Resource Description
Classical Conversations offers both community classes and curriculum resources for individual use. Foundations is the curriculum guide for K4 to 6th grade, Essentials for 3rd and up, and Challenge for 7th to 12th. The community classes meet throughout the US and Canada. From the website:
"Our three curriculum programs support your home-centered education by providing teaching tools for you, the parent, and quality educational materials for your student. Our guides, books, timeline cards, and multimedia resources have been thoughtfully crafted and selected. The math, science, literature, Latin, history, geography and fine arts studied in our Foundations Program represent a broad and interesting body of information. Our Essentials Program students work toward mastering English language skills and improving their writing technique. As students move into our Challenge Program and work toward becoming independent learners, they read, discuss, debate, analyze and write about award-winning literature—always within the framework of history and a biblical worldview.
"Our Foundations Communities serve children in the early stages, roughly ages 4 to 11. Foundations parents and students meet once a week for 24 weeks during the school year. Once late-elementary students enter the dialectic stage of learning, they join peers in our Essentials Communities, which usually meet in the afternoons after Foundations. In the middle and high school years, students hone their dialectic and rhetoric skills in our Challenge Communities."
Website: Classical Conversations (may contain affiliate links)
(64 Reviews)
Before investing in any homeschooling resources, please read "How to Choose the Best Homeschool Curriculum."
Contributor Reviews
Reviews are solely the opinions of the contributor.
Cons: Shallow friendships, untrained teachers, very expensive, Eurocentric curriculum, underwhelming Science experiments, shady business practices
Grades Used: 2-5
Classical Conversations is way overpriced for what you get. We did 3 years of foundations but my kids remembered nothing after we left. In fact, we joined a free homeschool program afterwards and found out that both my kids had serious gaps in their education. Thank goodness we discovered this while my kids were younger and had the chance to catch up. In addition, the adults that teach at CC (called tutors) only receive just hours of training and it shows. The curriculum is very Eurocentric and has no mention of the Civil Rights Movement or the Holocaust in the younger years. The younger curriculum (Foundations) also repeats every 3 years. A lot of the science experiments were very underwhelming and basic. Despite all of its problems, I mostly joined and stayed for the community aspect but once we left, those friendships disappeared. They were very shallow relationships and I encountered a lot of shunning after we left the group. In all I wish I had saved my money and joined our current free homeschool program instead of spending all that money on Classical Conversations. Julie Roys also did some reporting into their shady business practices.
Cons: The company has a money priority over a Christian priority
Grades Used: Foundations
My daughter was bullied by the directors child who’s twice her age. The company has a less than Christian attitude towards the problem. They refuse to refund me despite locking me out of the online books then saying one thing has nothing to do with the other. Completely dishonest. I am so disappointed in this company. My 4 year old isn’t obligated to continue to go after being bullied 2/3 days she attended.
Cons: Challenge- Too much too fast/ can be overwhelming
Grades Used: prek- 10th grade
I have been using Classical Conversations for 10+ years. My boys have gone through the Foundations, Essentials, and Challenge programs. Now that I have the vantage point of seeing all levels, I feel as though I can speak from an educated point of view. I have tutored all Foundations levels, and I have also directed the F/E levels.
I love the foundations levels with all the music, movement, and the freedom to explore at different learning levels. There are 7 subjects with a sentence/ information to memorize each week. With the younger ages, I just used song, movement, and repetition at home, but as they got older, I used the songs, movement, etc plus some hands on and books to dig in a little more.
The Essentials portion, which is for 4th- 6th grade levels, is a 3 year program which covers the same information each year, but by the 3rd year, the student is very well versed in grammar and writing. CC uses the Essentials in English Grammar, and IEW writing courses. Both excellent teaching curriculum.
The Challenge years, which are 7th-12th grade years, switches up the program. It absolutely uses the Foundations memory work, but builds on that with truly taking the opportunity to dig in further and find understanding. Unfortunately, I find that it moves so fast, like being drenched constantly by a firehose, that the quality of what you could learn is drowned out by the quantity. I feel as though the joy of learning is quickly lost by too much information and trying to keep up which becomes overwhelming to the student. I realize that the point of CC is to learn skills, and I have seen that in my 2 older boys, but also, I believe that the ability to take time to soak in and learn is lost and there is no room to breathe. My oldest is now in Challenge 2, and I have learned to make the curriculum work for us and not work for the curriculum, but I think I would have pulled him out if it had not been for the classmates that he has grown up with being in his class. My middle son, who is now in Challenge B, does not have the close class that my older son has, and I am not planning to have him continue into the high school years with CC. I just don't think it works for him and that he will flourish better with a more traditional type curriculum. We decided to have our youngest, who is in 6th grade, only do the Essentials program this year due to its solid curriculum. He is also enrolled in a different co-op that has a great balance of electives and academic classes. He is finding joy again in learning. I don't plan to have him continue into the Challenge program in CC.
