Episode 55: From Fragmentation to Fellowship: The Intellectual Renewal Behind Classical Education

Description

David Diener, Assistant Professor of Education at Hillsdale College and president of The Alcuin Fellowship, joins Christopher Perrin to reflect on how a philosopher’s training can become a vocational doorway into the renewal of classical education. Drawing from years in K–12 school leadership and now higher education, Diener describes why classical schools often foster unusually rich intellectual community—and why that matters in an age of academic fragmentation. He also introduces Hillsdale’s Master of Arts in Classical Education (MACE), a program designed to address one of the movement’s biggest bottlenecks: forming well-equipped teachers and administrators. The conversation highlights how enduring philosophical anchors—from Plato and Aristotle to Aquinas—can be translated into concrete classroom practice. Diener then traces the role of The Alcuin Fellowship in deepening the movement’s historical and theoretical grounding, including its influence on The Liberal Arts Tradition. Finally, they look outward to the global growth of classical Christian education, including partnerships and training initiatives in Africa, such as the Rafiki Foundation, and expanding work across Latin America. David Diener has a forthcoming monograph in Spanish that will provide chapter-length essays on various aspects of classical Christian education. Additionally, he has an upcoming course on ClassicalU.com will release in the spring of 2026.

Episode Outline

• From philosophy to teaching: Diener’s academic formation, early teaching experience abroad, and why education became his focus
• Why classical schools attract scholars: the “faculty-of-friends” culture and how it can outpace typical undergraduate settings
• Hillsdale’s MACE program: structure, distinctives, and the need for teacher formation at scale
• The Alcuin Fellowship: purpose, retreats, the “scholar-practitioner” model, and the ecosystem role it plays
• Publications and intellectual consolidation: how collaborative work helped birth The Liberal Arts Tradition by Kevin Clark, DLS, and Ravi Jain 
• Global and Latin American growth: partnerships, conferences, and emerging networks across continents

Key Topics & Takeaways

• Formation Through Practices: What we repeatedly do shapes what we love.
• Classical Schools as Intellectual Communities: Classical faculties often cultivate cross-disciplinary conversation and shared learning in ways that counter modern academic siloing.
• Theory-to-Practice Formation: Strong programs don’t leave philosophy abstract—they press big ideas into classroom realities and school leadership decisions.
• The Teacher-Leader Pipeline is the Bottleneck: Sustainable growth depends on forming more capable teachers and administrators, not merely opening more schools.
• Why MACE is Built the Way it is: A shared core creates common language and vision; later specialization prepares teachers and leaders for distinct roles.
• Fellowship as Infrastructure for Renewal: The Alcuin Fellowship functions as a hub for scholar-practitioners who think deeply and serve schools faithfully.
• From Local Renewal to Global Opportunity: The movement’s growth is increasingly international, with meaningful work underway in Africa and expanding initiatives in Latin America.

Questions & Discussion

• What kind of “fragmentation” have you experienced in education (or your own formation)?
  What practices have helped you move toward integration?
• Why might a classical school faculty create stronger intellectual friendship than many modern institutions?
  Compare your current context to a “lunch-table culture” where teachers learn together across disciplines. What would it take to cultivate that kind of shared learning where you are?
• What is the role of a fellowship (formal or informal) in renewing an educational tradition?
  Identify one fellowship function you most need: reading, conversation, research, mentoring, or mutual sharpening. What could be your next practical step to build that community?
• How should the classical renewal relate to other organizations and conferences in the movement?
  What do you hope conferences and associations provide beyond inspiration (formation, scholarship, standards, support)? How can leaders prevent “event energy” from replacing sustained local practice?
• What opportunities—and challenges—come with global growth of classical Christian education?
  Discuss the difference between exporting a model and serving a local culture with deep roots. What do “curriculum accessibility” and “teacher training resources” mean in practical terms?

Suggested Reading & Resources

• The Liberal Arts Tradition by Kevin Clark, DLS, and Ravi Jain
• The Liberal Arts Tradition (Audiobook) by Kevin Clark, DLS, and Ravi Jain
• Rafiki Foundation
• The Rafiki Foundation Podcast
• Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS)
• Society for Classical Learning (SCL)
• Hillsdale College
• Hillsdale Academy
• The Alcuin Fellowship
• Dr. Christopher Perrin on Substack