The Headmaster’s Corner
Liberty Classical Academy, now in it’s eighteenth year of operation, is often complimented for its academic, spiritual, and Biblically strong impact our students demonstrate both while at Liberty and after they graduate. While we can quantify some of this, recently a study was conducted by the Cardus Foundation (a nonprofit that studies the comparative effects of public schools and all forms of non-public schools) in conjunction with Notre Dame and the ACCS (Association of Classical Christian Schools—of which we are a member) which helps isolate the differences. The results were published in The Good Soil Report and distributed last year. This report is the strongest indicator yet of the powerful nature of classical Christian education across many distinct categories.
The research focused on people between the ages of 22-44 who had graduated from public schools, homeschool, private secular schools, Catholic schools, evangelical protestant schools and ACCS schools. Through their data analysis, the researchers at Notre Dame were able to provide results both in combination with and independent from family factors for each category and school segment measured. The Seven Life Outcome Profiles they assessed were: Prepared for College and Career; Life Outlook; Christian Commitment; Christian Life; Conservative and Traditional; Independent Thinkers; and Influential. After analyzing the data, it was overwhelmingly clear that the ACCS alumni stood out on ALL the factors measured.
The profile that measured college preparedness, for instance, demonstrated that ACCS alumni were by far the best prepared academically of all the groups; “….more than double the next highest group.” Regarding the Conservative and Traditional profile, once again ACCS alumni were more distinct from the other schools, demonstrating they hold more strongly to, “[the] values and practices that would be considered socially conservative.” With respect to being Independent Thinkers and Influential, ACCS students once again are far away higher in those measures. Given that debate, discussion and logic are significant components of a classical Christian education, it stands to reason they would value independent thinking since it is a natural result of respectful dialog and debate. ACCS alumni are more influential than any other of the school categories (by the largest margin of all of the seven profiles measured). This should be taken as strong assurance that the rhetoric level program, where students are taught to evaluate information, form their opinions and learn to persuade others with respectful and reasoned arguments, are extremely effective in developing students who go on to use these skills to influence others; classical Christian alumni were hand and foot over the other school categories on measures of influence.
These four measures were grouped together to provide “World-Impact Outcomes.” As part of the summary for these four, the report concludes, “ Their [ACCS alumni] strongest difference is in their willingness and ability to engage our culture as evidenced through their leadership positions held, greater connection with influential people and their desire and obligation to engage on social issues. Their academic preparation exceeds even private preparatory schools, and far more ACCS alumni earn high grades and a degree in college.”
Given Liberty’s meaningful purpose is to classically educate children to be moral leaders who impact the culture for Christ, it’s readily apparent that this model will produce fruit like no other school model available. It’s music to our ears! What a an incredible gift Liberty Classical Academy parents are giving their children—and ultimately, through their children’s influence, our culture.