Criteria For Ranking
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Disclaimer: This ranking is biased in favor of occidental curricula that highlight the ancestral traditions of Europeans or those of the European Diaspora (e.g. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, U.S.A., etc.). We do not claim these this curriculum is necessarily the best, but merely the unique tradition of Westerners. For non-Westerners, there are other great-books curricula available. For example, for Asians, there are various Asian great-books programs; for people with ancestry from the Middle East and North Africa, various Arabic/Persian great-books programs; for Hispanics with ancestry from Mexico, and Central & South America, various Amerindian/Mestizo great-books programs; for those of African heritage, various African great-books programs; and for people with ancestry from India, various Indo-Dravidian great-books programs; etc. We shall leave it to others to rank schools based on non-Western curricula.
The criteria for these rankings are the markings of a rigorous classical, liberal arts education.
We look for the following:
Positive Points:
Classical Education: Whether serious great-books courses are offered stressing the timeless themes of man's existence. We look for a broad classical spectrum, including the classics of Ancient Greece and Rome; Medieval and Renaissance Europe, and England. We look for courses in Classical Latin and Classical Greek. Great-Books Reading List.
Languages :
English: After one has learned Latin, it is advisable that one read Robert Lowth's A Short Introduction to English Grammar (1762), and Fowler’s King’s English (Oxford Press). Also the Second Edition (not the Third) of Fowler’s Modern English Usage is quite indispensable.
Latin: Studies show that at least two years of Classical Latin not only augments one's English vocabulary by 20,000 words, but also provides one with a meticulous understanding of English grammar. Classical Latin not only prepares one for a career in law, science, medicine, business or humanities, but will also enrich one’s life by allowing him to read the Western Classics.
Additional Languages: After or before (or in some circumstances, in place of) Classical Latin, one should learn at least one other Western language, preferably French, German, Italian, Anglo Saxon, Gaelic, Old Norse, and/or Classical Greek. If a student is to study only two foreign languages, Classical Latin and German would be best, as these two languages most influenced English. In order to maintain a highbrow benchmark, we strongly advise against Spanish.) (See map: languages of Europe.)
German: The basis of Old English (Anglo-Saxon) and representative of the Germanic family of languages (Danish, Dutch, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, etc.). Today German is the most widely spoken language in Europe. German, like Latin, is an inflected language, the study of which will refine one's understanding of grammar.
History: Serious history survey courses covering the history of Greece, Rome, Europe, the UK, and the USA.
Mathematics & Science: Serious coursework in mathematics and science.
Ethics and Philosophy: Serious coursework in ethics and the history of philosophy.
Negative Points: (lowering a school's ranking)
Nonsense Courses: School curricula that are watered down by "social-studies" courses or vocational courses (e.g. "business," "accounting," etc.) will not be taken seriously. "Politically-correct" courses also will lower a school's academic ranking.
Poorly Educated Teachers: Schools where teachers have degrees in "Education" and administrators (e.g. principals) have graduate degrees in "Education" will lower a school's ranking. "Certification" is a waste of time. By this ranking and many others, an "education degree" is a mark of mediocrity. We prefer to see teachers and administrators with real degrees.
Books of the Week: Camp of the Saints; On Genetic Interests; Bad Students, Not Bad Schools
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