Proposed Classical Charter Schools in Tennessee to Partner with Hillsdale College
The new charter schools bring students, families a classical education with a focus on intellectual and character development
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College is pleased to announce that, through a partnership with American Classical Education, Inc. (ACE), it will begin to offer its support to classical charter schools in the state of Tennessee. Hillsdale College does not receive any funding from the charter schools with which it works or from ACE. The support it offers is entirely free-of-charge.
“The demand for classical K-12 education continues to rise,” said Joel Schellhammer, CEO of ACE. “Over the last two decades, Hillsdale College has become one the leaders in the classical education revival. ACE is looking forward to working with Hillsdale and taking advantage of everything it has to offer to Tennessee students and their families.”
American Classical Education, Inc. (ACE) is a new charter management organization (CMO) that seeks to establish classical charter schools and ensure the best school governance and administrative practices across the schools established under its charter. ACE has filed charter applications for three schools to be located in Madison, Montgomery, and Rutherford Counties that aim to open their doors to students and families in 2023.
“When Governor Lee visited Hillsdale College, he was impressed with the College’s ongoing efforts in supporting K-12 schools with classical curriculum and training for school boards, leaders, and teachers,” said Kathleen O’Toole, assistant provost for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College. “Here at the College’s K-12 Education office, we help schools to provide the type of education that all Americans both need and deserve — one that is rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, offers a firm grounding in civic virtue, and cultivates moral character.”
Hillsdale College was founded in 1844. In 1990, it opened a private, classical grade school on its campus. In 2010, it launched its Barney Charter School Initiative, which helps local groups of parents and concerned citizens open public charter schools in their communities. In recent years, Hillsdale College began offering support and resources for home and private schools, as well.
The Hillsdale College K-12 Education office will partner with schools to ensure excellence in the classroom. In addition to teacher training and pedagogical resources — made available to affiliated schools for free — Hillsdale provides a detailed, content-rich curriculum for grades K-12 that has been developed over several years and with the help of many teachers and scholars. To learn more about Hillsdale College K-12 and its Barney Charter School Initiative, visit www.k12.hillsdale.edu.
About K-12 Education: An American Classical Education
Hillsdale College’s K-12 Education Office supports school administrators, teachers, and parents with the educational and organizational resources they need to educate the nation’s youth in the American and classical tradition. The Barney Charter School Initiative (BCSI), part of the College’s K-12 efforts, promotes the founding of classical charter schools and excellence in their teaching and operations so that public-school students may be educated in the liberal arts and sciences and receive instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue. The initiative currently has 20 member schools in 10 states. The BCSI is made possible by a major grant from the Barney Family Foundation and matching gifts from other friends of Hillsdale College. For more information, visit the K-12 Education website.