Classical Education in the News!

Hello all,
I was doing some research online and found this wonderful article detailing the rise of classical schools across the country. This particular article focuses on both religious and non-religious classical schools and even discusses Hillsdale College's role in the classical revivalist movement. Take a look and see what all the buzz is about!

Classical Schools Put Plato over iPad

Ad astra per aspera
(To the stars through difficulty),
Kelly

Common Core and Classical Education

Good afternoon!

One of the most common questions I've received from parents and the public regards the much-maligned Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that are scheduled for full implementation in the 2014-2015 school year and the extent to which the school will follow them. Many parents have strong feelings one way or the other regarding these standards. Some are strongly against them, often because they feel that, due to the varying populations of each state, national standards are unrealistic. Others are in favor, citing that we cannot accurately measure the efficacy of our schools if we don't have the same data. I'd say many educators fall somewhere in the middle. Many educators feel that the current way of doing things needs work- we test too much, teach too little, and our standards are a bit outdated. I know that I've felt that new standards were needed a long time ago- but I'm not sure the Common Core- or its methodology- is necessarily right either. 

So how does the classical model fit into the Common Core and its requirements? Charter schools are public schools and therefore, we must teach whatever standards Florida puts into place and, for now, those are the Common Core standards. However, there is a distinct difference- we will NOT be teaching to a test or using the canned curricula that has been developed specifically for Common Core. Our curriculum has been around for a long time- great works of literature, great speeches, scientific discoveries- much longer than any single set of standards. Our curriculum exceeds what is required by the Common Core. When the CCSS were released, the Core Knowledge foundation didn't have to change or adjust their curriculum to meet it- the curriculum already exceeded its requirements. Singapore Math was similarly already exceeding this "raise in standards of teaching". 

The bottom line is, if you have a solid curriculum and you allow teachers to truly TEACH- without focusing on teaching to a particular test- your students will pass any test put in front of them. In fact, they'll often exceed and succeed. And you do not have to change your time-tested curriculum to match standards they already far surpass.

Factum per Litteras 
(Achievement through Learning),
Kelly

Understanding the Trivium

Happy Friday!
One of the first things the founders noticed when we truly began digging in to classical education was a consistent mention of the concept of the "Trivium". The word Trivium is (of course) Latin, meaning "the three ways" or "the three roads". The word refers to the three ancient forms of teaching common in  Greek and Roman and through medieval education- the concepts of grammar, logic, and rhetoric.

These three levels of learning, so to speak, refer to the way that children learn and acquire information over their developmental growth curve. Susan Wise Bauer is likely the most well-known classical educator to discuss the Trivium in her acclaimed article The Well-Trained Mind. You can read her short, but informative article here. This website also has a wealth of other information regarding classical education.

The first stage, the Grammar stage, refers to the elementary school years — what we commonly think of as grades one through four — where the mind is ready to absorb information. Bauer describes this time frame as the place where children seek to learn facts about the world around them and this is where these facts set the stage for all future learning and critical thinking.

The second stage, the Logic Stage, Bauer describes as a time when the child begins to pay attention to cause and effect, to the relationships between different fields of knowledge relate, to the way facts fit together into a logical framework. Children here begin to develop abstract thought and not only ask "what?" but the all-important question of "why?".

In the last stage, Rhetoric, Bauer describes a student of rhetoric who applies the rules of logic learned in middle school to the foundational information learned in the early grades and expresses his conclusions in clear, forceful, elegant language. Students also begin to specialize in whatever branch of knowledge attracts them- the arts, STEM subjects, or liberal arts.

In short, many child development theorists have taken their research from the idea of the Trivium. In fact, probably the most well known child development theorist, Jean Piaget, described stages in which students learn and progress through to develop abstract thinking. Classical education has been using these stages for hundreds of years before Piaget!

Classical education is a multifaceted approach to education of which the Trivium is only one facet, but it does provide a broad organizational structure for the large amount of knowledge students will learn in a classical school. A well-trained mind, indeed.

Ad altiora tendo
(I strive towards higher things),
Kelly

How Do Charter Schools Perform Compared to Traditional Public Schools?

The answer: generally, better. In fact, Florida just released their 2012 report on Florida charter school performance. You can take a look here. Below are some of the items that stood out to me.

• The large disparity in upper elementary/middle school performance. Once of the questions we were asked in our charter application was "Why K-8?". Frankly, in my experience, if students are going to struggle academically, it often begins in late elementary/early middle school. Researchers have speculated different reasons for this: the more difficult material, obviously. Also, the transition from elementary to middle school is often tumultuous and can sometimes exploit gaps that may already exist. A K-8 school offers a seamless transition, allowing students to focus on academics first and foremost. As you can see, the math disparity is even greater.  
   

• Achievement gaps. Schools are graded on multiple factors, one of which being the achievement gaps among different ethnic groups, with the goal being to lessen and/or close achievement gaps that often exist between majority and minority groups. Charter schools were far more successful at closing these achievement gaps, partly due, in my opinion, to smaller class sizes and the increased control of curriculum of the teachers who teach in charter schools.

