Schools serving US military families put new emphasis on Western civilization and Christianity

The Department of Defense is introducing a new course focused on Western civilization and Christianity in schools it operates for military families this fall, as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's initiative to emphasize patriotic values and classical learning. The Defense Department operates around 160 schools across 11 countries, educating approximately 70,000 students, mainly children of active-duty military or civilian service members. Conservatives have considered these schools as a testing ground for reshaping education.

The new course, based on a textbook titled "The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition, Volume I: The Ancient World and Christendom" published by conservative publishing house Encounter Books, will use lesson plans created in collaboration with Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan. Critics have raised concerns that the textbook inaccurately portrays history, painting Western civilization and Christianity as one and the same and depicting Islam as a threat to both.

Historical scholars and educators who reviewed the text assert that it misrepresents historical events and perspectives.

This course is part of a broader shift within the Defense Department's schools, which has started hiring teachers with expertise in classical learning and appointed new academic leaders with ties to classical learning charter schools and Republican-led efforts to promote patriotic and civic education. The department has also brought in classical learning as a core component of their educational philosophy.

Classical education emphasizes critical thinking and citizenship, teaching students to imitate the rhetoric and style of prominent thinkers and writers from Western tradition.

The Department of Defense did not respond to inquiries about the textbook and the broader push for classical learning by the publication deadline. Classical education generally focuses on the liberal arts, with an emphasis on critical thinking and citizenship, wherein students are trained to emulate the style of great thinkers and writers.

However, critics argue that this approach focuses excessively on foundational texts from Greek, Roman, and other Western writers, and conservatives view it as a countermeasure to what they perceive as inaccurate and unflattering depictions of American history.