Start a School
Start Up School Information
Groups forming Start-Up Schools • Conference Audio List • Some Curriculum Resources • Order a Start-up Notebook
General Information
ACCS Publications: Classis and The Forum
Classis is the quarterly journal of ACCS which contains articles and book reviews. The Forum, published monthly (except December and June) provides timely announcements regarding ACCS and its activities as well as member ads for position openings. Read Classis or The Forum online or request a free subscription via email. (Note: This is a subscription to the online version.)
A copy of our current membership school list is available by request, as well as our mission statement, confession of faith, membership requirements, and back articles from Classis. Call (208) 882-6101 to request any of these materials.
ACCS has compiled a Start-Up Notebook written by the Board of Directors, all of whom have either helped to start or operate classical Christian schools. This is available from ACCS. Click here for ordering information.
The Best of the ACCS Conferences CD has ten foundational talks from the first seven conferences. Click here for more information.
A complete list of current ACCS members and affiliates is available here.
The annual ACCS national conference is held in June each year. Click here for more information.
Regional teaching training seminars are held in mid to late summer by various ACCS member schools. Click here for more information.
ACCS Basic Steps for Starting
a Classical and Christian School
Step #1:*
Form a small starting board or committee (3-4). Begin to meet regularly for prayer, study and discussion, whether or not you think starting the school in the immediate future is feasible. If you don't begin to meet, it never will become feasible. If you begin to meet now, it will happen far more quickly than you thought it could.
Step #2:
Spend a good portion of your time formulating a common vision of what a classical and Christian school should be. As a springboard for discussion, read and discuss articles, essays, and books together. Below is an initial list of recommended books.
"The Lost Tools of Learning" Dorothy Sayers
Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning Douglas Wilson
The Seven Laws of Teaching John Gregory
Repairing the Ruins edited by Douglas Wilson
The Case for Classical Christian Education Douglas Wilson
Optional titles:
The Abolition of Man C.S. Lewis
Education, Christianity and the State J. Gresham Machen
Foundations of Christian Educaiton Louis Berkof, Cornelius Van Til
Of Education John Milton
On Christian Doctrine Augustine
Ideas Have Consequences Richard Weaver
On Secular Education R.L. Dabney
The Paideia of God Douglas Wilson
Why Johnny Can't Read Rudolf Flesch
Chris Schlect, History instructor at New Saint Andrews College recommends the following:
1. Quintilian, Institutes of Oratory. Quintilian wrote in the first century A.D. He epitomizes Roman education, and his pedagogical ideas were generally followed in the Middle Ages.
2. Cassiodorus Senator, Institutiones, or Institutes of Divine and Human Readings. The preferred edition is titled An Introduction to Divine and Human Readings, translated by Leslie Webber (New York: Octagon Books, 1966). Cassiodorus flourished in the mid 500's, and was secretary to Ostrogothic King Theodoric. He founded a monastery, and his educational program, which he outlines in this work, would become the pattern for studious pursuits in monasteries throughout Christendom. It was his influence that turned monasteries into centers of learning. He pioneered the idea of the "Scriptorium," and monks thereafter devoted themselves to copying and preserving texts and libraries. To this we owe much of the classical heritage that we continue to enjoy today (including the text of the Bible), because medieval scribes copied and preserved the ancient manuscripts. To fulfill a learned monk's calling as a scribe or as a commentator on Scripture or the Church Fathers, Cassiodorus believed that a certain program of education was prerequisite. This program was what we know as the Seven Liberal Arts.
3. Martianus Capella, The Marriage of Philogy and Mercury. The preferred edition is Martianus Capella and the Seven Liberal Arts (two volumes), translated and introduced by Stahl, Johnson and Burge (New York, Columbia University Press, 1971) Capella describes the seven liberal arts in highly allegorical style, which made it appealing to later mediaevals despite the fact that Martianus wasn't a Christian. He wrote at the turn of the 5th century (contemporary of Augustine) in Carthage (near Augustine). His book is no doubt influenced by the same culture of education in which Augustine was trained, and which the latter advanced in a Christianized form in his famous treatise, On Christian Doctrine.
4. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine. Augustine, a Christian through and through, argues that there is much value in the excellent liberal education that dominated the pagan Roman world (e.g. Logic, Rhetoric). However, he takes great pains to preserve the antithesis between belief and unbelief, and so he urges his vision for a classical education that is distinctly Christian.
Step #3:
As soon as a clear vision has been established, print up promotional literature which clearly articulates that vision for a classical and Christian education. Ensure that the terms you use are defined. Do not water down the vision for public consumption. You want to attract those who will be in general agreement with what you want to do.
Step #4:
Establish your curriculum first, and then do the best you can to hire people who can achieve those objectives. Do not hire your teachers first, and then seek to discover what you can do with them. Some curriculum resources are listed here.
Step #5:
As the school begins operations, seek at all times to maintain your vision for classical and Christian education. The only way to maintain it is to implement it. Implementation requires the following:
A. The founding board must be committed in principle to the vision. Otherwise, certain things will be sacrificed ("Can we really afford a Latin teacher?") for the sake of keeping the school in operation. For this reason, the board must have at least several strong visionaries on it.
B. The founding headmaster must understand the vision, and have a deep desire to implement it. It is he who will oversee the staff training, curriculum, etc. But at the same time, it is rare to find a visionary with administrative gifts necessary to keep the lights on and the doors open. Consequently, the administrator will probably be someone fully committed to the vision established by the board, but not necessarily a visionary himself.
C. Those who are hired to teach must at the very least be open to training (or retraining) in classical methods of teaching. Most who seek to be teachers will have been education majors in college. This means there is much to unlearn, and they have to be prepared to unlearn it. Most Christian educators understand at least some of the conflicts between what they were taught and Christianity; very few understand the antithesis between modern and classical education.
D. What the school is attempting to do, and what it has succeeded in doing, must be kept in public view at all times. Civilization must be cultivated; if you want your classical vision overrun with weeds, no work at all is required. So the distinguishing features of your school must be emphasized and defended. If neglected, they will disappear.
Step #6:
Structure the school in such a way as to encourage the involvement of parents. If the parents are sold on the program, they will be your strongest asset. Regularly report back to them how the program is doing (test scores, etc.), and draw the connection between your classical emphasis and the achievement of students.
Step #7:
Join the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS). Contact the ACCS office for details and membership application. Membership info included with notebook.
*NOTE: ACCS has compiled a School Start-Up Notebook written by members of the ACCS Board of Directors, all of whom have either helped to start or operate classical Christian schools. It contains helpful information, considerations, suggestions, corporate wisdom, and potential pitfalls in starting a classical Christian school. Specific topics are listed below.
For ordering information CLICK HERE.
Start-up Notebook Table of Contents
Recommended Reading List (for adults, not students)
First Things First
Prayer
Establishing a Board
Developing a Classical Christian Vision
Developing a Statement of Faith
Developing Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and Policies
Determining/Generating Community Interest
Establishing A Classical Christian Curriculum
Startup Grades to be Taught
Before You Open
Selecting a Headmaster and Teachers
Tuition and Salaries
Liability / Health Insurance
Facilities and Equipment
Operational Funding
Opening the Doors
Opening the Doors: Some essentials for your first day of school
Parental Involvement
Training Teachers
Grading
Financial Development
Advertising
Looking Beyond
Accreditation
Building Programs, Contractors, and Finances
Pitfalls
Appendices
Appendix A: New Classical School Preliminary Budget
(for member schools and Notebook purchasers CLICK HERE)
Appendix B: Teacher Application Sample
Appendix C: Fundamentals of Fundraising
Appendix D: ACCS Member Application and Member Benefits
Appendix E: List of Contributors
Appendix F: ACCS Position Papers
Appendix G: ACCS Standardized Testing