Episodes

  • Expanding Learning Beyond School Walls: How ReSchool Colorado is Revolutionizing Education Access

    Expanding Learning Beyond School Walls: How ReSchool Colorado is Revolutionizing Education Access
    Jun 5 2025
    When we think about education, most of us picture classroom desks, textbooks, and traditional school buildings. But what if we told you that only 20% of a child's learning happens during school hours? The remaining 80% occurs outside those walls – and that's where ReSchool Colorado is making a transformative difference.In a recent episode of the Educational Awareness Podcast, host Melissa LaShure sat down with Amy Anderson from ReSchool Colorado to explore how this innovative organization is helping families access a more expansive education system that works across all learning spaces.The Vision: Education That Extends Beyond School HoursFounded 13 years ago, ReSchool Colorado operates on a simple yet powerful premise: children are learning constantly, not just during the traditional school day. Amy Anderson explains their mission as supporting families to "co-design an education system in Colorado that gave all kids access to learning opportunities that occurred across all of those spaces."This approach recognizes what many parents instinctively know – that their children's interests, talents, and learning needs often extend far beyond what traditional schools can offer. Whether it's a child passionate about music, dance, coding, or athletics, ReSchool helps families access these enriching experiences regardless of their financial circumstances.Breaking Down Barriers to Educational EquityOne of the most significant challenges ReSchool addresses is the growing cost of enrichment activities. Anderson shared some eye-opening statistics: recreational soccer, which cost around $200-250 per season just a few years ago, now runs between $500-600. Summer camps that were once $300 for a week have jumped to $700-800 or more."We initially shadowed families in the early days of ReSchool," Anderson explains, "and that's where it became just a huge aha that kids were spending a lot of time in these spaces outside of school and families were sharing with us, most of the families that we work with are lower income families, that they did not have the same resources."To address this inequity, ReSchool has raised about a million dollars over the past decade, redistributing these funds as "learning dollars" that families can use to access educational experiences their children might otherwise miss.How ReSchool Works: A Multi-Faceted ApproachReSchool's support system includes several key components:Learner AdvocatesThese navigators and coaches work directly with families, helping them identify resources and access the types of educational opportunities their children need. They serve as trusted guides in what can often feel like an overwhelming landscape of options.Learning DollarsThis direct funding program provides families with financial resources to pursue learning experiences and activities for their children. Families have the flexibility to use these funds in ways that best serve their children's unique interests and needs.Resource PlatformsReSchool has created two valuable online tools:Denver Learning Ecosystem: A comprehensive database of Denver-area providers offering out-of-school programmingDiscover Learning: A parent-focused platform where families can input their location and children's interests to find suitable learning providersFamily Choice JournalThis free tool helps families engage in meaningful conversations about their learning interests and needs, then guides them toward finding aligned experiences.The Broader Movement: Education Savings Accounts and Micro-GrantsReSchool's work connects to larger national trends in education funding. Anderson discussed education savings accounts (ESAs) – programs in several states that allow families to access public education funding for private schools or homeschooling resources, provided they leave the traditional public school system.However, Anderson notes that over 80% of the families ReSchool works with choose to remain in the public system. "It's risky for some people to leave," she explains, pointing out that public schools provide transportation, food services, aftercare, and special education supports that families may not receive elsewhere.ReSchool maintains an agnostic stance on these policy debates, focusing instead on supporting families in making the choices that work best for their unique circumstances while highlighting potential equity challenges that can arise.Colorado's Educational InnovationColorado offers various innovative educational pathways, including:Community college integration with high school programsInnovation centers in districts offering career and entrepreneurship focusPath Forward program, allowing early graduates access to up to $4,000 for workforce or academic pathwaysThese options provide students with alternatives to the traditional four-year college track, similar to programs in other states that offer pathways in fields like aviation, automotive mechanics, construction, nursing, and culinary arts.Expanding the Model...
