Classical education never goes out of style

INDIANAPOLIS—Diagram sentences … learn Latin conjugations in third grade … memorize the preamble to the Constitution. Those assignments may not sound like a formula for market growth in education. Yet classical schools are seeing enrollment gains in the Indianapolis area:

Why go to schools that teach a dead language? Classical school proponents say Latin builds vocabulary and helps kids learn other languages. But parents are not necessarily looking for Latin.

“So many of our families are just looking for a high-quality school,” said Andrew Hart, head of Oaks Academy. “They are not necessarily loyal to a classical branding or philosophy. They appreciate the high quality and rigor. Do they come because we teach Latin? I don’t think so in most instances.”

Some families grow weary of constant shifts in public education: third-grade reading tests that some top school officials want to drop, a new ISTEP (Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress) test that might be replaced by another test, Common Core or no Common Core but something similar, and new and fuzzy math.

“There is some growing cynicism among teachers and parents about a flavor-of-the-month approach in public education,” Hart said. “Classical is timeless and predictable. It’s a robust, thoughtful curriculum that will not be changed every two years.”

Jason Kloth, the deputy mayor of education in Indianapolis, expects the classical growth to continue, including applications for classical charters. “Look at the leadership of the country over the years,” he said. “Significant numbers of them had a classical education.”

He added that Indianapolis has a favorable climate for classical startups from national organizations. “Indiana is recognized as an environment that is supportive of school choice,” he said. “We had the second charter school law in the country. We have a robust philanthropic environment. We have the mix of ingredients that operators want.”

Yet in Monroe County, a more liberal part of the state, a proposed classical charter school is drawing some controversy. Critics in the county seat of Bloomington, the home of Indiana University, think the proposed Seven Oaks Classical School might divide the community into ideological camps based on school choices. The proposed school would work closely with the Barney Charter School Initiative at Hillsdale College, and classical schools do object to some progressive trends in education.

“What is our vision of Monroe County?” asks one parent, Jenny Robinson, a critic of the proposal. “Should our population of children be carved up into ideological segments so that we can all receive education with like-minded families who share our values?”

Choices between various models of education do lean in that direction. Some parents want the discipline and rigor of a classical education. Others homeschool because they want to instill their values in their children. Classical schools by their nature do tend toward the old-fashioned, and perhaps conservative, in the cultural sense of the term, not necessarily politically.

In any case, classical schools are not likely to grab a big market share of the educational pie. But the schools can help families transcend the shifts in public education.

Stare decisis is a Latin term for sticking with court precedents. It also could be a slogan for classical education. Some parents want what is tested and true.