MIAMI, FLORIDA — Miami-Dade County Public Schools is exploring the possibility of providing students with a classical education curriculum.
Last week, the district gave the green light to “explore the feasibility” of offering this model, according to the Miami Herald.
Board member Monica Colucci proposed the item, which seeks to determine whether or not the district could offer the curriculum for the 2024–2025 school year. A determination is expected to be reached by October.
Colucci said the curriculum would not be mandated for all students, but could be offered as a choice “for parents to consider.” Colucci was one of the 24 DeSantis-endorsed board members who helped shift the power dynamics by defeating their Left-wing opponents.
CLASSICAL VS. PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION
Classical education emphasizes a return to traditional subjects such as math, science, civics and classic literature. The curriculum contrasts with progressive education, which focuses more on contemporary issues.
A 2021 Manhattan Institute article pointed out how some of the progressive education movement’s key shifts away from classical education produced “interactions between student and teacher for the larger purpose of encouraging democracy and social reform.”
“Problem-solving, issue advocacy, experiential learning, and social change were at the core of progressive education,” the article stated. “Its focus on the present made the student’s interests and desires equal to those of the teacher. […] Classrooms became more democratized but moved away from principles such as tradition, virtue, and authority.”
Under Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has placed an emphasis on a return to traditional aspects of education and rejected “indoctrination.” In January, DeSantis appointed six board members to the board at New College of Florida and the group has been promising a return to classical education with the hopes of offering a “Hillsdale of the South.”