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    20 mins
  • Classical Christian Education Explained: David Goodwin Interview

    Classical Christian Education Explained: David Goodwin Interview
    May 29 2025
    Rediscovering Ancient Wisdom: What Classical Christian Education Offers Modern StudentsThis post is based on our recent Educational Awareness podcast episode featuring David Goodwin, co-author of the New York Times bestseller "Battle for the American Mind" and President of the Association of Classical Christian Schools.In an era where American education faces mounting challenges, an ancient approach is gaining renewed attention. Classical Christian education, rooted in methods that have shaped Western civilization for centuries, offers a compelling alternative to progressive educational models. But what exactly does this approach entail, and could it hold keys to addressing our current educational crisis?The Foundation: More Than Just Another Educational MethodClassical Christian education isn't simply a different way of organizing curriculum—it's a fundamentally different philosophy of learning. As David Goodwin explains, this approach views education as the cultivation of wisdom and virtue, where knowledge goes far deeper than mere information retention."Knowledge for classical educators is different," Goodwin notes. "It specifically deals more with understanding rather than just information. If you know something about a tree or a horse, we're interested in all the dimensions of that—experiential, mimetic learning through imitation, or direct instruction."This holistic approach to knowledge creates what educators call "poetic knowledge"—understanding that engages not just the intellect but the whole person.A Day in the Life: What Makes Classical Christian Schools DifferentThe Elementary Years: Building Strong FoundationsClassical Christian schools take a markedly different approach to early education. Phonics instruction is paramount—no whole word learning methods here. Students develop fine motor skills and an appreciation for beauty through extensive cursive handwriting and even calligraphy work.Literature selection focuses heavily on classic children's works from the 19th and 20th centuries: Pinocchio, Robin Hood, Arthurian legends, and authors like C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald. Aesop's fables and various myths round out the reading curriculum, providing rich material for developing both literacy and moral imagination.Grammar instruction follows structured programs with recitations and sentence diagramming, while Latin typically begins in third grade. Why Latin so early? It's not just about language—it's about understanding the structure of language itself, since Latin's inflected nature helps students grasp grammatical concepts that enhance their English comprehension.The Memory AdvantageOne striking feature of classical education is its emphasis on memorization. Students learn math facts through speed drills, memorize poetry, recite historical facts through songs and chants, and even employ ancient memory techniques like memory palaces used in Greece and Rome.This focus addresses a real crisis in modern education. As Goodwin observed, "We see quite a decline in students being able to recall their basic math facts right now." Classical schools combat this through intensive memory work that gets students "off their fingers as quickly as possible" with rapid-fire math fact drills.The Three Pillars: Grammar, Logic, and RhetoricClassical education organizes learning around the Trivium—three paths to knowledge:Grammar Stage (Elementary): Students absorb information and learn the fundamental rules of language and mathematicsLogic Stage (Middle School): Students learn to analyze, critique, and understand the relationships between different ideasRhetoric Stage (High School): Students learn to express knowledge eloquently and persuasivelyThis progression follows natural developmental stages, working with rather than against how children's minds naturally grow.Beyond the Classroom: Character FormationClassical Christian education doesn't compartmentalize academics and character development. The cultivation of virtue—moral, natural, and intellectual—is woven throughout the educational experience.Students develop moral virtues through the study of literature that presents clear examples of good and evil. Natural virtues emerge through nature studies where students might spend time drawing leaves in intricate detail, observing carefully before learning about photosynthesis. Intellectual virtues like precision, observation, and understanding develop through rigorous academic work.The Assessment Question: How Do You Measure Success?Rather than relying solely on standardized tests, many classical Christian schools are moving toward descriptive assessments written by teachers each quarter. These evaluations address not just academic progress but character development and virtue cultivation.When standardized testing is used, schools often choose assessments aligned with their educational philosophy, such as the Classic Learning Test, which uses reading passages more consistent with classical ...
