Oftentimes in the cycles of history, what was once old and unquestioned becomes lost and forgotten, and when it is rediscovered, it becomes something new again. And what was in its day revolutionary eventually becomes the dominant paradigm, so taken for granted that its origins as a break or a rupture fall into oblivion. This cycle helps us to understand what the contemporary movement of classical education is and helps us to put in context the ideology of education that has become so dominant in the American landscape since the 20th century that its origins as something radically new, originally self-styled as “progressive education,” an intentional turning away from traditional subject matter and ideals, have been long since forgotten.
In the 21st-century, what goes by the name of “classical education” has taken on the character of a movement for reform in K-12 schools. While what classical education offers feels like something new in the contemporary landscape, it is in essence a return to and a recovery of an educational tradition that goes back centuries. While this older tradition of education in the West never completely disappeared, the mainstream of American thought about public K-12 schooling in the 20th century pushed it to the margins in the name of certain ideals and assumptions which were revolutionary at first and which eventually obtained a position of unquestioned dominance.
Below, we explore the key differences between the once-old and now-new movement of classical education, and the once-revolutionary but now-well-established paradigm progressive education, what each model prioritizes, and the demonstrated benefits of the classical model.
What is classical education exactly? While it might go by the name of “classical” in the present moment, in earlier decades it is what was called “liberal education,” meaning education for freedom and for free citizens. Dr. Jeffrey S. Lehman defines it as “the pursuit of wisdom through a cultivation of intellectual virtue and an encouragement of moral virtue by means of a rich and ordered course of study, grounded in the liberal arts, ascending through humane letters, mathematics, natural science, and philosophy, and culminating in the study of theology, yielding informed self-rule and a well-ordered understanding of human nature, the cosmos, and God.”
In short, classical-liberal education is a broad and expansive approach to learning that seeks the flourishing of its students in mind, body, and soul. It starts from the assumption that the student possesses the potential for intellectual excellence, moral virtue, and formation in an elevated culture.
In medieval Europe, liberal education focused on the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric and the quadrivium of arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy. While comparatively few persons were eligible for and able to receive any formal education at all, education for all the educated started with the same seven fundamental, general subjects of study. The emphasis was on general formation, on reading and writing and speaking, and upon developing students’ intellectual and moral character, not simply training them for specific jobs or functions in life. This medieval approach to education in turn drew heavily upon the tradition of liberal education which had been established throughout the Mediterranean world of ancient Greco-Roman civilization. Some key principles of ancient and medieval liberal education still shape today’s iteration of classical education, and contemporary practitioners of classical education frequently draw inspiration from both the content and form of education that flourished in earlier millennia of Western civilization.
The paradigm of progressive American public education emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and came to replace the classical ideal of liberal education that had held sway in Western civilization for millennia. It was consciously and intentionally developed as a response to industrialization and a growing urban population, the perceived need to prepare students for increasingly specialized careers, and the enormous educational challenges in a democratic republic, challenges which the aristocracies of the Old World had never faced: the challenge of universal public education, of educating every child, every boy and girl, regardless of wealth, status, gender, social class, parentage, etc. American educational philosophers like John Dewey argued for more practical, hands-on learning that aligned with modern science and democratic ideals.
While motivated by noble ideals, Dewey and to a greater extent his disciples brought certain problematic notions to the table in their earnest desire to reform the practice of elementary and secondary education and spread it to every child. In their democratic idealism, Dewey’s disciples, who called themselves “progressive,” attacked both the form and content of Old-world liberal education as elitist, tyrannical, undemocratic, and useless. This reformist movement crystallized into the ideology of modern progressive education which took hold in the elite institutions of higher learning in the American mid-Atlantic in the early decades of the 20th century, coming over the course of the century to exercise its influence over the intentions and practices of public education across the entire American Republic.
(It is important to note that the older tradition of classical liberal education never completely disappears in American civilization. An important center of resistance to progressive educational ideology has long been the parallel culture of American private religious schools, colleges, and universities, most notably in the Roman Catholic educational tradition, which retains the old ideals of liberal education and Western civilization long after such ideals had effectively been banished from secular American thinking about culture and education.)
Some notable characteristics of progressive education are:
An emphasis of education as training for jobs and careers;
A de-emphasis of history and the past and an emphasis upon what is current and present and “relevant”;
De-emphasis of literature and poetry in favor of “useful” reading;
An emphasis upon citizenship and civics focused on the mechanics and procedures of democratic life (to the exclusion of history and political philosophy);
De-emphasis of the fine arts and foreign language study, especially of Latin and Greek;
A vision of the human person that lacks any transcendent or spiritual perspective;
A desire to limit the influence of religion in society and to replace historical, old-world religion (especially Catholicism and Judaism) with “Americanism.”
