Is the Hybrid Model the Future for Classical Christian Education?
And some visionaries are taking action on it.
This is why schools are adopting something called the “University Model,” which mixes onsite school days with at home days throughout the week. Hybrid students convene for discussions, lab experiments, and sports. They spend the other portion of their time at home working through a classical curriculum with their parents.
Adaptive schools are accommodating homeschool families and are realizing major gains from the homeschool student market. At least this has been the case with Grace Community Classical School, an ACCS member school based in Tyler, Texas.
Speaking to a local newspaper, Principal Jay Furguson expressed the many benefits of the model.
“One of the things that’s interesting about this is that we thought it was primarily going to be a partnership with the home school community,” Ferguson said. “It’s not just home school families; it’s families who want more flexibility with their kids.”
Flexibility makes this model appealing to homeschool parents who wonder if their choice to homeschool outright could compromise a part of their child’s curriculum.
“Younger families like to be able to customize and individualize the education of their children,” Furguson continued.
Grace isn’t the first school to practice this model. The Ambrose School in Meridian has developed a full “Bridge Program.” Or, take Veritas Classical Academy in Beaumont, Texas with its “University Model” approach.
School leaders will see that the hybrid model increases overall enrollment and exposes more families to classical Christian communities.
The Wave of the Future
In the past, Forbes Magazine has even referred to the concept as “the wave of the future.” When I was at the Sing Conference last week, the same question was asked of me over and over again.
“Classical Christian education … is that like Classical Conversations?”
Many people were interested in our trade show booth. Some were parents, others were musicians pastors, or teachers. But all of them seemed to have one things in common. They knew about classical Christian education because of the “homeschool pipeline.”
As of 2017, there were over 115,000 students enrolled in Classical Conversations.
For budgetary or social reasons, thousands of parents in the country caught the “classical bug” and went straight to homeschooling.
If you admire that, but think that your institution might have something more to offer–it might be a good idea to consider a hybrid model.
Hybrid schooling is one of the best ways to capture the attention of the homeschool market and grow your school and community.
I’m curious what most hybrid models do for high school. We have been at a local university model school, with 3 days at home and 2 at school for the younger grades and 2 days at home and 3 at school for the older grades. We’re saddened that the school is now moving to 4 days at school for the older grades and will probably pull out to full-time homeschool.
Providence Classical Christian Academy (http://www.providence-academy.com/) was the first University-Model School® in the State of Arkansas. The school’s enrollment grew from 39 students in 2004 to about 500 today. Many factors contribute to its success. The UMS® approach is among the chief reasons the school has been blessed. ACCS and UMSI have been sources of inspiration for its leadership.
If you observe Jay Furguson’s quote, you’ll notice that he is saying that he thought homeschooling families would be their main audience, but that is not the case. As the headmaster of a University Model school, I will say the same: the majority of our families are not “homeschool” families, but rather those who want to be more active in the discipleship of their children and want time back.
Coram Deo Academy in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX pioneered the hybrid or flexible schedule providing options to enroll 2, 3, 4 or 5 days per week. The school grew from 0-1,000 students during its first ten years of operation and now enrolls 1,325 students on three campuses.