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    27 mins
  • Episode 9: America’s Education Past and Future

    Episode 9: America’s Education Past and Future
    May 22 2025
    Welcome to the final episode of America’s Education Past and Future. Although this wraps up the series, I will have follow-up episodes, as this has opened doors for conversations and a deeper look at how we are going to move forward with education in our nation. As we look at the future of education in America, I want to point us back to the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament. Nehemiah is the last of the Old Testament historical books. The book recounts the third return to Jerusalem after captivity, describing the rebuilding of the walls and the renewal of the people’s faith. Sounds refreshing, but as you read through this account, you realize it was not easy. You also find that it reflects where we currently stand in education and what the future might hold. I will give you a very brief overview. Nehemiah receives a report of the Jewish remnant who had survived the exile and were now residing in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 1:3 – They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” This is a picture of our current education system. Progressives have torn down the pillars of our nation’s once superior educational system and left it a pile of burning rubble.Although the exiles had been living amongst the rubble for years, they had not started to rebuild. The same can be said of us as we continue to use the progressive school model, hoping for different results.Nehemiah wept when he heard the news before seeking God’s help, which is key to his success. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he inspected the damage and then came up with a game plan to rebuild the walls and restore Jerusalem to its former glory.Nehemiah 2:17-18 – Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me.They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began the good work.Opposition rose immediately. Nehemiah 2:19-20 – But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”Remember what Dr. Witherspoon, the founder of Princeton, stated.“Government was a reflection of its citizens; if Americans became profane and immoral, their government would also become profane and immoral; and history has demonstrated conclusively that such governments do not survive. Consequently, it was simple logic that any true friend of America would promote religion and morality.” (4 Centuries of American Education, by David Barton, page 12)Any friend of America would promote religion and morality. As we have learned throughout this series, America was founded on Christian principles and morality. If you stand against this, then you stand against America, just as these men tried to stand against Jerusalem.As you continue to read through Nehemiah, you see he had many successes in rebuilding Jerusalem, but there was a lot of opposition. However, he stood strong and pressed on, knowing God was with him. One of my favorite verses from Nehemiah is 4:14. This comes as they face opposition once again.After looking things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”Does that not make you want to say hoorah, let’s get this done?In our last episode, we discussed the Classical Christian Education (CCE) model and how it served our children well for centuries, providing them with an education that was far superior to any other. Statistical and empirical data prove its superiority.We have the opportunity to be the Nehemiah’s of this generation so that the generations to come will enjoy the freedom that comes with an education that develops their thinking and reasoning skills. If we take a stand, do the hard work, and rebuild our broken education system, our children will end up with an education that surpasses our own. And don’t we always want better for our kids?The question is, how do we go about rebuilding our broken education system? I am no expert in this, and there could be more than one way to get this done. These are my ideas, and I am sure others have better ones. Right now, I just ...
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    12 mins
  • Episode 8: America’s Education Past and Future

    Episode 8: America’s Education Past and Future
    May 15 2025
    Over the last seven episodes, we have gone through the history of education in America and found some fascinating connections and facts. Today, we are going to look at a possible future for education. Throughout this mini-series, I have referenced the book Battle for the American Mind by Pete Hegseth and David Goodwin. Today I will be returning this book as they laid out a plan for America’s future educational path. One that centers around the original pedagogy for our nation, the Classical Christian Education model. Don’t let the name scare you before we dig in. The Classical Christian Education model produced world class leaders such as Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and Hamilton. I like how Pete and David put some numbers to this. During that time, there were around 3 million people in this nation, and this model produced six wise leaders. So, with a population around 245 million today, we should expect to see at least 480 leaders like these men. Yet, we struggle to find just one. So, what is this Classical Christian Education model? Why did we veer away from it? How do we get back to it? The previous episodes went over the why we veered away from it. The progressive agenda began to steer the education ship in another direction and, generations later, it was completely forgotten. I like the description Pete and David give at the start of chapter 10. They compare our current educational dilemma to a capsized ship. When things first started moving away from the Classical Christian Education model, it felt weird and off kilter to everyone. Now that we have been living in this “capsized” state for so long, righting the ship feels unnatural. However, if we do not right the ship, it will eventually sink. There are CCE (Classical Christian Education) schools around the nation. In fact, you can visit the Association of Classical Christian School’s website to find these schools and learn more about this model. Today