Classical Education: The Movement Sweeping America examines the decline of American education and offers a solution. It is not more spending or a new and innovative program. Rather the solution, according to authors Gene Edward Veith, Jr. and Andrew Kern, is classical education.

“America education cannot improve until we have a new theory of education. Fortunately, one exists,” Veith and Kern write. “An increasing number of schools and educators are returning to an approach to education that is the bedrock of Western culture:  classical education.”

Veith and Kern examine contemporary education theories that have failed during the 20th century. Among them are modernism, postmodernism, and multiculturalism. They in turn produced Whole Language, Goals 2000, School-to-Work, critical thinking and technology in the classroom. It is clear that these approaches are not working.

In Classical Education, the authors examine six different approaches elementary and secondary schools use to tie the “3 Rs” to the moral and civic education of the Western tradition. They include Christian Classicism, which is advocated by the Association of Classical and Christian Schools; Democratic Classicism, which has been adopted by over 100 public schools; Moral Classicism, which is based on the idea that education is a path to virtue; and Liberating Classicism, Marva Collins’ program for minority children in poor neighborhoods that emphasizes phonics and character education.

This revised and updated edition includes new chapters on classical education in Catholic schools and in the homeschooling movement.

Veith and Kern also review the best liberal arts colleges in the U.S. that teach Western tradition and they provide a directory listing of organizations that work for a return to classical education.

Gene Edward Veith is Professor of English and Director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia University-Wisconsin. He is the culture editor of World magazine and author of a dozen books, including Reading Between the Lines: A Christian Guide to Literature, State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe, Modern Fascism: The Liquidation of the Judeo-Christian Worldview, Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture, and Christians in a Dot.Com World. Veith is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Kansas.

Andrew Kern is director of CIRCE (Consulting and Integrated Resources for Classical Education), a consulting and research service to classical schools and those that want to start one. He helped establish two classical schools, Providence Academy in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Foundations Academy in Boise, Idaho, and has taught every grade from third to twelfth on almost every subject. A sought-after teacher-trainer, Kern is a popular speaker at classical education conferences and workshops. He is a graduate of Concordia University.

What They Are Saying:

“This is a perfect little book on a vast subject: lucid without being simplistic, opinionated without being dogmatic, comprehensive yet to the point. In unaffected, everyday language, it conveys a wealth of ancient education wisdom to modern minds.”–David Hicks, author of Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education

“Classical Education reminds us that every achievement of humankind is valuable, and every child’s soul is damaged when we fail to demand that they achieve. Our young people respond with violence and anger when schools and teachers put labels on them: “Inferior,” “born to fail,” “inability to cope.” Our children don’t need tags, measures, inkblot tests. They are screaming for a curriculum that challenges their minds.”–Marva Collins, founder of Westside Preparatory School, Chicago

In Educating for Virtue, five scholars address one of the most pressing issues of our time: the relationship between education and the development of moral character. With essays by Claes G. Ryn, Russell Kirk, Paul Gottfried, Peter J. Stanlis, Solveig Eggerz.

Editor Joseph Baldacchino is the President of the National Humanities Institute and Editor of the academic journal Humanitas. For many years he was a Washington reporter and editor, in which capacity he addressed most aspects of national policy and politics but with particular emphasis on ethical and cultural issues. Baldacchino is author of Economics and the Moral Order and, with others, Irving Babbitt in Our Time. His present writing project, with others, is a constitutional history of the United States entitled Who We Are: The Story of America’s Constitution.

From the Foreword:

“If there is a single thread that runs through these essays, it is the recognition of a universal order that transcends the flux of human life and gives meaning to it. Insofar as men act in accordance with this order, they experience true happiness and are brought into community with others who are similarly motivated. But men are afflicted with contrary impulses that are destructive of universal order. When acted upon, these impulses bring suffering and a sense of meaninglessness and despair; the result is disintegration and conflict–within both the personality and society at large. Yet so tempting are the attactions of these impulses that they frequently prevail and must be taken into account in any realistic assessment of human affairs. This tension within the person between competing desires–the conflict between what Plato called the One and the Many–is the ultimate reality of human experience. To apprehend this reality, and to act in the light of the transcendent purpose with appropriate reverence and restraint, is the essence of wisdom; and to help deepen and strengthen this apprehension–through philosophy, history, literature, and the arts and sciences–is the overarching purpose of any education worthy of the name.”

Flunked is the story of schools that are breaking the mediocre mold of American education by attaining superior results in college preparedness, test scores, and graduation rates. Discovering that one size truly does not fit all, these schools and their administrators, teachers, and students are finding different ways to make education work in their neighborhoods.  Narrated by Joe Mantegna.

Results of national and international tests show that our students are falling further and further behind. The average American student is no longer able to compete with foreign students, and in many cases, they’re failing to meet even basic academic standards. Success rates are plummeting, and remediation and dropout rates are skyrocketing.  Students entering the current American education system are in for a grim ride. It truly is a national scandal. One size does not fit all.

