2023 Year In Review
Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
— I Thessalonians 5:11
Image: Philadelphia Classical School
Accredited 2023
There are many great things going on at the ACCS as we advance classical Christian education by supporting our member schools. We gather as a staff two times per week to pray for our schools and are grateful for the many stories we have heard of students becoming Christians, parents growing in faith and commitment to classical Christian education, students and staff serving their local communities, and so much more.
Every week, the ACCS staff fields hundreds of calls and emails from schools seeking guidance as they serve the parents at their schools. Make plans to contact us and engage with our services more often in 2024. We are here for you and love to help our school leaders serving on the front lines of Christian cultural engagement.
— Tim Dernlan, ACCS Vice President
In 2023, we:
- Sent representatives to Africa to support the work of the Rafiki Foundation.
- Continue to train dozens of start-up schools with the Accelerator program.
- Launched Compagnon and The Institute of Classical Christian Leadership–the umbrella entity offering all of our training for start-up schools, board governance, and administrative personnel. Doctorum is a year-long course offered through the Institute of Classical Christian Leadership.
- Added new student contests and opportunities with Commonplace, Digital Art, Latin Awards, National Honor Choir, and the Lincoln Lyceum Essay Contest in concert with The Wilberforce School in Princeton, NJ.
- Are planning the Tournament of Laurels for 2024.
- Are co-hosting a Leadership, Governance, and Socratic Teaching Retreat at Colorado Christian University, March 14-16, 2024.
- Continue to assist and consult with schools around the country.
- Engaged and assisted schools around the world, including Germany, United Kingdom, Republic of Georgia, Romania, Hungary, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Mexico, and Fiji. We work to assist member schools in many other countries.
ADVOCACY
- Added monthly legal briefing updates for member schools.
- Gained prestigious NCPSA recognition for all ACCS Accredited schools.
- Engaged the press on behalf of CCE and member schools through interviews, op-eds, and guests appearances with media such as The New Yorker, USA Today, FOX News, Charlie Kirk Show, The Heritage Foundation, American Reformer, The Federalist, Washington Watch, First Things, the American Conservative, and others.
- Recorded podcasts to promote classical Christian education including the Classical Conversations Podcast, Cultivate Podcast, Moms on a Mission, Cross Politic, and The Virtuous Mind, and others.
- Advocate for our schools by partnering with the Alliance Defending Freedom, engaging with and participating on Amicus Briefs in support of classical Christian education, and attending national events.
- Sent ACCS staff as featured speakers to many schools and events including Classical Christian Academy, ID; Sand Hills Classical, NC; Cary Christian, NC; College of the Ozarks, MO; New Saint Andrews Commencement; John Hays Coffee Club, San Francisco, CA; Grace Agenda Conference; Trinity Christian School, AZ; Providence Academy, WI.
- Featured speakers at our 2023 conference included Rosaria Butterfield, Dr. Albert Mohler, Dr. Ben Carson, Kyle Mann, Louis Markos, Daniel Coupland, Gregory S.Baylor, Joe Rigney, and over 60 others.
Media Highlight of 2023: FOX Nation “Miseducation of America” Season 2, January 25 National Broadcast
Schools
- 63 Accredited Schools
- 4 Newly Accredited Schools:
- Arma Dei Academy (Highlands Ranch, CO)
- Grace Classical Christian Academy (Granbury, TX)
- Philadelphia Classical School (Philadelphia, PA)
- Veritas Christian Academy (Fletcher, NC)
- 18 New Applications for Accreditation
- 13 Renewal Accreditation Visits
Accomplishments
- Approximately 60 administrators from ACCS-accredited schools served on accreditation visit committees.
- ACCS was approved for full membership with the National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA).
- ACCS established a cooperative agreement with the Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS).
- ACCS personnel serve in leadership roles with these organizations: Scott Taylor, Veritas Academy with Georgia Private School Accreditation Council (GAPSAC), Andy Shapleigh, Regent Preparatory School of Tulsa with Oklahoma Private School Accreditation Commission (OPSAC), Richard Halloran, Providence Classical School with Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC), and Tom Spencer, ACCS with Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE).