I am going to give you a quick overview from the book Battle for the American Mind. Here is their description of what you will see and hear when walking into a classical Christian school. You’ll inevitably see uniforms, hear children greet you politely, and possibly see them stand when you enter the room. The rooms are orderly, and the décor reflects classical art. . .The children will be joyful and engaged, if you spend time you’ll notice that Latin seems to be sprinkled throughout. From down the hallway, recitations in unison may be about anything, from Bible verses to great men of the Middle Ages. If you stop around the second or third-grade classrooms, students with singsong voices will be reciting jingles as they diagram sentences to gain a precise understanding of grammar. (Battle for the American Mind, page 195) That is a far cry from what you will see and hear when walking into any public school, and even some private schools. It amazes me that this used to be the norm in our public classrooms for centuries. Within these schools, you find that history is everywhere from Ancient, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Byzantine, early Anglo-Saxon, medieval, French, German, Asian, right down to American history. This is always taught right alongside biblical and church history. Their schedule and coursework are oriented around a historical context. CCE studies the world as a single, connected system; a single story unfolding from beginning to end. Heroes and villains are both flawed and to be admired because all people are. In this environment, the timeline of history connects the parts of human knowledge into a wider system of knowledge that can be understood, as students, in an imperfect yet rewarding way, trace God’s hand through time. . .No other faith can claim integration with recorded history like Christianity. No other form of education integrates everything so naturally—history, literature, language, philosophy, theology, science, art, mathematics, and music—into a single system of understanding. And from this integrated study, classical Christian students gain perspective and wisdom as they evaluate story after story through the lens of a Christian viewpoint—not as indoctrination, but rather as they investigate the historical narrative. Could it be that the progressive schools study so little history because they cannot avoid the historicity of Christianity? (Battle for the American Mind, pages 195-196) We talked in an earlier episode about the Gary project. This was where the progressive school model was put into practice. They took each subject and ...
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    12 mins
  • Episode 7: America’s Education Past and Future

    Episode 7: America’s Education Past and Future
    May 8 2025
    Thanks for joining me for another episode in our America’s Education Past and Future mini-series. I left off last week’s episode with the promise of looking at our pedagogy and curriculum. Before we dive into that, I want to just define a few things. First, pedagogy is the how. It is the methods you use to teach content. Standards are what you teach or the content. Curriculum provides the scope and sequence for the standards to be taught and combines it with the how it is to be taught, pedagogy. I want to discuss each of these components separately and then look at how they are woven together and the impact they have on the quality of our education. However, I want to remind everyone of what I said in episode one. I am in no way shape or form shaming anyone when I discuss these topics. We do what we do in education today, because that is all we have known, until now. This includes me. I have taught in the current system and lead teachers in this system. Yet, with so many people shedding light on the current state of our education system, we cannot continue to ignore it. I believe Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” It is time to get off the pedagogy Ferris wheel of the progressive model, and stand firm on the pedagogy of our past, the classical Christian education model. More on that soon! Let’s start with pedagogy. Any educator can tell you that you spend the last two years of college learning all about pedagogy and putting it into practice. This is where your professors teach you how to teach.In today’s education system, pedagogy is constantly changing. I like to call it the pedagogy Ferris wheel. If you stay in education long enough, the strategies you were told to use to teach come back around wrapped in a shiny new package.I cannot tell you how many times I have heard educators who have been it longer than me say, “This is what they had us doing 15 years ago, just under a different name.” Raise your hand if you have said that or heard that before. I know I am not the only one raising my hand right now.Outside of the fact that content areas have been untwined and siloed, nothing about educational pedagogy has stayed the same. Right now, we are in the Science of Reading kick. The science of reading offers numerous effective strategies. And in case you did not know this already, the Science of Reading has been around since the 1980s. It is just back in a new shiny package.Whatever the new pedagogy is, it drives our curriculum, which is built off our academic standards. Yes, we are going there. The highly controversial topic of Common Core standards.In 2004, David Coleman launched the Common Core initiative. It was sold as a way to make academic standards the same across the nation. So that no matter where you were in the country, all 6th graders were learning the same set of skills. This meant moving from one state to another would not adversely affect a child’s academics. In theory, they should be able to hop right in where they left off at their previous school.I don’t think anyone had an issue with having a set of national academic standards. This is evident by the fact that all but nine states adopted these new standards. What made common core an issue was all the things behind the scenes. Data mining, new pedagogical approaches, significant historical content revisions, and the implementation costs of these new standards.With forty-one states adopting the common core standards, curriculum companies quickly rewrote all of their curriculum to align to these standards. All subjects took a hit, but I would say math and history took the hardest hits. With the rewriting of curriculum progressives were able to literally rewrite history to meet their agenda.Suddenly, the heroes of our nation’s past were evil. Men and women who were once viewed as being on the side of wrong, now to be praised for their contributions to society. Think about how many of our founding fathers have been slandered by our new curriculum. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Do we even study our founding documents anymore?In David Barton’s book, Separation of Church and State, What the Founders Meant, he mentions a conversation he had with a well-accomplished attorney. The attorney was adamant that the words separation of church and state were in our constitution. David responded by pointing out that those words are not mentioned in any of our founding documents. At the attorney’s insistence that they were, David asked him to find the phrase in the constitution. The man could not and responded with, “I can’t believe this! In law school they always taught us that’s what the First Amendment said!” (Separation of Church and State, What the Founders Meant...
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Episode 6: America’s Education Past and Future

    Episode 6: America’s Education Past and Future
    May 1 2025
    Welcome to another episode on America’s education past and future. Given the controversy surrounding the dismantling of the Federal DOE. I wanted to take this episode and share the history of the Federal DOE. My husband is a fan of Blaze TV. He listens to their shows all day and shared a brief clip on YouTube where Glenn Beck spoke about the Federal DOE’s organizational act. I have this video linked along with the act in the show notes. Glenn notes President Jimmy Carter founded the Federal DOE; Congress solidified it in 1979. Congress must pass legislation to completely dismantle it. In Glenn's video, he shares excerpts from the DOE’s organizational act. You can click here to hear his take on it. I am going to share the first part of the organization act that gives the what and the why behind it. The legislature amended this act in December 2022.TITLE I—GENERAL PROVISIONS FINDINGS SEC. 101. ø20 U.S.C. 3401The Congress finds that— (1) education is fundamental to the development of individual citizens and the progress of the Nation;(2) there is a continuing need to ensure equal access for all Americans to educational opportunities of a high quality, and such educational opportunities should not be denied because of race, creed, color, national origin, or sex;(3) parents have the primary responsibility for the education of their children, and States, localities, and private institutions have the primary responsibility for supporting that parental role;(4) in our Federal system, the primary public responsibility for education is reserved respectively to the States and the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the States;(5) the American people benefit from a diversity of educational settings, including public and private schools, libraries, museums and other institutions, the workplace, the community, and the home;(6) the importance of education is increasing as new technologies and alternative approaches to traditional education are considered, as society becomes more complex, and as equal opportunities in education and employment are promoted;(7) there is a need for improvement in the management and coordination of Federal education programs to support more effectively State, local, and private institutions, students, and parents in carrying out their educational responsibilities;(8) the dispersion of education programs across a large number of Federal agencies has led to fragmented, duplicative, and often inconsistent Federal policies relating to education;(9) Presidential and public consideration of issues relating to Federal education programs is hindered by the present organizational position of education programs in the executive branch of the Government; and(10) there is no single, full-time, Federal education official directly accountable to the President, the Congress, and the people.PURPOSES SEC. 102. ø20 U.S.C. 3402The Congress declares that the establishment of a Department of Education is in the public interest, will promote the general welfare of the United States, will help ensure that education issues receive proper treatment at the Federal level, and will enable the Federal Government to coordinate its education activities more effectively. Therefore, the purposes of this Act are—(1) to strengthen the Federal commitment to ensuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual;(2) to supplement and complement the efforts of States, the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the States, the private sector, public and private educational institutions, public and private nonprofit educational research institutions, community-based organizations, parents, and students to improve the quality of education;(3) to encourage the increased involvement of the public, parents, and students in Federal education programs;(4) to promote improvements in the quality and usefulness of education through federally supported research, evaluation, and sharing of information;(5) to improve the coordination of Federal education programs;(6) to improve the management and efficiency of Federal education activities, especially with respect to the process, procedures, and administrative structures for the dispersal of Federal funds, as well as the reduction of unnecessary and duplicative burdens and constraints, including unnecessary paperwork, on the recipients of Federal funds; and(7) to increase the accountability of Federal education programs to the President, the Congress, and the public.FEDERAL-STATE RELATIONSHIPS SEC. 103. ø20 U.S.C. 3403(a) It is the intention of the Congress in the establishment of the Department to protect the rights of State and local governments and public and private educational institutions in the areas of educational policies and administration of programs and to strengthen and improve the control of such governments and institutions over their own educational ...