Complaining about the problem is easy, but it produces few productive results — especially when many schools nationwide are truly “getting it right.” Flunked is the story of these schools—their founders, leaders, and students—who are breaking the mediocre mold by attaining great results in terms of college preparation, high test scores, and graduating competent workers for tomorrow’s economy. Discovering that one size truly does not fit all, they are finding different ways to make it work in their area, with their students.

The main characters of Flunked are our “heroes,” men and women from all walks of life—parents, teachers, principals, business professionals—who are making a difference to our students.  These individuals have defied the odds, pressed the system, and succeeded in seemingly impossible situations.  Through it all, they have proven that solutions in education are available here and now, if we will only follow their examples.

The Freedom Foundation is a non-profit educational research organization based in the state of Washington.  The Freedom Foundation’s mission is to advance individual liberty, free enterprise, and limited, accountable government. We have a vision of a day when opportunity, responsible self-governance and free markets flourish in Washington State because its citizens understand and cherish the principles from which freedom is derived.

What They Are Saying:

“A half century ago, American education began a decline. Presidents lament the decline in their speeches. Politicians pontificate about it…but the problems persist. Now, here comes a movie that’s all about fixing it.”—J. Caldera, KOA Radio, Denver

“A fine film. Very informative, very challenging…”—Michael Medved, nationally syndicated radio show host, author, and film critic

Charters are by nature different not just from traditional public schools, but from one another. With their freedom and flexibility, some charter schools have opened doors and opportunities for many poor minority children who were previously trapped at failing campuses run by school district bureaucracies. These successful charter schools have perfected alternative models of organization, management, and discipline that shatter the status quo orthodoxy. In Free to Learn, successful charter principals and teachers – who often do things contrary to the public education establishment – offer hope and practical advice for the charter movement. After Hurricane Katrina, Free to Learn served as an inspiration and handbook for charter school administrators in New Orleans.

Suzie Andres explores the basic premise of the household as the primary place of education and the role of parents as primary educators. Her book is engaging and helpful regardless of the method of education selected by parents—homeschooling, unschooling, or even public and private schooling.

What They Are Saying:

“Andres’s wise and witty little book is, as billed, a gentle approach to homeschooling. Any reader who comes to this subject with fears will have them quickly allayed.”— Ralph McInerny

 Larry P. Arnn, the President of Hillsdale College, traces the history of education from the founding of the U.S. Office of Education (based on the Prussian system) in 1869 to the Higher Education Act of 1965 and its subsequent reauthorizations, to contemporary legislation. He connects these changes to fundamental shifts in our understanding of what education is, of the purpose and ends of government, and of what it means to be human. He offers insight into the idea of liberal education as it developed in Western civilization, marked by the confluence of biblical religion and Socratic philosophy.

Not as Good as You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School shatters the myth that “good” schools are in “nice” neighborhoods. Using data on school performance and interviews with parents, students, principals, and school reformers, Not as Good as You Think confirms parents’ silent fear: that their financial sacrifice and investment in an expensive home in a “good” school district is not yielding the achievement results needed to get their kids into good colleges and good jobs.

The film takes audiences on a tour of America’s best neighborhoods to reveal that schools in America’s affluent and middle class neighborhoods are not adequately preparing kids for higher education, or worse, operating under widespread corruption. The film also contrasts the American public school system with that of Sweden’s, a socially progressive country that allows parents, at government expense, to choose any school that fits their children’s needs – private or public – no matter the parents’ income.

Parents know how important good schools are when they are deciding where to buy a new house. That’s why they are willing to stretch their budget for a home near a “good” school.  But they should not be fooled by the tree-lined streets and expensive real estate – the neighborhood schools may not be as good as they think, according to the findings in Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice. The book takes readers on a driving tour of some of California’s best neighborhoods and supposedly some of its best schools. Many parents have found out the hard way that despite what they have been told about their neighborhood schools, many of these students are not performing at grade level, let alone ready for college.

Rachel S. Chaney is a Senior Fellow in Education studies at the Pacific Research Institute. She is currently a doctoral student in American history at the University of California at Davis. She graduated with honors and distinction from Stanford University in American history and earned her Masters degree in Chinese history from Stanford University. After completion of her masters’ she taught high school in East Oakland, California for two years before coming to PRI.

What They Are Saying:

“Many parents across the country have found out the hard way that the quality of public schools in the more affluent neighborhoods is often not what it’s cracked up to be. This book by PRI reveals that the supposedly “good’ schools that these students attend are producing surprising – and often bad – results. Armed with the knowledge their schools are coming up short, middle-class parents must take action and start demanding school choice options in their communities.” – William J. Bennet, author of America: The Last Best Hope and Fellow at The Claremont Institute

“This book confronts the depth of the challenge confronting public education, in California and across the country, and makes it more difficult for the apologists of the status quo to continue to defend mediocrity.  It helps sow the seeds of what can become a much-needed American education revolution.”  – Eugene Hickok, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education during President George W. Bush’s first term