Hillsdale College Releases Answers to Common Misconceptions about Its Work in K-12 Education
HILLSDALE, Mich. — To correct factual inaccuracies and oft-repeated falsehoods in the media, Hillsdale College has released a statement to provide clear answers to common and frequently repeated misconceptions about its work in K-12 education. This statement aims to clarify the nature of the relationship between Hillsdale College and the schools with which it is affiliated.
Statement about misconceptions:
Hillsdale College DOES NOT have a contract with Gov. Bill Lee or the state of Tennessee
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.
Hillsdale College does not create the demand for additional educational opportunities. It can only offer its assistance, guidance, and mentorship in places where demand already exists.
If parents find local educational offerings to be insufficient for the education they seek for their children, charter school laws may provide an opportunity to work with others in their community to start a new school. They will not be able to do so without the help and support of others in their communities. Once opened, such schools require continued strong demand and support from the local community.
Schools and school founders seek assistance from Hillsdale College voluntarily, and the assistance it offers is non-material in nature. Hillsdale College’s K-12 Education Office helps local initiatives stand on their own, teaching them about and helping them to implement best practices in school governance, leadership, classroom instruction, school culture, and classical curriculum.
Hillsdale College DOES NOT receive money from the state of Tennessee or from charter schools in Tennessee or from any other state or federal government entity
As a matter of principle, Hillsdale College does not accept any federal or state subsidies to fund its operations, not even indirectly in the form of federal student aid. Instead, Hillsdale provides need-based student aid with private funds to qualifying students.
This extends to all of Hillsdale College’s work. The educational resources and consultation produced and provided by the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office are sought by parents, teachers, school administrators, and public officials, all of whom Hillsdale is glad to help.
Hillsdale College never—in any circumstance—profits from offering these resources and consultations. The only payments it accepts from schools are for some printed materials, which are available at cost through Hillsdale College. Hillsdale is not paid in any way for any of its other K-12 resources or services. It asks only from those who receive consultation that education is done well and with the student’s best interest in mind.
Hillsdale College DOES NOT govern, own, or manage affiliated charter schools
The relationship between Hillsdale College and its affiliated schools is unique in the K-12 school world. Hillsdale College does not own, govern, manage, or profit from any affiliated school. Hillsdale College’s services to affiliated schools include consulting, curriculum, and training; these services are made possible through private donations to Hillsdale College, and affiliated schools incur no financial obligation for receipt of these services.
Charter schools affiliated with Hillsdale College are NOT private schools
Charter schools are public schools; by definition, their teachers are public school teachers, and their students are public school students. Public charter schools receive their funding from local, state, and federal governments. There are no tuition costs to attend, and any K-12 student in a state may apply for admission. Because of the often-high demand for charter schools, the number of applicants may exceed the number of spots available.
As is required by law, admission to a charter school is determined by lottery. This prevents a charter school from “cherry-picking” students or becoming “exclusive.”
Charter schools affiliated with Hillsdale College are NOT Christian schools
By law, charter schools are public schools and have no religious affiliation. The public charter schools that affiliate with the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office are no different. The curriculum offered by the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office is not religious or Christian. The consultation offered from the Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office is not religious or Christian.
Charter schools affiliated with Hillsdale College are NOT partisan or political
Hillsdale College’s K-12 curriculum isn’t “liberal,” “conservative,” “right,” nor “left.” The work the Hillsdale K-12 Education Office is doing with K-12 schools across the country isn’t a political project, it’s an educational endeavor.
Hillsdale College-affiliated charter schools emphasize the liberal arts. They aim at helping students strive for happiness and flourishing, ends sought by all people, in all places, at all times. Anyone can partake in the liberal arts and become better for it. It is for this reason that Hillsdale has always refused to discriminate based on “nationality, color, or sex” since its founding in 1844.
Students at Hillsdale charter schools study literature, mathematics, history, the sciences, the fine arts, Latin, and physical education. The successful development of literacy and numeracy and a solid foundation in the core subjects is necessary before advanced or specialized training and study.
The purpose of the complete and content-rich curricula that we provide is that our schools help students to become knowledgeable, character-driven young people who understand how to think through and wrestle with tough questions.
The serious pursuit of the liberal arts shows us that the life of the mind and the existence of education itself depend on the existence of civilization—not to mention political order, security, and freedom of thought.
In the end, we want to help students become young scholars who will then spend the rest of their lives pursuing what is good, what is true, and what is beautiful. From that knowledge, they become people capable of judging rightly what ought to be preserved and what changed. In making this judgment we fulfill a central part of our human nature—becoming free, thoughtful, and engaged citizens.
The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum is NOT related to the 1776 Commission
No formal connection exists between the former president’s 1776 Commission or the 1776 Report and The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum.
Hillsdale College has been in the serious business of education and teaching for more than 175 years. Since the founding of the Barney Charter School Initiative in 2010, Hillsdale K-12 has established dozens of classical charter schools across several states.
The foundation of The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum long predates the 1776 Commission and represents a culmination of decades of forming and honing curricula at Hillsdale College and its associated K-12 schools.
The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum does NOT whitewash history; it does NOT glorify the founders; it does NOT downplay America’s role in slavery; it does NOT condemn the rise of progressive politics.
The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum brings together a content-rich curriculum that covers both American history as well as American government, political history, and civics.
The inspiration for the Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum springs from a sincere admiration and respect for America’s Founders and the principles they expressed so beautifully in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence: all men are created equal, their natural rights pre-exist government, and governments are formed to protect the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of all citizens.
The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum tells the whole American story — the promises, the perils, the tragedies, and triumphs.
A thoughtful study of history shows us how difficult these goods are to achieve, provides an appreciation for how rare and precious our own American circumstances are, and reveals how their preservation is so important.
In studying the origins of our country and its history, Hillsdale charter school students acquire a mature perspective of America, one which appreciates our unprecedented founding, a product of reflection and choice, and measures the health of our republic in light of the standards set forth in our founding documents.
The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum highlights both the moments when the nation has fallen short of its founding principles and when it has nobly met them. It is an unabashed, candid look at the fullness of American history.
A review of civics programs conducted by the National Association of Scholars calls the civics curriculum “the gold standard” and “…a true and thoughtful introduction to our civic past.”
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