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A revolution is underway in American education, and First Lady Melania Trump and the White House are leading it.
They are taking America’s dismal reading and education numbers head-on, while also confronting the challenge of preparing our children for the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.
Melania Trump launched her “Foster the Future” summit on March 24 to highlight how AI can expand opportunities for children as a learning tool rather than a threat or crutch.
Among the key attendees was Mackenzie Price, CEO of Alpha School. Alpha Schools is a private company setting up schools across the country, working to encourage children to see AI as their companion and guide them in learning, as well as supporting the key “life skills” needed to live full and productive lives.
First Lady Melania Trump: AI can improve teaching and help provide a world-class education to our children
A child is studying in school with Edge of Learning programming. The company’s CEO Alex Galvagni told Fox News Digital that artificial intelligence allows Edge of Learning products to provide a customized educational experience to each child. (age of learning)
As fears grow that AI is taking over our culture as well as our economy; And that our children may not be prepared to deal with the challenges posed by AI; The White House needs to know that it has a powerful ally in the education movement sweeping the country right now.
This movement symbolizes the logic and understanding that future generations will need to prosper while also protecting themselves from manipulation and misinformation in an AI-dominated world.
Called the Classical Education Movement, it is being led by teachers, educators, parents, and philosophers who are fed up with our schools becoming teaching factories for socialism. And unlike education advocates on the left, they are committed to advancing the interests of every child – rich and poor, and from every ethnicity and background – as well as the future of Western civilization.
Why classical education could be the key to humanity’s future in the AI age?
Classical education is a content-rich approach to learning that emphasizes the development of knowledge and virtue through the study of the liberal arts, beginning with grammar, logic, and rhetoric and extending to history and great literature.
This is the course that has supported Western and Judeo-Christian civilization for thousands of years. Rather than a scattered system of superficial electives or an excessive focus on job training or skills to prepare for a professional career, classical education rests on a foundation of traditional academic disciplines and great books. It aims to educate the whole child and inculcate an appetite for lifelong learning; Cultivate a deep respect for traditional principles of right and wrong; And teach the importance of citizenship and leadership.
Classical education reinforces the statement of the Greek philosopher Epictetus that “only the educated are free.” It believes that education should be about teaching children to appreciate the good, the true, and the beautiful and the best that America and Western civilization has to offer.
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There are currently more than 1,500 classical education schools (public, private, and charter) in the United States serving approximately 700,000 students by 2024. And the movement is experiencing rapid growth, with over 250 new schools opening since 2020.
From early learners to university students, this private initiative has filled the educational gap left by government schools and their teacher unions, where students are often deprived of real education, and teachers use the classroom to push their political agendas.
Melania Trump launched her “Foster the Future” summit on March 24 to highlight how AI can expand opportunities for children as a learning tool rather than a threat or crutch.
Rather than instilling our children with ideological and agenda-based content, classical education attempts to teach the child how to think, as opposed to what.
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If there are truly any skills that can prepare younger generations for the future, and complement and support the most advanced classroom technologies, including the use of AI, they are the time-honored principles of classical education.
We know that Alpha School is taking a revolutionary approach to the school day with accelerated learning with AI as a guide to delve more deeply into subjects of interest like history and geometry. Then the afternoon is devoted to “life skills”, from how to ride 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 reasoning – key elements in the classical education curriculum – are as essential to living a strong and happy life as financial investing or running an Airbnb. So why not include “life skills” such as learning the principles of grammar and rhetoric as generations of students have done? Why not study the timeless principles of Plato, Aristotle, and our greatest Judeo-Christian thinkers, as well as great American writers like Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, and EB White, in the curriculum to introduce our children to the technological world to come?
In short, classical education offers a great opportunity to foster the future and inspire the rest of us to view an AI-dominated world more optimistically and to see America’s children as our greatest intellectual asset.
Beth Harman is a visiting fellow at the Center for Independent Women’s Education Freedom. She is a graduate of The School at The National Gallery of Art and is completing her degree in Classical Education at the University of Dallas.
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