To Use Their Minds Well

Tom Vander Ark describes a visit to one of the Great Hearts Academies, at Education Week.

"The Phoenix-based network leader seeks to restore classical liberal arts education for modern times. 'We need big-picture thinkers and philosophers to lead in this era of hyper-specialization and self-interest,' he [founder Daniel Scoggin] says. Elementary schools follow the Core Knowledge curriculum with an extra dose of Socratic dialogue.

"There are no electives in the 700 student secondary school. All the graduates go to college, most of them selective. Critics argue that's possible only because Great Hearts target middle income communities, although the schools in Phoenix serve the entire Metro area, including low-income communities."