Charter school admissions are on the rise in the State of Texas.
Enrollment in classical charter schools, in particular, has dramatically increased in the past decade, according to a Texas Public Policy Foundation report released on June 2.
Authors Albert Cheng and Cassidy Syftestad detailed the results of their findings in a document called The Demand of Texas Parents for Classical Charter Schools, which focuses on a particular type of charter school.
“What makes a school or education classical? While classical education in modern America has a particular expression … its roots stretch back to between the 5th century BC and the 5th century AD during the Greek and Roman classical periods … Classical education presupposes that there are normative standards of truth, goodness, and beauty,” the report explains.
In a press release for the report, Cheng and Syftestad quoted Jennifer Frey, associate professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina, who explained what “these [classical] schools have in common.”
According to the classical education model, “to become educated is, at least in part, to become a person of good character—to become habituated into recognizable patterns of correct thinking, acting, and feeling so that one is disposed to judge and choose well on the whole, in order to live a purposeful and meaningful life that contributes to the common good,” said Frey.
Researchers gathered data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the U.S. Department of Education from 2011 to 2021 and surveyed 431 parents of children enrolled in classical charter schools. Parents were surveyed on their educational priorities.
According to the findings, while non-classical charter school enrollment doubled over the 10-year period, enrollment in classical charter schools rose sevenfold. According to the press release, thousands of students are on waitlists for these schools.
Researchers said that the increases came about because the parents’ educational goals were consistent with the priorities found in classical education.
“Parents expressed strong desires for their children to grow in wisdom and virtue through the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty within the context of a liberal arts education,” said Cheng and Syftestad. “Parents also highly valued the formation of civic virtues and preparation for citizenship.”
Among the aspects that parents considered “extremely important” were core academic subjects, independent thinking, and virtue and moral character. Parents thought these things were more important than college degrees or careers.
While over 90% of parents indicated satisfaction with their school’s teachers, standards, and climate, their satisfaction level was lower regarding the quality of the facilities and opportunities for sports participation.