Anchored by the Classic Learning Test

In this episode, Jeremy Tate speaks with Mark Makin of the Torrey Honors College at Biola University and Tamara Tweel, the Senior Program Director of Civic Initiatives at The Teagle Foundation. They discuss the transformative effects of close reading and shared conversations around great texts and explore the Knowledge for Freedom initiative and Read Well, Live Well summer program at  Biola, which bring rigorous humanities seminars and college support to underserved high school students. 

References: 

• Learn more about the Knowledge for Freedom Programs at The Teagle Foundation 
• Learn more about the Torrey Honor College’s Read Well, Live Well summer program
• Plato’s Apology
• Augustine’s Confessions
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

In this episode, Soren Schwab speaks with Karen Moore and Grant Horner about their In Situ Studies course for ClassicalU and the tour they will be leading through Italy in partnership with the Vergilian Society. They discuss the significance of place and beholding art and cultural artifacts as a means of inspiring wonder in students. 

Karen Moore is the Classical Languages Chair at Grace Academy in Texas and Adjunct Professor of Classics for Houston Christian University. She is the Vice President of the Institute for Classical Languages, a Trustee with the Vergilian Society, and author of the Latin Alive! series with Classical Academic Press. 

Grant Horner is Professor of English Renaissance and Reformation at The Master’s University in California, where he also serves as the Director of the Classical Liberal Arts Program and the Founder and Director of The Master’s University in Italy Program. He and Karen are also Alcuin Fellows for the Society of Classical Learning. 

Learn more about their upcoming tour through Italy at https://www.vergiliansociety.org/tours/2027-vergilian-society-study-tours.

In this episode, Jeremy Tate speaks with Gary Arnold, former Head of School at Little Rock Christian Academy and Partner and Co-Founder at NextEd. They talk about Gary’s journey in Christian education, why curiosity and thoughtful questions matter in the age of AI, and how schools can pursue excellence in academics, the arts, and athletics while engaging culture through a Christ-centered mission. 

References: 

• Flourishing Together: A Christian Vision for Students, Educators, and Schools by Lynne Swanner and Andy Wolfe 
• Christ and Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr 
• To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World by James Davison Hunter 
• In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri Nouwen

In this special edition of The Anchored Podcast, Jeremy Tate speaks with Erika Donalds, the new First Lady of Florida. Erika is also a member of CLT’s Board of Academic Advisors, the Founder and CEO of the Education Freedom Foundation, Chair of Education Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute, and Founder and Chairman of Optima. 

They discuss classical education's rise from the margins into the mainstream and Florida's push to rethink its education system. They also cover the initiative to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, where AI belongs (and doesn't) in the classroom, and how Erika stayed grounded on the campaign trail.

This week we’re sharing the Education Policy Panel from CLT’s 2025 Annapolis Summit. CLT’s CFO, Noah Tyler, leads Dcn. Harrison Garlick, Adam Kissel, and Bill Mattox in a conversation about the challenges and tensions they’ve navigated in education policy, where they’ve experienced success, and where things need to go from here. We’re looking forward to more engaging conversations next year at the 2027 Summit! 

Dcn. Garlick is Chancellor and In-House Counsel for the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma and co-host of Ascend: The Great Books Podcast. Adam Kissel is a Visiting Fellow on Higher Education Reform for The Heritage Foundation, Senior Fellow at the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy, Chairman of the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board, Visiting Scholar for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and a Visiting Lecturer at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Bill Mattox is an award-winning writer and the Director of the J. Stanley Marshall Center for Education at The James Madison Institute. 

References: 

•  Risk, Uncertainty and Profit by Frank H. Knight 
•  Slacking: A Guide to Ivy League Miseducation by Adam Kissel, Rachel Alexander Cambre, and Madison Marino Doan

In this episode, Jeremy speaks with Dr. Ryan Lister, Dean of Students at Boyce College, the undergraduate school of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. They talk about how Boyce's new Master of Arts in Classical Christian Education forms classical teachers to think carefully about integrating the moral and theological dimensions of education into their work with students. 

References:

• Norms and Nobility by David V. Hicks
• Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning by Charles T. Evans and Robert Littlejohn
• Augustine’s Confessions
•  Holiness by John Webster
• The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
  The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path to the True Christian Joy by Timothy Keller
• Learn more: boycecollege.com/macce

In this episode Jeremy Tate speaks with Dr. Liliana Worth, Founding Head of School at the first Jewish classical elementary school in America, Hadar Jewish Classical Academy. Dr. Worth has also recently joined CLT's Board of Academic Advisors. She shares about how her rich educational background led her to where she is today and how Hadar is now successfully harmonizing Hebrew immersion, classical learning, and moral formation. 

References:

• Learn more about Hadar Jewish Classical Academy at https://hadaracademy.org
• The Red and the Black by Stendhal
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

In this episode, we're spotlighting the incredible accomplishments of Umatilla High School in Umatilla, Florida. Adam Roate, CLT's Senior Director of Partnerships, talks to Brent Frazier, principal at UHS. Brent shares his principles for effective administrative leadership and strategies for building a strong school culture that prepares students for success inside and outside the classroom.

References:
– Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton
– Strengths Based Leadership from Gallup
– Acceleration for All by Sharon V. Kramer and Sarah Schuhl

In this episode, Soren speaks with Jason Bedrick, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and James Shuls, Undergraduate Director of Civics and Liberty Studies and Head of the Education Liberty Branch of the Institute for Governance and Civics at Florida State University. They talk about their upcoming publication from Encounter Books, The Phoenix Principles: Toward a Rebirth of American Education. They explore how these principles can guide a rebirth of American education, improve civic and character education, and foster a more virtuous and effective educational system.

References:

– "Returning to the First Principles of American Education" with Jason Bedrick

– "The Phoenix Declaration: An American Vision for Education"

– The Phoenix Principles Toward a Rebirth of American Education edited by Jason Bedrick and James V. Shuls

In this episode, Soren is joined by Madeline Greb, Director of Assessments at CLT. Madeline provides a behind the scenes look into standardized testing, comparing CLT with ACT and SAT, and discusses the importance of reasoning and creativity in math and reading assessments.

References:

• A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle