Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of the controversial 1619 Project and a frequent critic of school choice programs, recently confessed in an essay that in order to live up to her woke ideology, she and her husband enrolled their daughter, Najya, in underperforming inner-city elementary and middle schools. They did so hoping their resources and connections would help improve them but later recognized that this decision cost their daughter’s education. When Najya transitioned to a more rigorous high school through a school choice program, she experienced noticeable gaps in her academic preparation, particularly in math, and felt she hadn’t received the education she wanted.
This experience highlights the consequences when educational decisions are guided by ideology rather than student needs. While Hannah-Jones moved her daughter to a higher-performing school, many students from less advantaged backgrounds remain in underperforming schools.
Recent results from the Program for International Student Assessment and the National Assessment of Educational Progress show that U.S. student performance has dropped sharply. Reading and math scores for American 15-year-olds are at their lowest in decades on the Program for International Student Assessment. The National Assessment of Educational Progress results also reveal that older students are still below their past performance highs. Against this depressing backdrop, a coalition of teachers, principals, and school leaders across the country is working together to make positive changes.
The Center for Teacher Excellence at Hillsdale College, acting on the principle that “great teachers deserve great professional development,” provides free, content-rich seminars for K-12 school leaders and teachers across the country during the academic year. As Dr. Kathleen O’Toole points out, the seminars give educators “time and space to grow in their craft” and enable them to learn “true methods of teaching that have stood the test of time.” In contrast to much of the K-12 system that often treats teacher excellence as an afterthought, the Hillsdale approach is an intentional choice: better teachers, then better students.
The first of eight seminars organized this school year opened at Golden View Classical Academy (GVCA) in Colorado on Sept. 18, the day after Constitution Day, with nearly 90 K-12 educators in attendance, including educators and leaders from Colorado, New York, and South Dakota.
The one-day seminar focusing on “The Art of Teaching: The American Founding” had a complete schedule. In the morning, two professors from Hillsdale delivered talks on the importance of teaching the history of America’s founding and the principles of the U.S. Constitution. Dr. Wilfred McClay emphasized that an understanding of documents such as the Declaration of Independence is essential since “becoming a good American citizen requires the knowledge needed to take part in governance” and these documents “tell young people what America is and what it aims to be.” He stated that teachers should help students come to appreciate the republic, adding that “if our children are taught that they live under a bad regime, harm will be done to their souls.”
In the afternoon Dr. Robert Garrow, principal of GVCA, together with a number of experienced teachers, conducted breakout sessions covering practical methods of teaching civics and American history at both the grammar and upper school levels. GVCA is regarded as one of Colorado’s leading K-12 classical schools and has a reputation for academic strictness as well as a strong emphasis on the moral and character development of its students.
I spoke to a number of people during the breaks. Harold Siegel, who previously taught at Hillsdale and is now head of Liberty Tree Academy in Falcon, Colorado, runs a K-12 classical school with approximately 400 students. He stated that parents generally select the school because of its academic standards. They are looking for schools that teach children to read, do math, know the founding, and build character. Liberty Tree follows Hillsdale’s classical education approach, emphasizing strong math and phonics programs as well as classic books, which are not typically found in most public schools. No wonder some parents are willing to drive more than 45 minutes to send their children to study at Liberty Tree.
Siegel values the excellent, free training offered by Hillsdale College because many other professional development programs for teachers are either costly, lack content, or both. Having previously sent three of his teachers to a comparable math seminar, he has also brought in more colleagues for this event.
Mary Shaye Brost, a humanities teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Classical School in Denver, teaches fourth- and fifth-grade students. She said that the school supports its teachers and helps pupils choose books that are suitable for their age and that reflect truth and beauty in order to address parents’ concerns regarding the limited number of options available through the public library. During the “How to Weave a Narrative” breakout session, she learned to use storytelling and visual aids to help students understand both historical events and their significance.
Veronica Tharan and Grace Maicki are two young teachers from Brave Academy, a four-year-old classical Christian school in Englewood, Colorado. Tharan teaches kindergarten, and Grace Maicki teaches sixth-grade literature and history, as well as eighth-grade algebra. Tharan previously served as chief operating officer at a childcare organization, where she saw problems in public schools. Before joining Brave, Maicki felt unsupported as a new teacher at a public school and looked for guidance through 21 days of fasting and prayer.
Both Tharan and Maicki felt called to join Brave Academy. Tharan, one of the school’s first teachers, values working in an environment where faith is central and colleagues share similar beliefs. Parents prioritize fostering their children’s relationship with God, and Tharan appreciates being able to pray for students and discuss her beliefs openly. Maicki values the flexibility to tailor instruction to students’ academic needs, encourage curiosity, and teach critical thinking. Tharan contrasted this with her observations of public schools, stating they often “teach kids what to think,” and that dissent is punished.
After the seminar, Tharan shared her thoughts in an email: “The American Founding seminar was extremely informative. The seminar inspired my co-workers and me as we teach American History at Brave Academy. I appreciated the breakout session led by Jennifer Mulvey. She gave us a practical, immediately applicable way to teach American history in lower grammar school.”
Tharan was likely not the only attendee to leave with new ideas, a stronger sense of purpose, and practical tools to support students. The students who attend these schools are blessed.
The free, high-quality seminars offered by Hillsdale show that K-12 decline is not inevitable. Many teachers who attend work in public charter schools, so the positive effect is not limited to private schools. Schools can choose excellence. The classical model Hillsdale supports uses a content-rich core in history, literature, math, and science; phonics and grammar from the start; Latin or another language; great books; Socratic discussion; and a clear focus on virtue and citizenship.
When teachers get the chance to master that content and the craft to teach, student results can follow. Hillsdale Academy, for example, has for years placed in the 97th to 99th percentiles on K-8 Iowa Tests and draws strong National Merit recognition. If more schools follow that path and invest in teachers, as Hillsdale does, America’s K-12 future will look brighter than the latest reading and math assessment numbers suggest.
