Episode 44: Correcting the Radical Detour with Jeremy Tate

Summary

Can tests actually inspire students rather than just stressing them out? Here, Robert talks with Jeremy Tate, founder and CEO of the Classic Learning Test, an education company that provides assessments that are intellectually richer and more rigorous than traditional standardized tests and college entrance exams. Jeremy discusses where standardized testing has gone wrong, the virtues and future of classical education, what sets CLT exams apart from other standardized tests like the SAT and ACT, and why so many colleges are gladly awarding scholarships based on students’ CLT exam scores. After the conversation with Jeremy, Robert uses the classical tools of learning to help listeners understand Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News and, in the “Classical Crypto” segment, considers why the federal government is selling its Bitcoin.

Quote

“Almost every generation before us—what they were going after, what they were trying to do in this big crazy thing we call education—was fundamentally different. What they were going after was moral formation and the cultivation of virtue . . . . I thought, ‘Wow! This is in no way what I’ve ever been exposed to. When did we make this radical detour?’”  

Jeremy Tate

Topics

• Intro to Jeremy Tate [0:50]
• Jeremy’s definition of truth [1:40]
• The influence of standardized testing [2:51]
• What’s wrong with the SAT? [6:42]
• How CLT exams are different from the SAT and ACT [8:22]
• Hundreds of colleges accept the CLT [10:40]
• “Tests drive the curriculum” [12:39]
• What students can expect from upcoming CLT exams [16:10]
• CLT scholarship opportunities [18:56]
• Why students come away inspired after taking a CLT exam [19:48]
• The difference between testing and assessment [21:37]
• How Jeremy educates his own children [23:59]
• Anchored podcast [26:31]
• Jeremy’s crypto journey [27:27]
• How Jeremy’s background as a teacher influenced his views on education [28:49]
• Jeremy’s thoughts on the future of classical education [33:28]
• Farewell to Jeremy [35:45]
• “Current Events Discussion”: Tucker Carlson Leaves Fox News [37:13]
• Ad: Scribblers at Home: Now Available! [39:12]
• “Classical Crypto”: Why the federal government is selling its Bitcoin [40:08]
• Outro [43:52]

Mentions

• Classic Learning Test (CLT)
• Anchored Podcast | CLT
• Robert Bortins on Founding Classical Conversations | Anchored | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
• Mount de Sales Academy
• Reformed Theological Seminary
• The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis | Classical Conversations Books
• College Board
• SAT | College Board
• David Coleman | College Board
• “Parents Raise Concern Over SAT Essay Question on Bernie Sanders’ Op-Ed” | Breitbart
• ACT
• The Republic by Plato | Amazon
• “Can You Pass Harvard’s 1869 Entrance Exam?” | Business Insider
• Pete Hegseth | Fox News
• Hillsdale College
• Grove City College
• Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
• Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA)
• The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish by Lil Miss Hot Mess | Amazon
• Anderson University
• Palm Beach Atlantic University
• Belmont Abbey College
• Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis | Classical Conversations Books
• Louisiana State University
• Clemson University
• Overstock
• The Lion, the With, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis | Classical Conversations Books
• “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor | Wikipedia
• Associated Colleges of the South (ACS)
• The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell | Amazon
• Jeremy Tate (@JeremyTate41) | Twitter
• “Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News after Dominion lawsuit disclosures” | The Washington Post
• Silk Road (marketplace) | Wikipedia
• Ross Ulbricht | Wikipedia
• Coinbase
• “Over-the-Counter (OTC): Trading and Security Types Defined” | Investopedia