A glimpse inside Hillsdale College's network of classical schools across the country.
Seeing Northwest Ohio Classical Academy, Golden View Classical Academy, Ascent Classical Academy of Douglas County, and Treasure Valley Classical Academy at work was encouraging. Schools across the country are bearing such heavy burdens this year, and with school leaders and teachers carrying the weight, students are learning and thriving and these schools are carrying out our mission day after day.
The Class of 2020, at an outdoor graduation on the campus of Founders Classical Academy of Leander. All photos courtesy Nickell Photography. One of my favorite things about school is studying the character of a class. In some fundamental sense, all 4th graders are the same, and all 8th graders are the same, and all… Continue reading Dr. O’Toole’s Speech at Founders Classical Academy of Leander’s 4th Annual Commencement
Why do we memorize things? There are many reasons, but the first, I think, is that when you have something committed to memory, it belongs to you forever. It becomes a part of you. At Hózhó Academy, at 3rd grade recess, I asked a third grader casually if he knew the Declaration of Independence. At… Continue reading 3rd Graders at Hózhó Academy Recite the Declaration of Independence
Second grade at Hózhó Academy poses for a picture. Is classical education really for everyone? I'm writing to you from New Mexico, where I'm spending the day at Hózhó Academy, perhaps our most remote affiliated charter school. Hózhó is in Gallup, New Mexico, just under 3 hours outside of Albuquerque. The school, now in its… Continue reading A Visit to Hózhó Academy
American classical schools are popping up all over the country, and Florida is one of the best states to start a classical charter. A couple of weeks ago we found ourselves in Florida speaking to a crowd of over 400 about the Barney Charter School Initiative, and then we visited our affiliated schools in Florida,… Continue reading A Visit to the Pineapple Cove Classical Academies
Ivywood Classical Academy is a brand new classical charter school in Plymouth, MI affiliated with the Barney Charter School Initiative. Founded in 2019, the school serves just over 130 students in grades K-5. As part of our tour of the whole BCSI network this spring, I visited Ivywood with our curriculum and instruction team. The… Continue reading A Visit to Ivywood Classical Academy
This week we visited Atlanta Classical Academy, an affiliate of the Barney Charter School Initiative. Founded in 2014, ACA serves 680 students in grades K through 12 and has a waiting list of hundreds more. It's a rigorous classical school where students from all across Atlanta come together with talented teachers to study the liberal arts… Continue reading A Visit to Atlanta Classical Academy
Yesterday I got to see the first cut of the video we filmed at Founders Classical Academy of Leander back in May, just before school finished. The short film will be available on the Founders Classical Academy website, and the full version will be used by Hillsdale College to explain the work of the Barney… Continue reading Preview of Hillsdale’s New K-12 Education Video, featuring Founders Classical Academy of Leander
Unintended Consequences: How Four Kids' Classical Education Affected Mom and Dad by Kyle Swartz, the parent of four students at Founders Classical Academy of Leander: Anna (Class of 2019), Emily ('20), Jonah ('23), and Michael ('26) We all want what’s best for our kids. What our kids to be happy in this life. We want them… Continue reading Unintended Consequences: How Four Kids’ Classical Education Affected Mom and Dad, by Mr. Swartz
The Classical Classroom 