Overall, CC has been great for us throughout the years. I think the F/E years built a great foundation for learning. I do see our oldest finishing out CC through his high school years, but I do not see my younger 2 continuing after this year. I feel as though the Challenge years are too much too fast, quantity over quality, but I also see great skills that are learned. I would recommend understanding how your child learns and that not every curriculum is a one size fits all and that ways of learning may change over the years as they get older.
Cons: Costs
Grades Used: Foundations
Been in it for 3 years. I have only done 1 other traditional co-op and I can say parents are more committed with CC and less likely to flake out last minute. I like that each week is Basically the same which makes it easier to implement at home. Not a fan of some of the science experiments, but love the drawing & art portions. The upfront costs are a lot but tutoring has helped in that area. Our community isn’t perfect but each year things seem a bit more smooth.
Cons: Subject to the moral character to the director
Grades Used: Challenge 1 and 2
We were very disappointed in our director’s response to our concerns about the behavior of the students in her class, including her own son. While she practices forgiveness, she seems to be lacking at discipline. My daughter has experienced harassment and victim blaming. We had to pull her due to the director’s negligence.
Cons: Wish it was more than once per week.
Grades Used: Foundations
I am surprised by a few reviews, but understand that some groups and communities may vary. Our group seems to very accurately reflect the Classical Conversations mission - "To know God and make Him known." I am excited to have found this community and look forward to many years together.
Cons: legal liability, educational advancement and freedom not allowed, mental and emotional manipulation
Grades Used: Foundations and Essentials
I was referred to Classical Conversations by a friend. As a parent my community days were fine. As a tutor it was rigorous going over the English program. The Essentials Guide and other recommended material for English grammar is hard to understand and honestly, a waste of my time. To tutor I ended up using a different curriculum to understand the concepts, which I had to teach.
As a director, which you must pay the company to do, I had to find my own church and was told that I make all decisions on my own, autonomy. But often, the case was that my decisions were disregarded when families didn't get their way (as I followed corporate guidelines) then employees pushed me aside to side with parents, so they could keep the business and look like the good guys.
Directors are committed for an entire year and a half for a single school year. 80% of the work is volunteered time, with minimal compensation. The work of tutoring and directing are full time jobs, without even minimum wage (which is an under statement).
When faced with challenging situations and families, I was asked to appease the irate people, instead of letting them go. I was encouraged to use mental manipulation on parents (a tactic employees often use). When I expressed my concerns for liability to corporate, I was first ignored, then accused of not behaving in a Christian manner, then closely monitored.
I reached out using their required Matthew 18 model to talk with corporate employees about the lack of support during serious matters to try to resolve some serious issues that were difficult for me. The situation was turned around on me. I was cut off often, then I was accused of personal attacks, then not allowed to defend myself.
My children were forced to be held back from their actual grade levels because of their ages did not align with the programs.
This is not a program for educational freedom. It is a for-profit company, which words itself as an institution, masking itself as a ministry, and often uses mental and emotional manipulation to keep families enrolled. It is a multi-level marketing system that preys on families searching for Christian based homeschool.
Cons: Middle and High School Curriculum is lacking in math and science.
Grades Used: 1st thru 6th
I loved the foundations curriculum for CC, but found their customer support very poor. If you are stuck with an inept tutor or director, you will be politely reminded that their are no refunds. If an egregious deed has to you by a CC tutor on a CC day, you are expected to handle it yourself and are reminded of the passage in Matthew 18. I hosted a CC community at my farm. During the day, a CC tutor, who was an competitor coach for another team, helped themselves to my team's event binder by taking it out of the cupboard, taking pictures of it, and downloaded the pictures to their team member, all while I was absent from that room. I followed the Matthew 18 outline with no success. I am still shunned today, and CC leadership refuses to use their position of authority to better my situation.
Cons: Zero
Grades Used: Zero
TAGS: Joni Nichols, homeschool, Homeschooling, Parent, Parent Preparation, Curriculum, Classical Conversations, Classical Education, Selection, Community, Resources
Cons: Students and teachers must be able to plan and organize; too fast-paced for some; places a strong emphasis on English composition; students must be honest and held accountable..
Grades Used: Foundations through Challenge III
I am a Challenge III student, having spent six years in Classical Conversations from Foundations till now. Because I have spent the vast majority of my academic life as a homeschooled student, I can only base my experience (in comparison to public schooled student) on second-hand reports.
However, what I can tell you, readers, is this: CC is intellectually rigorous once you enter Challenge, and not for the faint of heart. English composition is necessary, since many of each strand include some aspects of exposition. Additionally, most of my peers find it difficult to keep up with Latin, and he/she will struggle if he/she dislikes writing. I am unable to count how many of my fellow students have dropped out, not because of extenuating circumstances, but because of the sheer mental fortitude and diligence that this program demands. If you follow the Challenge guide to a tee, then you must be prepared for some sacrifice.
CC has worked for me, as a consequence of my natural inner-perfectionist. I am driven, focused, and thrive among mental challenges. I adhere to CC's standards, and my mother's standards. She is a nurse anesthetist, one of the best in her field of expertise, and as such, maintains a strict code of efficiency. I am an over-achiever, a logistician, a lover of knowledge. A competitive environment provides me a thrill of satisfaction. Science, Latin, and English are the subjects at which I excel. I prefer order over chaos, logic over emotion, theories and rhetoric over hands-on practicality. People with similar mindsets will succeed using CC, as long as their goals are to learn, and continue to learn. My mother (and teacher) share this.
Some of my fellow peers, however, do not share that thirst for knowledge. Those that do enjoy learning are not self-motivated, and struggle to plan far ahead. This is practically a prerequisite for CC. Once your student(s) begin Challenge, they must be capable of prioritizing and planning for their assignments, and possess the determination to follow through with those plans. My twin sister, whose personality deviates wildly from my own, at first struggled once she entered Challenge, since she is free-spirited and hates rule-based environments. Since then, she has learned to adapt, and has reached success via hard work.
Evaluate your children's learning styles. Are they more "hands-on"? Visual? Does your student enjoy building, touching? Of course, you can supplement CC with alternative mediums, but if your student is less inclined towards a fast-paced, rigorous, and self-driven program, then CC is not for you. It is structured and academically stimulating, each strand demanding time, effort, and commitment. If this seems too difficult, then, well, yes--it is too difficult. Those who loath structure and organization will find themselves floundering, grasping for a metaphorical scapegoat to blame their fortunes (or lack thereof): poor administrators, fickle bearucracy, mean directors, mean cliques, mean parents . . . It all comes down to your learning styles, not necessarily your capacity to learn. If you don't have high educational expectations, then you immediately set yourself up for failure because of low expectations.
Cons: expensive, exclusive, poor leadership, poor training
Grades Used: Foundations, Essentials, Challenge B, Challenge 2, Challenge 3, Challenge 4
Where do I start.... No accountability for leadership. Each Director is an independent contractor so no one can actually be held accountable for actions or decisions. Issues were brought to CC Corporate but they did not ever respond because Corporate has legally separated themselves from the actual function and application of their curriculum. Several issues were brought through the chain of command and the responses were everything from lies to denial and manipulation. Sometimes even sensing a serious pride and control that they really want over how you homeschool, even though all their literature and training says otherwise. How do I know? I was on the inside of how it all works.
Please also keep in mind that if you are looking for a Christian curriculum, this is NOT it! You actually have to purchase a separate Bible curriculum for your family. In Foundations (we did 3 years), notice there really isn't anything "Christian" about what is taught. Same goes for Essentials. The IEW Program is very good but it is not produced by CC so you can purchase it elsewhere.
Based on my experience as a Director... most students don't come prepared and parents aren't involved.
Oh! I didn't mention that most Directors don't want parents in the Challenge Class with them? I saw way too many emails where Directors complained about parents being in class and asking for the best way to ask them to leave. OMG! Very disheartening!
So, If you're looking for affordable, this isn't it.... If you're looking for Christian, this isn't it (just look at the curriculum and the books they have to read)... If you're looking for an elitist mentality, look no further.
