, uniformly, some of the best teachers (and most decent people) from whom my daughter has ever had the privilege of learning. And since she’s been educated in charter schools since 3rd grade, that’s saying something.
What does $6,000 per pupil of tax funding (roughly the going rate in Colorado) buy you? Allow me to share just a sampling of the freshman reading list (see a complete listing for all grades here):
History — Grade 9:
- Aristotle, Politics.
- Herodotus, Histories.
- The Holy Bible, American Standard Version
- Livy, Stories of Rome.
- Plato, The Republic, et al.
- Tacitus, Annals.
- Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian Wars.
English — Grade 9:
- Cicero, Selected Works.
- The Holy Bible, American Standard Version.
- Homer, The Iliad.
- Homer, The Odyssey.
- Shakespeare, Julius Caesar.
- Sophocles, Three Theban Plays.
- Golding, Lord of the Flies.
Freshman students are placed in math according to test scores (Algebra I and II, Geometry, Advanced Math, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Statistics, and AP courses are offered) and are expected to complete one year of Latin and at least three years of a modern foreign language (Latin, Spanish, or German). Vanguard students are also required to complete one semester each of Music History and Art History.
To say the Vanguard system produces well-rounded American citizens is to understate the case. Every day starts with the Pledge of Allegiance. In junior high, where my other daughter started 7th grade this year, the Pledge is followed by a recitation of the Preamble to the Constitution. At Friday assemblies, the students sing the Star Spangled Banner.
As with all the charter schools in our experience, character education plays a central role. At Vanguard, the principal and vice-principal rotate through each grade-level monthly, lecturing on the virtues. Bullying, provocative clothing, and bad behavior are not tolerated. Open-door policies remain in each and every classroom, with seating provided for parents and guests in the back of the room. The faculty have nothing to hide and that’s what they model for, and expect from, their students.
I’m guessing not 1% of public school students in America receive the education my daughters are getting from their Hillsdale-model school. And that’s a damn shame for the 99%. This is the argument for school choice. Public education can save Western Civilization, if Hillsdale is providing the content.
Image Credit: Shutterstock user Robert Kneschke.
Published in General
And it should be again. I’ve finally come to the unthinkable conclusion: eliminate compulsory education.
Compulsory education and private education are not mutually-exclusive, and neither are non-compulsory education and public education.
There’s also a distinction between publicly-financed education and publicly-operated education.
I was not aware that Latin was a “Modern Foreign Language.” Where is that spoken? I may want to visit…
WC, how do you fill in the Catholic element here? Watching some Western Civ. lectures, noted a slight anti-Catholic bias, it seemed to me. Merely an observation…
A little country you may have heard of called The Vatican.
They teach Latin. Is that not enough?!?!
;-)
Heh. Yeah, that was an editor’s addition to my original post. Ahem.
However, I know the Latin IV teacher attends an annual conference of “conversational” Latin speakers. Seems it’s somewhat of a hobby for some nerds. /said with fondness for nerds
So now you know.
It’s a start, Mis, I’ll admit, but Luther was literate in Latin, too… <grin>.
Yes, I’ve picked up on that a little bit. I’ve heard Larry Arnn say Hillsdale is “friendly” to Christians, but is not a Christian school. However, I think it might be more accurate to say Hillsdale is friendly to Protestants and tolerant of Catholics.
My kids seem unfazed when they run into anti-Catholic bias. I hope that’s because they’re confident in the truth of their faith.
I also hope they come to me so we can explore the truth about some of these unflattering assertions regarding Catholicism together. The truth is what matters, and sometimes it doesn’t paint the Church in the best light, although you and I both know the Church is full of sinners while retaining Her holiness.
P.S. Maybe that’s why the curriculum only requires one year of Latin. They don’t want to seem too Catholic, doncha’ know. Hillsdale is awfully close to South Bend. ;-)
You are no doubt correct, but good luck making that argument to the university Office of Social Equity and Inclusion.
Foreign students from Italy, Greece, and the Levant aren’t considered minorities in university admissions?
No, they are not. They are simply white. In fact, in many universities when it comes to racial spoils, Asians are also considered white.
