- 39% of classical education students are in homeschools
- 34% are in evangelical Christian classical schools (mostly Lutheran)
- 18% attend classical public charter schools
- 9% are enrolled in Roman Catholic classical schools (slow to get on board)
In the four years prior to 2024, 264 new classical schools were begun nationwide. This growth rate means that in ten years it will more than double, outpacing the growth of students in other education sectors. What is more is that business and industry prizes the critical thinking skills, the effective communication skills, and the learned knack for analytical reasoning in these students. They easily outpace their counterparts in traditional schools -- both public and private. Their competencies are their biggest selling point but it does not hurt that they do not require the vast infrastructure that public education (and much private education) has come to expect and demand. They are cheap and easy -- easy enough for most homeschooling families and able to be set up in microschools as well.
Guess what. Close to 90% of Classical Christian Education students attend worship three times a month or more -- a statistic which does not seem to decline after they graduate. What is more they seem prone to emulate Christian values and virtues in their choice of vocations, in their embrace of traditional marriage, and in the size of their families. It may not be a panacea for all the problems in education since those involved in CCE enjoy parental support and encouragement greater than many of those in public schools but it is a signal that we have begun to realize that throwing money at the problem will not fix what is wrong in our educational system. The danger to CCE is largely its own success. Growth too fast may not help and may hinder the educational blessings of this approach and money from vouchers may also be part of the problem.
Classical Christian Education is not alone in providing an alternative to the status quo with Montessori, Project-Based Learning, STEM Academies, and Microschools (not in the classical mode) providing other choices. But the best that CCE can offer is a holistic approach in which the past is not a limit or a diversion but an aid in our pursuit of the educational patterns which integrate values and virtues along with critical thinking and a broad curriculum of classical style learning. So far we have learned that putting screens in the hands of our children is not going to fix what is wrong and that schools are not simply places of social experimentation. At least I hope we have learned this lesson. We need to work on developing the whole person. Character counts. So does faith. Keep an eye on Classical Christian schools. They are leading us back so much of what we forgot about education and what it means to be learned. Some may think it is enough to train people for the workforce but the rest of us know that there is more to education than how to earn a living. We need to focus on how to raise up good, honest, bright, thinking, and faithful Christian people. This is an area in which Lutherans can lead the way.
1 comment:
A classical Christian education via the parochial school system and the church/school partnership should be an intrinsic part of home missions, and with proper funding and support by parents and ministries it has huge benefits to evangelization and to society as a whole. It was interesting to note that 39 percent of the growth in CCE was in home schooling. It would be a real blessing if the churches of America would become more involved in funding Christian education seriously and consistently going forward. Soli Deo Gloria
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