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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
We’re the Hillsdale-affiliated charter school opening up in Jefferson County, Colorado next year – Golden View Classical Academy (www.GoldenViewClassical.org)
Thanks for writing this! I’m one of the founders of Golden View Classical Academy (http://www.GoldenViewClassical.org), the first Hillsdale-affiliated charter school in Colorado. Working with the Barney Charter School Initiative has been such a a great experience. Our application team is envious of the quality education our kids will be getting! We’ve also had great examples in our own state from schools like Vanguard, Ridgeview Classical, and Liberty Common.
My son just graduated from Hillsdale College.
I have two things to say:
There is no anti-Catholic bias at Hillsdale College.
I (literally) thank God that Hillsdale College exists and that my son was able to go there.
You’re not the first to note this on this thread or previously on Ricochet. I’m relieved to hear it, as the Elder has Hillsdale as one of her top picks.
I did a little research and it turns out the teachers from whom I’ve heard (mildly) anti-Catholic statements were educated locally at UCCS. Go figure.
I’m not intending to get any teachers in trouble, but one of the statements was that you could have been burned at the stake as a heretic for promoting the concept of “zero.” Catholic Answers gives Christopher Hitchens, noted Catholic booster (har!), as the source of this particular slander. Apparently Hitchens didn’t give any citations in his anti-religious screed, God Is Not Great. If the popes opposed the concept of zero, it doesn’t show up in any Vatican documents, according to Catholic Answers.
Unless someone corrects me on this, I’m going to try to find a moment to gently correct the teacher.
The conspiracy is spreading, its right here in deep blue California, although our county is decidedly red (McClintock is our US house rep). I’m deeply, deeply grateful that a classical education charter opened here in Roseville (a suburb of Sacramento). Its called John Adams Academy. My twin boys just started kindergarten there and I’m amazed. They recite every day their 10 core values – one of theme is pride in our US heritage and another is modeling what they teach. They have a flag ceremony every morning also. They say they are focused on developing servant leaders. I don’t think Hillsdale influenced their curriculum. They have recommended reading A Well Trained Mind (a classical education homeschool how to) and A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille. The current headmaster came from George Wythe University, which he apparently turned around after DeMille left. I’m new to it so I’ll have to see how it goes, but after being in business for one year they had better text scores than a couple of schools in the Placer County district that is supposedly the best in the area.