That is weird. Kids from Italy, I can almost understand, especially northern Italy.
But kids from Greece or the Levant? That’s just weird.
Wait, are Muslims from the Levant considered “white”, or is it only the Jews? What about Israeli-Ethiopian Jews?
Oh Christoph Meiners, see what have you wrought?!
Hi Nanda,
My son is in his second year at Hillsdale College and I can assure you that there is nothing but respect for the Catholic faith on that campus. I hope that extends to the charter school curriculum. I believe Catholics are the largest student group on campus and the largest denomination. My son’s faith has grown immensely since arriving at Hillsdale and I thought he was pretty well-formed to begin with (mostly his doing, with some assistance from his parents :)).
I have worked in places where Arabs and Indians were not counted as minorities.
Believe it or not, there are even universities where blacks from Africa are not considered “African American” for purposes of hiring preferences.
The Vatican.
I have never found Hillsdale to be anti-Catholic. The curriculum for high school students and college seems to be modeled on what I call a classical Catholic education, at least as it once was. The Catholic Church was the founder of the university system. Thomas Aquinas College is a good example of a school I would choose if I had a student of college age. I would also recommend that Catholic parents, even those who have a child attending a Catholic school put together a reading list of Aquinas, Chesterton, Peter Kreeft, and include the blog Dominicana
Mind = Blown.
Re: #46 & #49: Thanks, Nerina and Doug! Maybe I caught this Western Civ. instructor on a bad day; or maybe, his individual bias doesn’t – thankfully – extend to the campus-at-large.
Your first impression might of been correct. Will and Ariel Durant were respected historians and definitely anti-Catholic.
No, they don’t read the Bible cover-to-cover. I think they select some of the narrative texts because, as you’ll notice, they study them in History class too.
Also, some of the readings are assigned for the summer prior to the start of classes. I’m pretty sure Elder read Thucydides and part of Herodotus the summer before her freshman year.
You can find all the assignments at the link, but since you asked about 10th grade, here’s a partial list:
History:
English:
I get prouder of my alma mater every day.
Oh, and it’s very Catholic-friendly– to judge from the bazillion happy and devoted Catholic friends I made on campus– especially if you are in the English department. I’m a Protestant myself, but I sat under many an excellent Papist professor. ;)
Well count your lucky stars! Where else these days can you get a slight anti-Catholic bias. My impression is that even the Catholic schools offer a moderate serving.
Do they actual speak Latin there or is it used just for documents?
Thinking of emigrating?
If I could have my 16 year-old brain back . . .
I swear I’d hike across the county to avail myself of this awesome education.
Now I content my 67 year-old brain with The Great Courses.
The reverse button on the DVD player remote is getting worn smooth. “Now what’d he say?”
Your girls are blessed. Blessed that they have a mom who saves them that hike across the county :)
Yes they speak Latin. I’m not sure of the frequency though. My guess would be not a lot. When Pope Benedict announced his, let’s call it his stepping down, he spoke in Latin, which I found kind of funny. Probably more than a few Cardinals in the room didn’t know what he was saying.
The Hillsdale Barney Charter School Initiative has been supporting and training teachers and administrators formally for several years. In Texas, Hillsdale has partnered with Responsive Education Solutions to open two campi — the first, in 2011, was Founders Classical Academy of Lewisville (in the DFW area) and this year, a Founders just opened in Leander (in the Austin area). Both schools have long wait lists.
Founders of Lewisville and Founders of Leander both have faculty and administration from Hillsdale, University of Dallas (a Catholic school), and other institutions with a strong liberal arts mission. As to anti-Catholicism, I never witnessed it as a student at Hillsdale, and likewise have not experienced it at Founders.
RES operates a Hillsdale-model school in Bentonville, AK and will soon be opening campi in the Midwest.
If you’d like more information about the Barney Charter School Initiative, visit http://www.hillsdale.edu/outreach/charterschools. If you’d like more information about RES and its partnership with Hillsdale, visit http://www.foundersclassical.com.
P.S. — Founders Classical Academy requires three years of high school Latin (starting in 6th grade) to graduate.