The classic education movement is growing as Melania Trump supports AI in schools

There is a revolution underway in American education, and First Lady Melania Trump and the White House are leading the way.

They deal head-on with America’s abysmal education numbers, and the challenge of getting our kids ready for the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.

Melania Trump launched her “Foster the Future” conference on March 24, to highlight how AI can increase children’s opportunities as a tool for learning rather than a threat or just a priority.

Among the leaders who attended the event was the CEO of Alpha Schools, MacKenzie Price. Alpha Schools is a private company that creates schools across the country, working to encourage children to see AI as a partner and guide in learning, and to support the essential “life skills” needed to live a full and productive life.

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP: AI COULD IMPROVE EDUCATION AND HELP REDUCE EARTH EDUCATION FOR OUR CHILDREN

As fears grow that AI may take over our culture and our economy; and that our children may not be equipped to deal with the challenges that AI will bring; the White House needs to know it has a powerful partner in the education movement sweeping the country right now.

That organization includes the thinking and understanding that future generations will need to protect themselves from deception and misinformation, and thrive, in a world dominated by AI.

It is called the Classical Education movement, it is led by teachers, teachers, parents and philosophers who are tired of the fact that our schools have become factories for teaching socialism. And unlike education advocates on the left, they are committed to advancing the interests of all children — rich and poor, and from all races and backgrounds — and advancing the future of Western civilization itself.

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Classical education is a content-rich way of learning, emphasizing the development of wisdom and beauty through the study of the liberal arts, beginning with grammar, logic, and rhetoric, and extending to history and great literature.

This is the curriculum that has supported Western and Judeo-Christian civilization for thousands of years. Rather than being a distribution system of superficial selection or an overemphasis on job training skills or preparation for professional work, classical education was based on traditional studies and the Great Books. It wants to educate the whole child and cultivate a lifelong desire to learn; building a deep respect for traditional values ​​of right and wrong; and teaching about the importance of citizenship and leadership.

Ancient education supports the saying of the Greek philosopher Epictetus, “Only the educated are free.” It believes that education must be about teaching children to appreciate the good, the true and the good, and the best of what America and Western civilization has to offer.

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There are currently more than 1,500 post-secondary schools (public, private and charter) in the United States serving an estimated 700,000 students as of 2024. And the movement is growing rapidly, with more than 250 new schools opening since 2020.

From preschoolers to university students, this independent program has filled the educational gap left by public schools and teacher unions, where students are often denied real learning, and teachers use the classroom to advance their political agendas.

Melania Trump launched her “Foster the Future” conference on March 24, to highlight how AI can increase children’s opportunities as a tool for learning rather than a threat or just a priority.

Instead of teaching our children about things based on opinions and agendas, classical education strives to teach the child to, on the contrary, think.

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If indeed there are any skills that can prepare younger generations for the future, and can supplement and support the most advanced classroom technologies, including the use of AI, they are the long-honored principles of classical education.

We know that Alpha Schools is taking a revolutionary approach to the school day with AI-accelerated learning as a guide to delve deeper into subjects you love like history and geometry. Then the afternoons are dedicated to “life skills,” from riding a bike (for the youngest) to how to manage a bank account, and even how to start a business (for the oldest).

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Reading, writing, and thinking – the main ingredients in the classical education curriculum – are as important to living a strong and happy life, as investing or running an Airbnb. So why not include “life skills” like learning grammar and vocabulary as generations of students have done? Why not read the timeless principles of Plato, Aristotle and our great Judeo-Christian intellectuals, as well as famous American writers such as Mark Twain, Stephen Crane and EB White, in a curriculum to prepare our children to meet the future technological world?

In short, classical education offers a great opportunity to inspire the future, and the rest of us, to see a world dominated by AI in a more optimistic light – and to see America’s children as our greatest intellectual asset.

Beth Herman is from the Independent Women’s Education Freedom Center. He is an alumnus of The National Gallery of Art and is completing his degree in Classical Education at the University of Dallas.

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