Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words When Schooling Became Utilitarian: The Quiet Shift That Changed Everything | Andrew Zwerneman
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Feb 26, 2026 Andrew Zwerneman, founder of Cana Academy and creator of History250.org, is a longtime classical humanities teacher and trainer. He traces how progressivism shifted schooling toward utility. He discusses restoring classical liberal education, seminar-style teacher training, early foundations like reading and memorization, and projects to recover balanced history for the public.
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Education Is A Historical Transmission
- Education is fundamentally the transmission of culture across generations and therefore an inherently historical project.
- Andrew Zwerneman argues progressivism and pragmatism turned schooling toward utility and the child, weakening curated adult-led cultural inheritance.
Two Waves Reshaped Modern Schooling
- Two major 20th-century assaults reshaped American education: progressivism (utility-focused) and the New Left (radical critique of American institutions).
- Zwerneman links John Dewey's child-centered pragmatism to vulnerability that the New Left later exploited in universities.
Recover Liberal Education Centered On Ordered Freedom
- Recover liberal education centered on ordered freedom anchored by permanent transcendentals rather than radical autonomy.
- Zwerneman recommends classical education rooted in Athens, Jerusalem, and Rome with voices like Russell Kirk guiding renewal.
