Is the CLAA accredited?

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Yes, the CLAA is accredited by Cognia. In July 2024, the Classical Liberal Arts Academy (CLAA) achieved full accreditation from Cognia, the world’s largest accrediting agency, serving over 32,000 schools in more than 90 countries. This honor affirms the CLAA’s commitment to excellence in classical education and its alignment with rigorous global standards. Notably, the CLAA earned an Index of Educational Quality (IEQ) score of 320, which significantly surpasses Cognia’s average benchmark of 253, highlighting the Academy’s dedication to high-quality instruction, institutional effectiveness, and continuous improvement.

Who is Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.?

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Mr. William C. Michael, O.P., is the founder and headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy. A Dominican tertiary devoted to the preservation and renewal of classical Catholic education, Mr. Michael has spent more than two decades researching, restoring, and republishing the original sources of the classical liberal arts curriculum. He is the author of Understanding Classical Catholic Education and numerous scholarly articles on classical philosophy, Scholastic theology, and Catholic education. Since founding the Academy in 2008, he has worked to make the full classical curriculum—rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition, the writings of Aristotle, and the teachings of the … Continue

What Should Christians Be Doing?

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Good Works. The unfortunate result of the debate between Protestants and Catholics regarding the nature of good works is that Christian works have been compartmentalized and thus left mostly undone in our age. The daily work of Christians is reduced to mere faith – even if one accepts the Catholic doctrine of the merit of works, they are understood to be something done by clerics, or nuns, or extraordinary people like saints. But this was never the understanding of Christian works in history. Rather, Christians have always understood good works to be essential, central, and necessary to one’s lived experience … Continue

Writing Advice from C.S. Lewis

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The following points of advice were written by C.S. Lewis in 1959.  The comments on each point are mine. 1. Turn off the Radio. In 1959, the radio was considered a source of distracting noise by Lewis, and we can only imagine what he would think of the television, internet, social media and smartphones today. The point here is that to write well, we need to guard our minds from the distractions of the world’s noise and focus them on our goal.  This would extend to other noise as well.  We need silence. 2. Read all the good books you … Continue

Thinking of the Natural World without Atoms

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All of us have been raised in modern society, which is dominated by one particular school of thought.  We have been taught from our youth that the world is composed of invisible bodies, called “atoms”, which explain the behaviors of all natural objects we see, feel, tasks, hear and smell. This worldview is so pervasive that few, if any, can even think of an alternative. Yet, for most of world history, this worldview was never held by wise men. Let’s be clear:  The existence of atoms is not a scientific fact.  The existence of atoms is a theory used to … Continue

Truth and Goodness: The Real Ends of Education

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Today is August 13, 2025, and I’m William Michael, the headmaster of the Classical Liberal Arts Academy.  If you’d like to learn about the work we do in making real classical Catholic education available for students of all ages, visit our website at classicalliberalarts.com.  I’d love to have you join us for studies. When I was in college studying Classics and Ancient History at Rutgers University, I took a course in educational philosophy.  The course was taught by an old, retired professor, Dr. Adam Scrupski, who became a mentor and great friend to me. He was the source of my … Continue

First Steps: Getting Your Family Started in CLAA

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One of the biggest challenges for new families is knowing where to begin. The Classical Liberal Arts Academy can feel large and unfamiliar, and it’s easy to worry about “doing it wrong.” The good news is that you don’t need to have everything figured out from the start. This article will guide you through the first steps of beginning your family’s studies with confidence. Start Simple, Not Overwhelmed Many parents make the mistake of trying to enroll their children in too many courses at once. Because CLAA restores the full Catholic curriculum, it can feel like there’s so much to … Continue

Cynewulf, Elene

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Elene by Cynewulf Translated by Lucius Hudson Holt 1. THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE. There had passed in the turn of years, as men mark the tale of time, two hundred and thirty and three winters over the world since the Lord God, the Glory of kings and Light of the faithful, was born on earth in human guise; and it was the sixth year of the reign of Constantine since he was raised in the realm of the Romans to lead their army, a prince of battles. He was a bulwark to his people, valiant with the shield, and gracious to … Continue