Civics, charters and classical ed: What to know about Hillsdale College's K-12 efforts in Tennessee

As some K-12 school districts are removing books from established curriculum, Gov. Bill Lee sees an opportunity to add curriculum with an emphasis on civics.

Lee announced in his State of the State address on Monday he is working to formalize a partnership with Hillsdale College, a private institution in Hillsdale, Michigan, that has become widely known for its politically and religiously conservative values.

Lee's office said it plans to outline more details about the partnership in the coming weeks. But details from Hillsdale indicate the partnership will be an opportunity to further the K-12 education initiatives the college has been exporting outside Michigan.

"When Governor Lee visited Hillsdale College, he was impressed with the College's ongoing efforts in supporting charter schools with its K-12 curriculum and teacher training," Kathleen O'Toole, Hillsdale's provost for K-12 education, said in a statement.

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There are about 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at Hillsdale, according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, a database of information that colleges and universities report to the federal government.

The college was founded by Baptists and has preserved its Christian identity, which it has infused with intellectual, cultural and political conservatism, said Adam Laats, a history professor at Binghamton University and an expert on institutions like Hillsdale.

The college has positioned itself as "a sort of libertarian or 'fusionist,' is what the nerds call it, type of conservative alignment," said Laats, author of "Fundamentalist U: Keeping the American Faith in Higher Education."

In the past decade, Hillsdale has grown its multifaceted K-12 program, most notably defined by the 21 charter schools it helped establish throughout 10 states.

There is one set to open in Williamson County for the 2023-24 school year, USA Classical Academy, according to the academy's website. Whether the school has applied to the Williamson County Board of Education for approval of a charter is currently unknown.

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System also recently received an application for a Hillsdale-affiliated charter school, according to Main Street Clarksville.

"The college's curriculum and teaching support helps classical schools to provide the type of education that all Americans both need and deserve — one that is rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, offers a firm grounding in civic virtue, and cultivates moral character," O'Toole said in the statement.

In addition to the charter schools it helps establish, Hillsdale has produced, "The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum," that includes lesson plans for teachers.

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Those includes a list of "Hillsdale College-vetted books" and other resources to guide the practice of teaching. About 30 schools, all seemingly private or charter, have officially partnered with Hillsdale to download and use the free curriculum, according to the website. Only one Tennessee school, Ivy Academy's Skillern Elementary, a charter school in Soddy-Daisy in Hamilton County, is on Hillsdale's "curriculum schools" list.

Both of Hillsdale's major K-12 initiatives are part of the governor's plans.

"Hillsdale is involved in a number of initiatives that align with our priorities in Tennessee," Lee spokesperson Casey Black said in a statement Tuesday. That includes expanding "high-quality education options for Tennessee students" and developing new charter schools, Black said.

Hillsdale President Larry Arnn met with Franklin parents in the fall and alluded to a conversation with Lee about developing 50 new schools in Tennessee in six years, according to a recording published by Hillsdale.

Partnerships between states and colleges and universities for K-12 education initiatives is common, Laats said. But he said there seems to be unique elements with the prospective Tennessee-Hillsdale partnership.

"What strikes me as the unusual takeaway is that the governor is intentionally wheeling the state into this very ideologically loaded and electorally loaded civics education," Laats said.

The college promotes conservative Christian values and has close ties with former President Donald Trump's administration. Some Hillsdale alumni served in the Trump administration.

The school is popularly known for rejecting federal government financial aid, meaning it is not subject to some federal regulations that many colleges and universities are.

The college also publishes Imprimus, a free monthly digest founded in 1972 focusing on speech and religious liberty issues that is well-read among conservative thought leaders. In December, it hired its first executive director for the new Blake Center for Faith and Freedom in Somers, Connecticut.

The prospective partnership with Tennessee aligns with two efforts Lee has prioritized since taking office. The governor has pushed for expanding school choice in Tennessee, including passage of his hallmark education savings account program — that is now tied up in state court — and establishing the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.

The state’s current efforts to revamp how it funds K-12 schools also has a charter school component, with additional funding proposed for charter schools.

Teeing up the announcement of the Hillsdale partnership in his State of the State, Lee quoted former President Ronald Reagan — whom Hillsdale has a statue of on its campus — talking about teaching the "basics."

Referring to Reagan's words, Lee said, "Some 30 years later, these words are more true and now more than ever, it’s important that we teach true American history, unbiased and nonpolitical."

Reporters Meghan Mangrum and Melissa Brown contributed to this report.

Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on Twitter @liamsadams.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Hillsdale College has big plans for Tennessee K-12 education, schools