Amid national battles over what children should learn in public schools, Hillsdale is working to export this vision by setting up charter schools in over a dozen states and publicizing its 1776 Curriculum, which emphasizes American exceptionalism. The college says over 8,400 administrators and teachers have downloaded the curriculum, and a growing number of state and local policymakers are also seeking Hillsdale’s guidance.
In Pennsylvania, a school board in the Philadelphia suburbs recently hired a former Hillsdale administrator, over vociferous objections from teachers, to incorporate the 1776 Curriculum into the district’s coursework and advise administrators on books to remove from libraries.