- ACCS maintained recognition in Idaho, Missouri, and Tennessee (Category II and IV).
- ACCS Certified Teachers: There are now 1,423 provisionally certified teachers, 819 professionally certified teachers, and 167 master’s certified teachers.
- Revised accreditation standard (e.g., B. 2. Financial Independence) to address the growing number of states supporting school choice initiatives.
HIGHLIGHTS
10 Percent Increase in Full Membership
12 Regional Administrative Summits
15 ACCS Schools in Accreditation Process
16 Webinar Workshops Topics Presented
18 Administrators Enrolled in Doctorum: Leadership Training
38 Schools Served by Compagnon Consulting Services
43 Resumés Posted on the ACCS Job Board
84 New Schools Completing First Academic Year
137 School Administrators Gathered at the Regional Summits
874 Jobs Posted on the ACCS Job Board
1,408 Repairing the Ruins National Conference Attendees
15,000 Copies of the Classis Journal Shipped
60,000 Copies of the Classical Difference Magazines Shipped
160,984 Unique Pageviews at ClassicalDifference.com
1,030,331 Unique Pageviews at ClassicalChristian.org
TOP 10
Pages Visited at The Classical Difference
# 10 A New Documentary: The Miseducation of America
# 9 Legends of America: Ashley’s 100
# 8 Subscribe – The Classical Difference
# 7 Why do classical Christian schools require uniforms?
# 6 A Community Greater than the Sum of its Parts
# 5 About | The Classical Difference | Classical Christian Schools
# 4 The Ghost Legion of Rome and the Wall of Hadrian
# 3 Magazine – The Classical Difference
TOP 10
Pages Visited at ClassicalChristian.org
# 10 Membership – Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS)
# 9 Events and Training – (ACCS)
# 8 What is Classical Christian Education? – (ACCS)
# 7 Classical Education in the ACCS | Christian Education (ACCS)
# 6 “The Lost Tools of Learning” – By Dorothy Sayers – (ACCS)
# 5 School Page – Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS)
# 4 What is CCE? | Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS)
# 3 Job Exchange | Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS)
# 2 Find a School | Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS)
TOP 10
Newsletter Articles from The Classical Difference
# 10 The End of Education
# 9 You Never Know What You’ll Find in a Church Basement
# 8 What is Classical Education?
# 7 Children Have a Right to Classical Education
# 6 What is the Future of Classical Education?
# 3 Christmas
# 2 Attend the 2023 Repairing the Ruins Conference
# 1 Is Your Child Pressing to Leave Your Classical Christian School?
TOP 20
Conversations in the ACCS Forum
# 20 Wokeness comes for literature…again
# 19 How Do Schools Handle Grade 7-12 Students that Fail Courses
# 18 Teachers – we need your help!
# 17 Equity and Diversity Clock Hours
# 16 School Closing – Assistance with Liability Waivers, Contracts, etc.
# 15 Violating Facebook’s Community Standards
# 14 How Shall We Then Teach Art?
# 13 SENIOR THESIS / CAPSTONE PROJECT
# 12 Suggestions for historic art prints to hang in school’s common areas
# 11 Board Involvement in Hiring
# 9 Tennessee school statement
# 7 Nonprofit Security Grant Program
# 6 Curriculum for hybrid model
# 5 Best Book on Board Governance?
# 4 Morning Staff Meetings, Encouraging Teachers, and Setting the Tone
# 2 Teacher tuition benefit and salary for total compensation
TOP 5
Videos on ACCS YouTube
# 5 Geronimo, Amen! Forging a New Path
# 3 Voddie Baucham, Abortion is Spiritual Warfare
# 2 Rosaria Butterfield, Five Lies of our Anti-Christian-Age
If you or someone you know would like to partner with us financially to advance classical Christian education, please follow the link below to donate now.