Cons: expensive; abusive behavior from corporate reps; gaps in Challenge (7+) program; curriculum error-filled yet "updated" often to require repurchase; MLM structure;
Grades Used: Foundations through Challenge
(This review needs to be intentionally vague on personal details as I and my community have experienced firsthand the backlash that comes from saying anything negative about Classical Conversations, so please pardon this.) CC has its strengths but also some serious flaws. Our family has been a part of our beautiful CC community for over five years. I’ve held multiple leadership positions, and my children have benefited from the Foundations-level program. It is not ideal for all kids, though you might be told this; but in our case, the material provided a structure and also encouraged our family to learn how to learn. I enjoyed being introduced to the Classical model of education and wish I’d learned about it long ago. CC touts its Parent Practicums as "sought after" and helpful to parents. They are actually three-day-long (required for tutors) advertisements for the company. The practicum itself is free but the "camps" for kids are not. My kids had some good experiences and some bad ones, depending on the volunteers who agree to run these "camps". CC exerts significant pressure, depending on your leadership and community, to perform according to certain standards (Memory Master, etc) that not every child (or adult) can meet. Our community has always struck a balance, and we have had few if any issues with the legalistic side of things until this year. We’ve recently been forced to interact with CC representatives much more than before, and they are trained, apparently, to control their communities, often through fear, spiritual manipulation, and intimidation. Do your own research on this, but our community’s experience is far from isolated. Many of our long-term families are leaving CC completely after this year, not because of the original issues that were discussed, but because of the bullying and unprofessionalism that we have experienced. From a secular company, this would have been surprising and hurtful. From a company that claims to be a ministry and to do its work in the name of Christ, but that abuses and uses its customers, who are “just” moms trying to homeschool their children, it’s beyond offensive. CC is a for-profit company, which is of course fine. But they walk at the least a very fine line in claiming to be a ministry so that churches will open their doors and allow communities to meet on their premises, while encouraging these communities to give “donations” or “love offerings” to the churches to compensate. Again, do your own research, but it seems that they are willingly putting communities, directors and families, as well as churches at risk. The curriculum is a compilation of ideas and material from other places that are certainly not classical. They would say that the content isn’t as important as the method. But the program nothing that a parent could not put together and implement at home, and there are other far less restrictive and less expensive programs out there already that are similarly “classical” in nature. In addition, CC regularly “updates” their materials, though somehow without correcting many glaring errors, changing them just enough that books, CDs, flashcards, and other materials that you may have from previous years or older siblings have to be re-purchased at significant expense, especially if you are a tutor. Which brings us to the contracting. If you choose CC as a place for your family, you will be encouraged to “step up” and tutor. I personally loved tutoring, and having to learn the same material as my kiddos kept me accountable. However, read the contract before you sign it. Better yet, have your husband or even an attorney friend read it over. It’s not friendly and is meant, along with other methods, to control you. CC would, of course, have some reason for this, but it simply is over-the-top for essentially volunteer moms (the tutor pay is negligible). Parents who do agree to tutor must have all children in the programs to be “allowed” to step up to ensure that they are “all in”. When a parent tutor or director attempts to leave, they are frequently shamed and belittled by their “support rep”, or SR, or others further up the chain. This was my personal experience this year. I will not go into details for a number of reasons, but unless a family leaves quietly and without comment, they are warned and at times threatened, sometimes with legal action. I could say much more, and this review will likely be followed by glowing endorsements of CC contradicting my experience; but if you are still considering sending money to this organization (not ministry), please do your research first and keep your eyes and ears wide open and your heart and family guarded.
Cons: inept tutors, poor training program, essentials and foundation curriculum is rigid and does not work for every child
Grades Used: 7-12
my family has been with classical conversations a few years, and while the classical mode of education is quite beneficial with preparing for college, some serious modifications could be made in their curriculum AND tutor training programs. the essentials and foundations rely on rote memory, which does not suit every learning style. the how and the why of what they are required to memorize is not taught until the upper grades, 7-12. we are very fortunate to have found our classical conversations campus, the people are great and want to help children learn. However, the rapidly inconsistent quality of tutors needs to be closely examined. some are very helpful, while others get put in a poor training program and are inept to teach a class of young adults preparing for college. Something a 16 year old does NOT want to hear from their teacher is that they are "learning with you." The curriculum is already extremely student driven, seeing as they meet only once a week and the tutors rarely have time to dive deep enough into certain subjects. Therefore the tutors should be able to eloquently teach and not make an excuse of learning with their students. overall, classical conversations is a good program with room for much needed improvement in the two categories aforementioned. a hit or miss, for some, but currently working for my family.
Cons: curriculum they produce is riddled with errors
Grades Used: middle/high school
I will never EVER buy a first edition of ANY book or curriculum produced by Classical Conversations. The new 5th Edition Foundations Guide has errors. The Essentials Guide has errors. The first edition Math in Motion curriculum was a joke as both the student book and the answer key had many errors. Students became very frustrated as well as tutors and parents when they couldn't get support from the Academic Advisors. The Challenge A "required" expensive map book has errors. The Logic Trivium Table had to be reprinted and sent to anyone who purchased it at practicum. Be very wary of the new Art book coming out. CC can afford to hire a professional proofreader or two. There is no way some of these errors would have ever made it through to the printing press had they focused on quality vs. quantity and sales. CC curriculum is way too high priced for a company that doesn't even have the ability to offer an errata sheet on the exact page where you buy the product. Most every other curriculum company provides these details to their customers. CC also sells old editions of curriculum that doesn't match their new editions without disclosure. For example, the old Prescripts don't match the new 5th edition Guide, but they still sold those at practicum to unsuspecting families and make NO note of it on their website. They should clearly mark what edition of materials you are purchasing or put it on sale/clearance. It seems like they want to hold you hostage so you have to beg for a corrections sheet through your Director. Customer Service is of little help in dealing with these issues.