• Learning gains. One of the largest components of a school's grades is showing that the students in their schools are actually learning- often termed "learning gains". Charter schools meets or exceed public schools in learning gains in both the "all students" category and the "lowest quartile" category (meaning the lowest 25% students). This shows an ability to help struggling students and increase performance on state assessments.

While there are many factors that determine whether a charter school is successful or not, Florida charter schools, overall, have a reputation of excellence!

Astra inclinant, sed non obligant
(The stars incline us, they do not bind us),
Kelly

The "Lost" Language of Latin

Good afternoon all,
I hope everyone had a restful Spring Break! Let's talk Latin!

Notice the title of this post- the "Lost" Language of Latin. I use quotation marks around "lost" because, frankly, many question the idea of teaching a language that is considered "dead" and no longer spoken by any cultures or countries around the world. Truly, if Latin were so wonderful, wouldn't it still be a primary, spoken language today?

Yes, it would be. In fact, it is. Students and people around the world still speak, write, and listen to Latin everyday. That's because Latin is the root many of Romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian). Latin is the source of 75-80% of all words in these languages. In addition, more than 65% of English words come from Latin (and more than 90% of those over two syllables). This helps students with reading comprehension, word decoding and encoding, and vocabulary acquisition, three of the five major skills required when learning to read. These skills are particularly useful for students planning to enter fields with large technical vocabularies. Those of medicine and law, for example, are primarily based on Latin.

Latin also helps students with their study of English literature. Dante, Milton, Swift, Tolkien, Lewis and more studied Latin very vigorously and their writings reflect that in word choice, sentence structure and content.  Though Shakespeare and Chaucer did not study Latin very assiduously, each had studied English translations of Latin originals.  Some of their tales are simply retellings of Greek and Latin myths.

Although I put little stock in standardized tests as drivers of curriculum, it certainly says something when students can pass any test put in front of them with ease. Such is the case of Latin students with regard to the SAT. Click here for a 2012 comparison of Latin students' SAT scores versus students of other subjects as well as a comparison against other languages.

So while Latin might not be the answer to all the ills of today's education system, when used as a tool to help students become masters of the English language, it can provide students a certain advantage in an uncertain educational climate.

Vivere est vincere
(To live is to conquer),
Kelly

Letters of Intent

Happy Thursday!
Today you might receive a Letter of Intent for Pineapple Cove Classical Academy and they will become available on the Pineapple Cove Classical Academy website. Why do we need this information? 

Although the Academy is not opening until August 2015, we are hard at work getting ready to meet the needs of our students, our community, and to secure the vision we have for our new school. 

The state of Florida funds all schools on a per-student basis. Schools must report their enrollment twice a year in October and February to determine the number of students they have and the corresponding funds they will receive. We are working to develop a projection for the number of students the school may have in year one. This is where our Pineapple Cove parents can help!

The Letter of Intent provides us with a number of students who are interested in attending the school once it opens. It is not a guarantee nor is it a binding agreement, but it will help us make the determinations we need to make regarding space, number of teachers and support staff, and things like furniture and the like. The Letter of Intent will also serve as a mailing list once enrollment for the school opens, so those that fill them out will be the first to know!

Thank you again for all of your support!
Sola nobilitat virtus
(Virtue alone ennobles),
Kelly

Happy Monday!
As many of you know, we have decided as founders to defer the opening of the charter school for one year until August of 2015. This was not an easy decision, but the need for it became apparent to us for a couple of reasons, but it really boils down to two: the need for the perfect location and the importance of building the wonderful school we envision without compromising our basic principles. What does this mean?

It means we wanted a location that serves the needs of our current students and alumni and can provide the space we need to grow as a school. Many of the current properties we viewed needed a lot of work with regard to renovations that could be very pricey and still only see us through the first year of operations and not serve even half of our current students. Charter schools receive zero funding until the doors open and it seemed the less prudent choice to spend money on a temporary building when we felt funds could be better utilized hiring highly qualified teachers and purchasing equipment for the school.

Second, we wanted to provide the type of school that Pineapple Cove Academy parents expect- a well-organized, well-maintained, and safe property that they can be proud to bring family members to see. We want a community school that conveys the feeling that school and learning are the number one priorities of all who enter its doors. We want to be able to serve as many PCA alumni and current students as we can without turning anyone away. We simply were not going to be able to do that in a temporary, retro-fitted property that wasn't built to be a school.

So what WILL we be doing for the next year and a half? We will be working to diligently secure a property where we can build a building that is meant to be Pineapple Cove Classical Academy. We will be marketing the school and its principles to anyone who will listen. We will be fundraising and learning more and more about the classical model. Most importantly, we will be working to ensure this school opens as the best educational opportunity in Brevard, free of charge to any student who wishes to experience all the benefits a classical education has to offer.

Fortes fortuna adiuvat
(Fortune favors the bold),
Kelly