Anchored by the Classic Learning Test

On this episode of Anchored, Soren is joined by Kellye Britton, Executive Director of the Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project, a pipeline program that works to enroll black youth into an international summer debate residency at Harvard College. Kellye describes how she went from being a retail accountant to Executive Director of the record-breaking program. She also discusses the goal of the project: to breed thinkers for strong leadership from generation to generation.

On this episode of Anchored, Jeremy is joined by Timothy Trainor, President of Mount St. Mary's University. Timothy shares that while he never saw himself becoming the president of the second oldest Catholic university in America, his 33 years of Army service equipped him for this role. Timothy discusses the history of Mount St. Mary's, its renowned National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, and how the university maintains its Catholic identity.

On this episode of Anchored, Soren is joined by Daniel Foucachon, founder of Roman Roads Press and Kepler Education, and a member of the Board of Academic Advisors at CLT. Daniel discusses his childhood in France, where he and his siblings were the only homeschoolers in a city of two million. He shares that he started Roman Roads Press and Kepler Education to give parents the agency and tools to provide a classical Christian education to their children. He also discusses the meaning of classical education in relation to Western culture, the importance of the six Chinese arts, and why understanding The Aeneid is key to understanding the American story.

On this episode of Anchored, Soren is joined by John Snyder, a member of the Florida House of Representatives and a Marine Corps veteran. Mr. Snyder discusses his educational experience growing up, his thoughts on the national teacher shortage, and his goals for Florida’s education system. As a member of the Florida State Legislature, he provides insight on his recent bill which opens up opportunities for veterans to become teachers. He also discusses his staffing company, ESI, which helps schools recruit skilled and passionate educators.

On this episode of Anchored, Jeremy is joined by David Williams, President of Valor Education, the Valor Institute, and John Paul II Academy of San Diego. David discusses his love for teaching, his time teaching at Union High School, a public school in NJ, and how teaching at public school informed the rest of his career. He also shares how he learned about classical education, eventually becoming the headmaster at Glendale Preparatory Academy and then Executive Director at Great Hearts. David explains his vision behind founding the Valor Institute and Valor education, stating his desire to cultivate good school culture as the driving force.

On this episode of Anchored, Jeremy is joined by Jacob Imam, founder of the College of St. Joseph the Worker. Jacob shares his concerns about the lack of students learning practical skills in schools. He explains the importance of manual labor in early Christianity and the modern world, stating that human labor cannot be replaced by something artificial. He shares the vision of the College of St. Joseph and the programs it offers, stating that his goal is to teach students the most stable and lucrative trades to graduate net-positive.

On this episode of Anchored, Soren is joined by Jason Bedrick, a Research Fellow in the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation and an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom. Jason talks about how he became interested in public policy and his experience studying public policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He explains what school choice is and why 2021 was declared a breakthrough year for school choice. He discusses the skepticism surrounding school choice and how school choice benefits low-income and minority students. 

On this episode of Anchored, Jeremy is joined by John S. Pistole, President of Anderson University. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, Pistole was placed in charge of the FBI’s counterterrorism program, eventually becoming the FBI’s Executive Assistant Director for National Security. In 2004, Pistole was named Deputy Director of the FBI. He discusses his experience serving as Deputy Director at a crucial time in American history and recalls the tragedy that occurred on 9/11. He explains how his role as Deputy Director prepared him to be President at Anderson. 

On this episode of Anchored, Jeremy is joined by Caroline Andrews, a rising sophomore at The Master’s University. Caroline discusses attending public school for 13 years until discovering classical education through a CLT practice test. She explains the difference between the SAT and the CLT, and how the CLT taught her that education is formative. Caroline states that the mission of public education is to teach students to excel in worldly things, while classical education teaches you how to be a responsible person.

On this episode of Anchored, Jeremy is joined by Dr.  Michael P. Krom and Dr.  Jason Jividen of St. Vincent College. They discuss the presence of Benedictines on campus, and how that impacts student life and campus culture. They also talk about the future of brick and mortar colleges, and why virtual schools will not replace physical buildings. Dr. Krom and Dr. Jividen state that a physical campus is important in helping students build relationships and communities.