Conservatives are banding together to grow classical Christian schools by leveraging new taxpayer-funded scholarships.
asserted
Conservatives → band → scholarships
These scholarships have rapidly expanded in states around the country.
asserted
scholarships → expand → country
They mean half of school-age children in the U.S. are now eligible to apply for state money to attend private schools.
asserted
half → mean → schools
Last year, the Association of Classical Christian Schools, or ACCS, formed a coalition with some powerful conservative groups, including Turning Point Education and the Heritage Foundation.
asserted
Association → form → Education
Their goal is to convert or create 5,000 new classical Christian schools in the next decade with 1.5 million students nationwide.
asserted
goal → convert → students
“It sounds like a very ambitious goal, but this money has never been there before,” said ACCS President David Goodwin.
asserted
Goodwin → sound → goal
He sees a historic opportunity to take a share of public funding and educate Christian leaders.
asserted
He → see → leaders
Critics worry this movement will harm public schools and create church-state issues.
asserted
movement → worry → issues
ACCS, which has ties to the Trump administration, is the oldest network of classical Christian schools.
asserted
which → have → schools
The Associated Press interviewed more than 30 ACCS leaders and parents, as well as more than a dozen other experts and advocates.
asserted
Press → interview → leaders
The reporting was done from Washington, D.C., inside schools in Texas and at the group’s annual conference in Atlanta.
asserted
reporting → do → Atlanta
Conservatives wage the ‘Battle for the American School’
asserted
Conservatives → wage → School
The Association of Classical Christian Schools calls its campaign the “Battle for the American School.”
asserted
Association → call → School
It’s a riff on the 2022 bestselling book Goodwin co-wrote with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who sent his children to ACCS schools before joining President Donald Trump’s cabinet.
asserted
who → ’ → cabinet
Their book, “Battle for the American Mind,” extols classical education and critiques the prevailing public school model.
asserted
book → extol → model
Hegseth remains a booster: The Pentagon recently introduced a form of classical education into government-run schools on military bases.
asserted
Pentagon → remain → bases
ACCS membership includes about 500 schools, but it has grown by nearly 200 since 2019.
asserted
it → include → 2019
Goodwin, its president, credits a pandemic-era mistrust of public education, when debates ignited over school closures, books, race, sexuality and gender identity.
asserted
debates → credit → closures
Not all ACCS schools accept government money, but many that do now advertise state funding options on their websites.
asserted
that → accept → websites
The definition of classical education varies
asserted
definition → vary → education
Classical education, popular among conservatives, was already on the rise before more taxpayer funds became available.
asserted
funds → become → rise
It exists in many forms, in religious schools outside ACCS, homeschooling groups, secular and charter schools.
asserted
It → exist → ACCS
Many classical Christian schools go a step further in their focus on reclaiming and promoting Western Christian culture.
asserted
schools → go → culture
The ACCS version of classical Christian education is proudly erudite: The Oxford-educated Christian writer C.S. Lewis is a lodestar, and students study the liberal arts and the “great books.”
asserted
students → educate → arts
Its teaching methods draw from ancient and medieval sources with a strong focus on Western Christian history.
asserted
methods → draw → history
The network has a controversial founder
Doug Wilson is a self-described Christian nationalist who has made headlines for preaching at a Pentagon worship service and advocating for the repeal of women’s voting rights.
asserted
who → have → rights
In 1981, he helped start the Logos School in Moscow, Idaho, one of the first in the modern classical Christian movement.
asserted
he → start → movement
He founded ACCS in 1994.
asserted
He → found → 1994
It includes socially conservative Christians across denominations and hasn’t adopted Wilson’s more fringe beliefs.
asserted
It → include → beliefs
Schools agree to a statement of faith, including that same-sex relationships and gender transitions are off-limits, but families may not be aware of Wilson’s teachings or influence.
uncertain
families → agree → teachings
He still advises the ACCS board, though, and his books are required reading in some of its schools.
A new Texas program boosts Christian schools with taxpayer funds
This summer, Texas began rolling out $1 billion in public funding that eligible families can put toward private education expenses.
asserted
families → advise → expenses
Keith Castello, an ACCS administrator in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs, said the influx of taxpayer money “completely transforms the possibility” of increasing access to Christian education.
asserted
influx → say → education
Castello is launching three classical Christian schools this fall.
asserted
Castello → launch → schools
At one of his startup schools, an estimated 22 of 25 students are using Texas Education Freedom Accounts, or TEFA.
asserted
students → estimate → Accounts
The Texas program prioritizes low-income students and those with disabilities, but its income limits this year go up to $165,000 for a family of four, opening the door to middle-income families.
asserted
limits → prioritize → families
Eligible students can receive at least $10,474 for private school.
asserted
students → receive → school
At Coram Deo Academy, an ACCS school where Castello served as vice president of operations until last year, more than 360 students out of 2,000 have been approved for TEFA.
asserted
students → serve → TEFA
Coram Deo could potentially receive $3.5 million in TEFA funds this year, equal to nearly 17% of its budget, according to Scott Head, the school’s chief financial officer.
uncertain
Deo → receive → Head
The taxpayer funds are also on track to cover half the school’s financial aid budget.
asserted
funds → cover → budget
The school funding shift blurs the line between public and private
For years, Democrats and rural Republicans in Texas blocked efforts to create education savings accounts, worried about their effect on public schools, especially in rural areas.
asserted
Democrats → blur → areas
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
