American Classical Education, a K-12 charter school management organization affiliated with Hillsdale College, withdrew its applications for three new schools it hoped to open in Tennessee.
Emily Stack Davis, executive director of media and public relations at Hillsdale, said Hillsdale’s mission to further classical educational opportunities has made it the object of opposition from the public education establishment.
“Hillsdale College’s belief in genuine classical education and its deep admiration for the principles of the American Founding, as espoused in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, has made it a target for those who oppose such challenges to the status quo of what is now taught in many American institutions,” she said.
This played out in Tennessee when the school boards of Madison, Montgomery, and Rutherford counties denied the three charter applications approval earlier this year.
ACE then appealed the decisions to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, a group appointed by the governor and set up to review appeals after local school districts deny charter applications. After being refused a delay in the hearings, ACE withdrew the appeals at the end of September.
Dolores Gresham, an ACE board member, said in a statement to parents regarding the withdrawal that, since many parents and students would have been unable to make it to the hearings, “the Commission would not hear directly from the voices that really matter — the parents and students in these communities.”
Gresham said ACE needed additional time to “further address concerns and clarify confusion and misconceptions raised by the Commission.”
Since first taking office in 2019, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R.) has pushed for the expansion of charter schools, which the Tennessee Department of Education defines as “public schools operated by independent, non-profit governing bodies.”
In his State of the State address given earlier this year, Lee said, “We are formalizing a partnership with Hillsdale to expand their approach to civics education and K-12 education.”
In his address, Lee said he believes Hillsdale is a “standard bearer in quality curriculum.”
Last fall, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn spoke to parents at an event in Franklin, Tennessee, and said he has been having conversations with Lee about developing 50 new schools in the state over the next six years.
Davis said the partnership was never formalized.
“While Dr. Arnn and Gov. Lee are both ambitious for classical education to be available to any families who seek it out, there are not —and never have been—formal plans to expand without parent and community demand,” she said.
ACE and Hillsdale faced backlash from Tennessee media and education establishment groups about the proposed charter school. Following the denial by the school boards and the appeal by ACE, the Tennessee Education Association, a teachers’ union, launched a public relations campaign to “fight Hillsdale charters.”
Despite the setback in Tennessee, Davis said Hillsdale “remains committed” to expanding educational options for parents and students throughout the United States.
“Hillsdale College’s outreach in K-12 education across the nation — including Tennessee — is a natural extension of its mission,” Davis said. “A high-quality, American classical education shouldn’t be limited to the 1,500 college students enrolled at Hillsdale’s campus but should be available to as many students as possible — including in K-12.”
ACE remains partnered with the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office and Gresham said ACE will continue to work with parents and students in Tennessee to provide additional educational opportunities outside of “monopolistic public schools.”
“ACE remains committed to empowering parents and students to have access to high-quality public schools of choice,” she said. “We look forward to applying for additional charter schools where local parents, teachers, and students desire excellent education alternatives.”
Gresham said parental love is driving the nationwide alternative education movement.
“It remains a much stronger claim than the claim of the bureaucracy that continues to stifle quality public education options for families,” Gresham said. “After all, parents are the purest form of ‘local control’ when it comes to their child’s education.”
The Barney Charter School Initiative was established in 2010 and has assisted local school groups and charter management organizations in opening dozens of classical schools around the county.
Now called the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office, the office partners with charter management organizations, charter founding groups, and private founding groups to provide professional development services and access to The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum at no charge.
“Where demand exists, Hillsdale College offers its assistance, guidance, and mentorship,” Davis said.
There are now 71 schools in 27 states affiliated with Hillsdale College. Of those 71 schools, 23 of them are Hillsdale College Member Schools. In addition to being licensed to use Hillsdale’s K-12 curriculum and K-12 Program Guide, Member Schools benefit from having a closer relationship with the college that involves in-person teacher and school leader training, among other things.
With more than 8,000 students on waitlists at Hillsdale’s Member Schools, Davis said the K-12 Education Office will continue to move forward despite the challenges.
“The Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office remains committed to answering the demand for increased educational options echoed by parents across the nation,” Davis said. “It remains dauntless and steadfast in its mission to empower parents and students and to see to it that high-quality public classical schools are within reach of all who seek them.”