In contrast, classical liberal education starts with a vision of the human person that transcends time, place, and socio-political affairs. Classical education focuses on cultivating virtue, wisdom and historical consciousness, not merely on job training, home economics, or the perceived socio-political concerns of the present moment. It is an education for freedom and for all time, one that aims to cultivate what is highest and most noble in the human person. Developed in ancient Greece and Rome, this model emphasizes the liberal arts, Socratic dialogue, beauty, and the cultivation of intellectual and moral virtues.
Classical education aims to cultivate wisdom and virtue above all else. It sees the purpose of schooling as shaping students’ minds and characters and preparing them to lead wise, noble, virtuous lives. Within classical education curricula, students read the great works across different disciplines to gain knowledge. They contemplate the human condition and develop their intellects through copious reading, through Socratic discussion, through the study of language, and through the disciplined practice of writing. They study science and mathematics not simply because such studies are useful, but because they are noble and improve the mind.
Classical education is broad in its scope and deep in its rigorous investigation of thought, humanity, history, nature, and the divine. It starts with a concept of humanity that stands above any particular time, place, social class, career, country, or politics and seeks to educate young people not just for their time but rather for all time. Classical education holds that it is only by forming wise, virtuous, and noble human beings as such that we will also succeed in educating good workers, citizens, leaders, followers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and community members. The classical educator holds that when we put the first and highest and best things first, all the other good things follow.
While Dewey himself espoused a nuanced view of vocation, his disciples tend to emphasize a narrowly utilitarian and career-focused curriculum. Students study specific skills and only the knowledge needed for particular industries. This model emphasizes math, science, technology, and reading and writing only for the purpose of information. It puts second things first. Such an education may prepare students for the assembly line or for cubicle life, but does it prepare them for a life well-lived?
While it may seem that progressive education should better prepare students for the working world, in fact, classical students outrank modern students in traditional assessments, and their broad and deep education allows them to bring a more robust perspective to their work, no matter the field.
Classical education typically has a broad curricular focus, immersing students in the humanities, history, natural sciences, pure mathematics, fine arts, and more. A cornerstone of classical education is the study of ancient Latin (and often Greek as well) to sharpen logic, hone the skills of grammar and communication, and study great texts in their original languages. This study of ancient language makes students into more skillful wielders of their native tongue.
On the other hand, progressive education's curricula take a narrower, utilitarian, and more vocational approach aimed at practical skill-building or careers, specifically in STEM fields. This results in a curriculum focusing more on math, technology, finance, computer science, and specialized electives tailored to students’ prospective career paths and interests in higher education. As a result, the arts and humanities tend to get less emphasis in favor of the kind of knowledge modern education deems more “practical.” Latin and Greek are, needless to say, rejected in favor of languages alleged to be more “useful,” and even then, the legacy of American progressive education has been to neglect foreign language study.
Progressive education has long claimed to teach “critical thinking skills” in a sort of an abstract or content-free, universally-applicable way, usually opposed to what the progressive disdains as “mere fact knowledge” or “rote memorization.” Classical education maintains that this opposition between critical thinking and memorization is deeply flawed, and that such a disdain for content knowledge and academic subject matter has done the American people a disservice over generations.
By studying great works and ideas, becoming immersed in history, wrestling with big questions and eternal truths, engaging in rigorous argument and conversation, and pursuing beauty across disciplines, classical education seeks to produce students who lead wise, contemplative lives guided by virtue. Students gain and foster the moral character, intellectual rigor, and sound judgment that inform their contributions to society.
Although the industrialized world has seemingly moved toward valuing professional skills, classical education remains relevant for cultivating wisdom and virtue because the pursuit of excellence is a firm foundation for developing any skill.
Even in our high-tech world, maintaining humanity's moral and intellectual foundation matters.
Classical education remains the best approach to developing thoughtful, ethical citizens who contribute meaningfully to the world.
Both students and educators benefit from classical education, as it equips both parties to approach studies holistically and think outside the box that progressive education sometimes creates in curricula. There is a growing demand for classical education programs in the United States, and there is a need for educators who are trained in this model.
The University of Dallas offers various classical education programs for educators who wish to advance in the field. Taught by our expert faculty and designed for working professionals, students can complete our nationally renowned degrees at their own pace, making it the perfect way to pursue their education and enhance professional skills without pausing their careers.
To learn more about this program and all that UDallas offers, download our guide: An Educator’s Guide to Joining the Classical Education Movement.
You can also request more information or start your application.