{"id":2601114,"date":"2026-05-11T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/progressivism-is-incompatible-with-classical-learning\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T09:07:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:07:39","slug":"progressivism-is-incompatible-with-classical-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/progressivism-is-incompatible-with-classical-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Progressivism Is Incompatible With Classical Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fprogressivism-is-incompatible-with-classical-learning%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2601114&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece argues that a New York Times opinion essay praising classical education is based on an overly narrow, non-educator viewpoint. The author claims that what matters most in determining whether a school works is not its \u201cvibes\u201d or virtue-themed messaging, but its actual pedagogy-how literature is taught, how students are assessed, and how demanding the academic work is (contrasting full-book reading and objective evaluation with what he says is more common in public schools: excerpts, projects, and less rigorous testing).<\/p>\n<p>He also contends that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >classical school success depends heavily<\/a> on strict, coherent rules and consistent discipline. In his view, schools like the mentioned Eagle Ridge Academy can cultivate the desired virtues because they enforce behavior expectations, limit distractions (especially technology), and apply consequences when students break rules. By contrast, he portrays many public schools as having too much technology use, weaker on-campus accountability, and more disruption-leading to chronic distraction and safety\/classroom-management problems.<\/p>\n<p>The author further argues that classical education is effectively aligned with Christian-conservative priorities: accountability, personal duty, merit, respect for tradition, and civil debate. He says progressives often reduce such outcomes to mere symbolic indoctrination,while ignoring practical,behavioral mechanisms that shape student conduct.<\/p>\n<p>he calls for public school reform to mirror this model \u201cfrom the inside out,\u201d replacing what he labels progressive pedagogy with conventional instruction methods and objective assessment. He concludes that the path to widespread excellence and virtue ethics requires schools to implement structure, high expectations, and real disciplinary accountability-not just discuss values in theory or display them decoratively.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>At long last, classical education might finally become mainstream in the U.S. After so many years of classical schools\u2019 successes versus the many decades of progressive public schools\u2019 failures, The New York Times deigned to publish an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/03\/opinion\/public-schools-politics-democracy-minnesota.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gFA.OPKy.VxJAU38M13md&#038;smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">essay<\/a> in favor of the classical model. In it, writer James Traub notes how Eagle Ridge Academy, a charter school in a suburb of Minneapolis, has been reviving classical virtues, assigning books from the Western canon, and thriving as a result.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, Traub is not an educator, but an <a href=\"https:\/\/jamestraub.substack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unapologetic leftist boomer<\/a> whose last experience of a K-12 classroom was during the Vietnam War. He has no problem basing his whole argument on a singular observation made in one class at one school. As such, his analysis is utterly superficial \u2014 missing the forest for the trees \u2014 and comes away with the wrong conclusion.<\/p>\n<p>As a high school English teacher at a public school who has his own children enrolled in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/as-a-teacher-who-sees-rampant-tech-addiction-up-close-im-sending-my-kids-to-screen-free-schools\/\" title=\"As A Teacher Who Sees Rampant Tech Addiction Up Close, I...m Sending My Kids To Screen-Free ...\">classical charter school<\/a>, I can attest that the first thing to look for in a good school is its actual pedagogy, not the vibes it gives to visitors. For instance, while Traub marvels at a thoughtful discussion over a scene in the <em>Aeneid<\/em>, he never bothers to check how the students are assessed on the book, nor does he consider just how much harder the Roman epic is to read than the typical fare served up at public schools. In my experience, most public school teachers today don\u2019t assign books at all (opting instead for short passages and excerpts) and avoid objectively testing kids on their reading (opting instead for group projects).<\/p>\n<p>Although he cheerfully notes some of the student work in the halls showing a concern for modern-day issues like the environment, at no point does Traub stop to wonder what the technology policy is at the school or whether kids need to have hall passes. At most classical schools, the rules are strict and simple: no technology at any time and remain in class as much as possible. At most public schools, it\u2019s the complete opposite: kids are nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/28\/ed-tech-vendors-fleece-schools-out-of-millions-of-dollars-for-software-that-makes-kids-dumber\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">always on technology<\/a> (school-issued and personal), and many of them loiter in the halls with impunity. Basic safety, class disruptions, and chronic distraction are always challenges for even the \u201cgood public schools.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Discipline<\/h2>\n<p>Most importantly, Traub never thinks to ask what happens to kids who do not follow the rules at Eagle Ridge Academy. Are they invited to sit in a circle with their teachers, counselors, administrators, and a few peers so that they can talk about their struggles with meeting expectations? Are they sent right back to class after being referred to an administrator for discipline? Do they get <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/21\/how-no-consequence-schooling-turns-kids-like-karmelo-anthony-into-killers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">infinite extra chances<\/a> if they are the right racial minority or play the right sport? Because all these responses are quite popular at public schools.<\/p>\n<p>If Eagle Ridge is like other classical charters, they likely have a demerit system that eventually ends with repeat offenders being expelled. It obviously helps that their students apply to go to their school and must accept these rules beforehand. This allows administrators and teachers to demand better conduct and more academic effort. If any of it seems too difficult or unfair, families can send their children to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teachers-unions-nightmare-study-shows-charter-schools-more-cost-effective-than-district-schools\/\" title=\"Teachers... Unions Nightmare: Study Shows ...s More Cost-Effective Than District ...\">neighborhood public schools<\/a>, which will do everything possible to accommodate their deficiencies.<\/p>\n<p>Altogether, the rules, expectations, and disciplinary consequences largely determine a school\u2019s culture and values. Because classical schools like Eagle Ridge can force their students to wear uniforms, read the <em>Aeneid<\/em>, and have civil debates, and can kick them out if they refuse to cooperate, they can then have them seriously consider the classical virtues of \u201cwisdom, justice, courage and temperance.\u201d  <\/p>\n<h2>Christian Values<\/h2>\n<p>However, it\u2019s all too common for progressives like Traub to ignore this essential framework for an orderly civilized school and assume its success has everything to do with the messaging. If young people are sufficiently indoctrinated with the proper combination of approved values, they will then apply themselves in the classroom and become upstanding individuals. Better still, these values are not necessarily Christian or conservative, so leftists who read The New York Timescan promote them with a clear conscience.<\/p>\n<p>But actions speak louder than words, and when it comes to classical education, those actions are most definitely Christian and conservative. Holding kids accountable, stressing agency and personal responsibility, honoring the Western tradition, and implementing a meritocracy are all Christian conservative priorities even if educators avoid citing Bible verses and parables from the Gospels. On the flip side, erasing standards, flouting tradition, and making excuses all in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion are part and parcel of secular progressivism.<\/p>\n<h2>Reform<\/h2>\n<p>It therefore follows that in order to reform public schooling and thereby ensure that \u201cevery future American citizen would receive an education like the one they get at Eagle Ridge,\u201d every school district will have be entirely transformed from the inside out. In practical terms, administrators would have to administer discipline, teachers would have to teach content, and students would have to study and behave. Disruptors and distractions would have to be removed. Leftist ideology and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/04\/08\/critical-race-theory-is-just-another-faddish-attempt-to-hide-public-school-failures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gimmicky progressive pedagogy<\/a> (i.e., <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/08\/19\/why-competency-based-education-can-be-another-way-to-get-out-of-teaching-students\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">project-based learning<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/quillette.com\/2021\/12\/02\/standards-based-grading-will-ruin-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-inflating-grades-for-black-and-hispanic-kids-eventually-destroys-entire-school-systems\/\" title=\"Why Inflating Grades For Black And Hispanic Kids Eventually Destroys Entire ... Systems\">standards-based grading<\/a><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2016\/10\/19\/schools-ditch-academics-for-emotional-manipulation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">social-emotional learning,<\/a> etc.) would be replaced by conservative sensibilities and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/09\/14\/post-pandemic-kids-dont-need-teachers-to-go-easy-they-need-structure-and-high-expectations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tried-and-true traditional pedagogy<\/a> (i.e., <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2018\/02\/16\/research-keeps-showing-this-kind-of-teaching-is-very-effective-so-why-wont-schools-use-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">direct instruction<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2019\/05\/08\/shouldnt-throw-school-testing-even-though-not-perfect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">objective assessments<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/leadership\/want-students-to-be-resilient-try-asking-them-to-fail\/2025\/09\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allowing failure<\/a>, etc.).<\/p>\n<p>Then, and only then, could excellence and virtue ethics truly take root, not just because students see it on the walls or have a conversation about it, but because they are already applying it every day in their lives.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, it would require honesty about the problems plaguing schools today, which seems to be a real struggle for most progressives. Perhaps they know that ensuring a quality classical education for all American students is only possible if they are willing to ditch John Dewey\u2019s failed progressive model and admit that conservatives and Christians might have been right about education all along. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Auguste Meyrat is an English teacher and freelance writer in the Dallas area. He is the founding editor of <a href=\"https:\/\/everymancommentary.substack.com\/\">The Everyman<\/a>, a senior contributor to The Federalist, and has written for essays for The American Mind, The Stream, Religion and Liberty, The Blaze, and elsewhere. He is also the host of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/everyman-commentary\/id1826292273\">The Everyman Commentary Podcast<\/a>.&#8221; Follow him on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EverymanComm\">X<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At long last, classical education may become mainstream in the U.S<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":551,"featured_media":2601115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Public_middle_school_students_in_a_school_hallway_in_North_Carolina_06-e1778109813304.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34783,47279,53695,63677,16827],"class_list":["post-2601114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-classical-education","tag-critical-thinking","tag-educational-philosophy","tag-pedagogy","tag-progressivism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Public_middle_school_students_in_a_school_hallway_in_North_Carolina_06-e1778109813304.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/551"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2601114"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2601118,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601114\/revisions\/2601118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2601115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2601114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2601114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2601114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}