Phillip Schwenk, the founding head of school at Rutherford Classical Academy, said one of the reasons why parents are drawn to the charter school is due to the classical education model assuming that the parent is the primary educator for their children.
“Parents like to know what their kids are talking about. A classical model, this is another reason why parents I think are interested in our work, is the classical model by definition assumes that the parent is the primary educator, period, that we supplement their work. So a parent should know and be able to align up with what that work is so that the conversation isn’t unique to the school building and unique to the house, but that conversation is shared. So what’s going on in the school and what’s going on in the house, there’s this kind of ongoing dialogue that takes place,” Schwenk said on Tuesday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy.
“So kids may hear something in school, then they go home and they have a discussion with their parents. And so you now have this kind of blending of a family’s values with what’s being talked about at school. That transparency plays a significant role and allows a parent, who we see as the primary educator, to participate in that process,” Schwenk added.
Rutherford Classical Academy, which is accepting enrollment applications for the 2024-25 school year until March 1, will be located in La Vergne on Ingram Boulevard, close to I-24, and will accept 340 students the first school year.
The charter school’s curriculum is provided by Hillsdale College, a Michigan-based private school championed for its “1776 Curriculum,” which “teaches students about the strengths of America and the Western tradition.”
“I think the primary thing [parents] are really excited about is the classical education and the relationship with Hillsdale College. That curriculum, anybody who really is serious about curriculum, it’s a fantastic curriculum and students will have a well rounded education…I think one of our advantages is that I can literally hand you our curriculum. We have what’s called the program guide, and so a parent can thumb through it and say, “Hey, I agree or don’t agree.” However they look at that doc. If they don’t agree, they don’t have to come,” Schwenk explained.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