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    27 mins
  • Episode 5: America’s Education Past and Future

    Episode 5: America’s Education Past and Future
    Apr 24 2025
    As we finish up with the history of American education and move to the present and then look to the future, I want to pause and address a question I am sure you are asking. How did I and others not see this? How did we not connect the dots before? The WCP was a pile of rubble by 1954 and in its place was the APP (American Progressive Paideia. Today, anyone under the age of 70 is a product of the APP educational system. If you look at each generation living today, you will find the younger the generation, the more liberal and left leaning they are. As I pointed out in episode four, the progressives not only took control of public schools and mandated all children attend, but they also have control over college teacher accreditation programs and textbook companies. This means they control the entire pipeline and every aspect of our education, from kindergarten to college (even if you are not in college to be a teacher). With the use of our education system, they have created a factory line of people who think, act, and vote the way they desire. Let us finish tracing this progressive line in history and discover what APP really is and how it morphed into CMP (Cultural Marxist Paideia). In the 1960s, we saw the product of this new progressive paideia. Our textbooks paint the Warren Court as having led the charge against racial discrimination, which was a noble pursuit. However, what most people miss because curriculum companies leave it out or twist to sound good, is that the Warren Court was the most liberal Supreme Court in American history. Pete and David give a full explanation in their book Battle for the American Mind starting on page 102. Here is a snippet: This Court pioneered the extraconstitutional approach—an approach born of critical theory’s “structural criticism.” To the progressive Warren Court, founding documents were an impediment to progress. The Warren Court saw the Constitution as a guideline; it was living, not law. In many ways, the courts of the 1960s were simply finishing the work Progressives had begun at the beginning of the century. (Battle for the American Mind, page 103)The Supreme court ruling in the Engel v. Vitale case in 1962 and the Abbington School District v. Schempp in 1963 prohibited prayer and Bible reading in schools, cutting the pillars of religion and morality out of our education system. Add to that the 1965 ruling in Reed v. Van Hoven, where courts ruled it, was unconstitutional for students to pray over their lunch.Within a matter of four short years, nine justices fundamentally changed our educational system forever. (Battle for the American Mind, page 103)Let us back up to 1923 and look at the Frankfurt School in Frankfurt, Germany. It resided at the Institution for Social Research, which is known today as the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. Yes, you heard that correct. There was a critical theory before it morphed into the critical race theory of today.This school was founded by a Marxist law professor. The first director was Max Horkheimer. The Frankfurt School was focused on radical social change—criticism of all things Western—using social, economic, cultural, political, and educational institutions. (Battle for the American Mind, page 110)In 1935, after the rise of Hitler, scholars from the Frankfurt School fled to New York, where they became faculty members of Columbia University where John Dewey had just retired five years earlier. Horkheimer was offered a formal position at the university and allowed to establish his “Institute”.Exiled Marxists were out in the open and holding court in America’s most prestigious teachers’ college. (Battle for the American Mind, page 111) The Frankfurt School disguised their critical theory as social science. Science is known as objectively observing scientific laws in nature. Applying this to human behavior does not work because you cannot generalize off lived experience. To counter this flaw, they explained away certain human realities based on biases and power structures in the Western civilization. They take it further by saying social scientists cannot be technical observers and problems solvers, but instead self-reflective explorers. This is where ideas like “check your privilege” and “implicit bias” come from. It is not enough to study history or civics; the student must emphasize their own current and historical contribution to the power structure that leftists deem evil at the moment. As such, in keeping with the Marxist tradition, critical theorists insist that “social science” cannot be content to describe and explain the world, but instead should emancipate students to understand their role in contributing to oppression, injustice, and ...
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    22 mins
  • Episode 4: America’s Education Past and Future

    Episode 4: America’s Education Past and Future
    Apr 17 2025
    Welcome back as we continue to look at the history of education in America. In this episode, we will pick up where we left off in episode three, the progressive takeover of public education. Most of what you hear in this episode will come once again from the book Battle for the American Mindby Pete Hegseth and David Goodwin. Many of us were taught that the Progressive Era ended in 1929, however it continues today as a political party. I am guessing you can figure out which political party that is. Dewey led the progressives and by 1915 they had their “school tool” in place, as nearly every American child attended a public school. John Dewey became the architect of education as he continued to write articles in The New Republic magazine. That name alone tells you they had an agenda to change America. If you visit their website today, their objectives are telling. Progressives knew paideia was powerful, and that schools controlled it. They latched onto this and created the Gary Plan. A plan that implemented their model school in Gary, Indiana. These schools became the prototype for all public schools and the model is still used today. However, instead of seeing an increase in academic rigor, it has plummeted. Here are a few key things to consider when looking at the Gary Plan that exists in all public schools. In fact, everyone listening to this podcast, unless they attended a classical Christian education school, has experienced this model. With this plan, they took subjects and broke them apart, making them silos. Instead of reading and discussing articles or works of literature that crossed across subjects like history and science, you now rotate between seven periods a day and history is no longer history, it is social studies. This is also where they strategically began to extract Christianity from public schools. Instead of studying the morals and precepts of God’s words within the school, students were allowed to leave school during the day for religious training. It was no longer a part of the curriculum. They knew they could not completely take away religious education, as the WCP was still too strong in our culture. This was their way of appeasing the masses while acquiring yet another win and advance forward in erasing religious teaching in public schools. I like what Pete and David share on this move. You can find this paragraph on page 87 of their book.The defenders of this so-called-pull-out period for religious education knew they could end Christian education if they played their cards right. Defending the pull-out period in the same New Republic article, they wrote that “the [church] school [will be] less necessary for those who wish religious instruction for their children. What the Gary Plan seems to do is not to bring religion into the schools, but for the first time to take it out of the schools.” (Battle for the American Mind, page 87) They needed religion removed from education in order to create a new American paideia devoid of Christ. Remember back in episode two where we discovered that religion, morality, and knowledge were the pillars on which our founding fathers-built education. Dr. Witherspoon, a signer of the Declaration, stated.“Government was a reflection of its citizens; if Americans became profane and immoral, their government would also become profane and immoral; and history has demonstrated conclusively that such governments do not survive. Consequently, it was simple logic that any true friend of America would promote religion and morality.” (4 Centuries of American Education, by David Barton, page 12)Even Thomas Paine, one of the least religious of the founding fathers, admonished French schools because of their secular manner. Here is what he had to say.It has been the error of the schools to teach . . .sciences and subjects of natural philosophy as accomplishments only whereas they should be taught. . .with reference to the Being who is the author of them: for all the principles of science are of Divine origin. . .When we examine an extraordinary piece of machinery, an astonishing pile of architecture, a well executed statue or a highly finished painting. . . our ideas are naturally led to think of the extensive genius and talents of the artist. When we study the elements of geometry, we think of Euclid. When we speak of gravitation, we think of Newton. How then is it, that when we study the works of God in the creation, we stop short and do not think of God? It is from the error of the schools. . . The evil that has resulted. . . has been that of generating in the pupils a species of atheism. Instead of looking through the works of the creation to the Creator Himself, they stop short and employ the knowledge they ...
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    14 mins