Suggested Reading
Parents and supporters have questions: What is a Classical Education? Why is it important that my child receives this type of education? What is the trivium? Why should they learn about virtue? These are important questions and their answers are not short. We highly recommend that parents read the same books we require members of our Governing Council to read. The following books heavily influenced the philosophy and founding of the Estancia Valley Classical Academy and strongly inform its direction today. We strongly encourage parents to learn about the quality, meaning, and value of the education their child will receive at EVCA by reading the books below.
Classical Education
This small book explains what a Classical Liberal Arts education is, its history, and how it has been used in the U.S. This book gives many examples of successes of the Classical Education model in a variety of settings and conditions.
Why Johnny Can't Tell Right From Wrong
Virtue is an essential part of the education children receive at EVCA. Kilpatrick explains how the teaching of values has fallen by the wayside in America and in some cases, values being taught are flat out wrong.
The Schools We Need, and Why We Don't Have Them
In this book, Hirsch explains what has happened to the educational model in America, from Relativism to post-modernism. Hirsch gives examples and statistics showing that current trends in education are not only failing our children, but depriving them of the joys of learning.
The Story-Killers
This book takes an in-depth look at the Common Core curriculum. The author, Terrence Moore, was the founding principal of Ridgeview Classical Schools in Fort Collins, Colorado, whose high school twice ranked first in the state. Since 2008 he has taught history at Hillsdale College, where he is also the principal advisor of the Barney Charter School Initiative and is helping set up dozens of classical charter schools.
