Classical Education Symposium 2025 Panel Discussions
PANEL DISCUSSIONS:
Classical Education, From the Sacred to the Secular: Exploring the application of the tradition within a wide variety of contexts
Abraham Unger, Joshua Dunn, Elisabeth Sullivan, & John Peterson
The English poet Matthew Arnold said a good education should steep its students in “the best that has been thought and said.” But what is the ultimate end of such an education? And what should it include? Must classical education be Christian? Religious? What is the role of secular charter schools in the classical tradition? This panel will explore the multiplicity of arguments for and models of classical education.
The Novel: Studying Human Nature, the Passions and the Cultivation of Wonder through Stories
Christopher Scalia, Debra Romanick Baldwin, & Jacob Howland
A recent Atlantic Magazine article sounded the alarm that the full-length novel is disappearing from American high school curricula, with the result that students are arriving on campuses incapable of reading a novel from cover to cover. On the most mundane level, the ability to read a complete novel in a sustained and thoughtful manner is the first principle of every good and complete education. This panel will address the importance of the novel to the study and understanding of the human condition and the cultivation of wonder through stories. How do novels develop the rational capacity to understand human nature? In what ways do novel length stories inspire wonder and nourish the creative spirit and imagination to pursue knowledge and appreciation for the beauty of the written word? How does exposure to the thoughts and actions of literary characters invite us into the lives of other human beings in light of whom we can assess our own intellectual and moral capacities?
Growing Classical Education Through Improving Partnerships Between K12 and Higher Education
Erin Valdez, Andrew Porwancher, Daniel Coupland, & David Carl
Undergraduate education today has a direct influence on the who, how, and what in K-12 classrooms tomorrow. Many schools actively recruit teachers from institutions with reputations for producing graduates of high character and intellect, but it can seem like there are always more open teaching positions than qualified applicants. What can higher education institutions do to encourage and equip their graduates better for opportunities in the classroom? What can they learn from apprenticeship models? How can robust partnerships between K-12 institutions and higher education serve the classical education renewal? This panel will explore a variety of approaches to these questions and provide practical guidance for building fruitful partnerships.
Teaching the Tradition: The Perils and Opportunities of a Looser Canon
Jessica Hooten Wilson, Mark Bauerlein, & Anika Prather
Classical education is predicated on the notion of a “canon” of great books, foundational texts, and ideas, but how does the canon evolve? How should Classical schools think about “the tradition” when making curricular decisions about which books to include in the curriculum? Should the canon be closely guarded? Should it be expansive? Join us for a conversation about how we should decide which books are great and should be included in the canon?
What is the Evidence Base for Classical Education?
Robert Pondiscio, Daniel Buck, & Albert Cheng
This panel was inspired by a recent article by Daniel Buck entitled “Is Classical Education Research Based?” For many of us, steeping the next generation in “the best that’s been thought and known,” is a self-evident good, in no need of technocratic justification. But as the classical education movement continues to grow, it may be important to convince broader audiences of its strong empirical foundations. This panel will explore the extant evidence for the efficacy and long run impact of classical education (according to more and less conventional metrics) and preview some of the exciting research currently underway.
Forever Young: Jane Austen at 250
Colleen Sheehan, Sir Jonathan Bate, & Inger S.B. Brodey
Why are we so in love with Jane Austen? Why have her novels stood the test of time and why are they are beloved around the world? What about the current generation, so edgy and jaded: they cannot possibly look to Austen for entertainment, let alone guidance or wisdom, can they? And yet, they sure do. There is a whole industry of Austenalia on Tik Tok, actually.
This year as we mark Austen’s 250th birthday, we celebrate the brilliance and timelessness of Jane Austen’s work. The words on her pages are strung together like a ribbon of pearls: elegant, rich, beautifully and expertly woven. Her art is as insightful and charming as the century it was written for. It is no exaggeration to say that Jane Austen is situated at or very near the absolute apex of literary genius. She occupies a place in one of those inner circles of Heaven, where only the most extraordinary and special of Goddesses reside.
This panel discussion will explore what accounts for the evergreen fascination with the novels of Jane Austen, her insight into human virtue and vice, her narrative genius, and the enduring wisdom of her expansive capacity for social observation.
What can State Governments do to Foster More Classical Schools?
Jason Bedrick, Matt Beienburg, Erin Valdez, & Derrell Bradford
This panel will explore the policy settings and state actions conducive to growing a thriving classical school ecosystem. We will discuss school choice mechanisms (charter policies, vouchers, and ESAs), state curriculum standards, teacher certification policies, facilities funding, and more.