Anchored by the Classic Learning Test

On this special edition of Anchored, Zuby–a rising public figure and influential rapper–joins Jeremy and Arooba to share his insights into how education has changed in the United States and the accessibility of education in the modern world. He discusses his time at Oxford, how the history and beauty of a student’s environment can inspire them, how the quality of university education has changed, and some of the political biases that may be rooted in academia. The three of them go on to discuss the value of education, in an age where there is more information instantly available on our cell phones than there is in the Harvard Library. Regardless of whether someone attends college, Zuby argues, they must be able to use their knowledge in the real world.Host: Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest: Zuby @Zubymusic

Dr. Larry Taylor is the president of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). The organization, "exists to strengthen Christian schools and equip Christian educators worldwide as they prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  Serving more than 25,000 schools in 108 countries, ACSI helps more than 5.5 million students worldwide connect to Christian education." In this episode, Dr. Taylor discusses his own academic journey, how the revitalization of Christian education is unfolding, and expounds on the significance of the growing classical renewal movement.Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Dr. Larry Taylor @ACSIPresident

Rosemary Vander Weele is the principal of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Classical School in Denver, CO. On this episode, she joins Jeremy to discuss her personal academic journey which led her to question the modern educational approach and instead focus on leading in service to human formation through an authentically Catholic education. She also discusses the challenges and rewards of growing enrollment at a Catholic school focused on reinstating faith's central role in education. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Rosemary Vander Weele 

Dr. Mark Bauerlein is Senior Editor at First Things and Professor of English at Emory University. He joins Jeremy to discuss the trends that have overcome many universities’ humanities programs, particularly in English departments; a focus on hyper-specialization, as well as an overemphasis on theory,  has meant that modern English departments do little to engage with the big ideas of truth and humanity found in great literature. Mark also discusses the importance of aesthetic independence in evaluating art, especially during a time in which the political and historical considerations of artists' backgrounds have become the primary focus of the academy.  Additionally, he considers the degradation of the humanities in respect to university administrations' increasing concern with business elements of the higher ed model, and examines why education conservatism has found a new audience. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Mark Bauerlein @mark_bauerlein

On this special episode of the Anchored podcast, Jeremy is joined by six CLT10 Award Winners from prior years (this distinction is offered to students with the highest scores on the CLT10). Jeremy and the students dive deep into questions and topics concerning what makes a good education, how speech and debate informs a deeper understanding of various worldviews, the ways in which the classical renewal movement may grow over the next several years, and the social and cultural implications of social media usage among today’s school-aged population. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guests CLT10 Award Winners

Michael Farris is the founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), the founder of Patrick Henry College, and the current president and CEO of the Alliance Defending Freedom. On this episode, he discusses the cultural environment of the early 1980s which acted as the impetus for HSLDA’s founding—every state Attorney General considered homeschooling unlawful. He also discusses the creation of Patrick Henry College, which boasts exceptional outcomes in pre-law education to include twelve national moot court championships, one international moot court championship, and average LSAT scores which rival Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Additionally, Michael discusses important cases in his career, to include People v. DeJonge, in which the requirement for homeschooling parents to hold professional teaching certifications was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Michigan.Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Michael FarrisHome School Legal Defense Association

Dr. Joe Rigney is the second president of Bethlehem College & Seminary (Took office June 1, 2021). On this episode, he discusses tenets of C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man, to include commentary on the destructive nature of modern turns toward subjectivism in philosophy and education generally. Dr. Rigney also discusses Lewis' use of the term "Tao" to demonstrate the concept of objective morality and truth as transcending cultures and illustrating a universal human reality. He also discusses his vision as Bethlehem's new president, to include a discussion on the college's decision to turn down federal funding—this fact has allowed the school to maintain its principals and academic virtues in the face of growing hot-button cultural issues.  Dr. Rigney also discuss a core mission of the university in helping students graduate debt-free.Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Dr. Joe Rigney @joe_rigneyBethlehem College & Seminary

Dr. Glenn Loury is the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at Brown University. In this episode, Dr. Loury discusses his response to a letter written by Brown University President Christina Paxson, in which she noted that structures of power and histories of oppression and prejudice define American society. Of the letter he wrote: "it asserted controversial and arguable positions as though they were axiomatic certainties." He also talks with Jeremy about his new course at Brown centered on freedom of expression, which includes works from such minds as Plato, Socrates, Milton, John Stuart Mill, and George Orwell. Additionally, he references Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind  and reflects on his teaching career and the shifting nature of higher education. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Dr. Glenn Loury @GlennLouryI Must Object: A rebuttal to Brown University’s letter on racism in the United States

Education historian Jack Schneider and journalist Jennifer Berkshire join Jeremy to discuss their book, The Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School  in which they describe policies and political undertakings such as school vouchers, attacks on teachers’ unions, tax credit scholarships, virtual schools, etc., as part of a larger organized effort to undo U.S. public education. The authors discuss competing visions in modern education, and the conflict between a lost history of educational practice and an anxiety about the future direction of education—they also discuss the  dangers of treating school as a means of advancing a modern economy, while also recognizing the importance of addressing inclusivity and economic disadvantage in discussions involving educational practice and philosophy. Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guests Jack Schneider @Edu_Historian and Jennifer Berkshire @BisforBerkshireA Wolf at the Schoolhouse DoorHave You Heard? podcast

Dr. Stephen Blackwood has held fellowships at Harvard, Cambridge, and the University of Toronto, and is the founding president of Ralston College in Savannah, GA. In this episode, he discusses his childhood growing up on on Prince Edward Island and the ways in which his formative years taught him that human life does not exist in the abstract, but rather in the particulars—places, times, landscapes, and cultural moments all inform humanity. He also discusses his friendship with Jordan Peterson and the notion that Dr. Peterson's positive vision of human potential has served as an antidote to the alienation and crisis of meaning felt by many in the current social moment. Dr. Blackwood also discusses his vision for Ralston College; its vision entails the promotion of free inquiry in pursuit of truth and human flourishing, especially at a time when these directives have left many modern universities.Host Jeremy Tate @JeremyTate41Guest Dr. Stephen Blackwood @stephenblackwdRalston College