History of the Core Virtues Program and its Traditional Implementation

Core Virtues was born during a pivotal time in America’s history. A spirit of educational reform swept the nation in the late 1980s and early 1990s as people asked themselves what had gone wrong in America’s schools. A lack of content and a relativistic approach to character education had combined to produce a failing education system, and prominent names entered the scene to offer solutions. At the University of Virginia, E.D. Hirsch sought to solve the content problem by creating Core Knowledge. This program provided particular content that all American students could learn to build "cultural literacy," a phrase coined by Hirsch. At Boston College, William Kilpatrick authored Why Johnny Can’t Tell Right from Wrong, which called on schools to address the apathy that characterized the nation’s youth by reigniting the moral imaginations of children through great literature. In his well-known anthology, The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories, former Secretary of Education William Bennett offered a similar solution by providing classic stories to inspire moral formation in children. Content and character education answered many of the nation’s challenges. In New Hampshire, a college professor turned school founder was emboldened to make a difference in her own corner of the world by creating a program that would later expand to schools nationwide.  

Dr. Mary Beth Klee, founder of Core Virtues, answered the call to care for children’s hearts and minds when she founded Crossroads Academy, an independent K-8 school, in northern New Hampshire in 1991. Her school adopted the newly published Core Knowledge Sequence to furnish students’ minds with robust content. This curriculum inspired her to create a parallel program that could cultivate her students’ love of virtue through literature—thus, Core Virtues was born. For over 30 years, the Core Virtues program has supported parents and educators who seek to form children's moral imaginations through great stories. Hillsdale College is honored to be a part of this history and to carry the torch forward for future generations.  

To learn more about the traditional implementation of Core Virtues, including featured book lists and the three-year virtue cycle, check out the flip book below: