Artificial intelligence is everywhere—in classrooms, workplaces, even living rooms. As algorithms get smarter and faster, the question grows sharper: what skills will students need to thrive in a world where machines can process information at lightning speed?
For Ron Packard, Founder and CEO of ACCEL Schools, the answer isn’t “more tech.” It’s something much older.
Inside Ohio’s new Jefferson Classical Academy
That’s the premise behind Jefferson Classical Academy of Ohio, a new tuition-free, virtual K–8 public charter school now open to every family in the state. The school is the first to bring classical education—an approach built on the Socratic meth
od, logic, rhetoric and character development—to Ohio students regardless of zip code.
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Packard believes this model fits the moment. “AI can give students answers, but it can’t tell them what questions are worth asking,” he said. Classical education, with its emphasis on dialogue and critical thinking, helps students interrogate assumptions, weigh sources and synthesize competing ideas—skills urgently needed in an era of deepfakes, bias and information overload.
“We’re not anti-AI. We simply believe students need to think better than the machine.” Packard adds, “It trains students to become active thinkers rather than passive receivers—exactly the kind of mental discipline AI rewards.”
Education beyond the algorithm
For Packard, the defining challenge of education in an AI-shaped world isn’t efficiency—it’s humanity.
When asked what qualities future leaders will need most, he emphasizes: “Character. Clarity. Courage.”
Machines may process data faster than humans, but, as he notes, they don’t “wrestle with moral dilemmas” or “take responsibility.” His conviction: students must be equipped with virtue as well as intellect if they are to lead wisely in the future.
Parents share that concern. Many, Packard explains, worry their children will grow up disconnected from meaning and overwhelmed by technology. The school responds by teaching students how to think rather than what to think—and by weaving ethics, literature and history into the core curriculum so students remain grounded.
Leaders for the future
Packard envisions students knowing how to prompt AI effectively and evaluate whether its solutions align with truth and justice. They’ll also be better writers, sharper thinkers and more articulate speakers—hallmarks of classical training in grammar, logic and rhetoric.
In short, Jefferson aims to produce graduates who won’t just use the tools of the future but help shape them.
Blending past and future
For skeptics who wonder if a classical education is too old-fashioned for a digital age, Packard insists it’s the opposite. “You don’t have to choose between a modern education and a classical one,” he said. Students at Jefferson read the Constitution and Cicero even as they learn to navigate new technologies. His core belief: “The best way to prepare students for the future is to anchor them in the wisdom of the past.”
