“A Thomas Jefferson Education,” is the title of the book on classics-based education written by Dr. Oliver Van DeMille. In it, he describes the kind of education that created some of the greatest leaders in history—Thomas Jefferson being the quintessential example. The American founding fathers, as well as many other great men and women throughout history, were able to truly impact the world for better because they learned using classical educational models. In today's world, the concept of this type of liberal arts education has generally been replaced by the mass-training of students for the job market.

Have you ever wondered why in past generations, youth in their teens were well-versed in Shakespeare and Euclid, yet many teenagers today struggle to pass standardized tests? Are we, as a society any better educated today than those in years past? What kind of education do our children need for their future lives? How will our grandchildren and great-grandchildren be able to face the challenges of the future, if the lessons of the past become obsolete?

Thomas Jefferson Education (TJEd) serves as a wake-up call for parents and other educators to come out of the fog of modern distraction, and change the face of education for future generations. Today's children are tomorrow's leaders. Will they be prepared for the days to come? The greatest minds throughout history—those who changed the world and lead nations, dynasties, cultures, and societies—were once children, just like yours. The world desperately needs vision and direction, and as parents, our highest calling is to raise truly-educated leaders who can plan, prepare, and improve the lives of the generations yet to come.

As parents catch the vision and decide they want to help their children become the leaders they were born to be, the most common problem then becomes “What do I do next?” As parents who are striving to give our own children a leadership education, we recommend the following first steps.

1. Both parents should read the “TJEd” book, to learn why leadership education is important
2. Immediately follow that with the new book “Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning,” authored by both Oliver and Rachel DeMille, to understand more about how to implement TJEd principles in the home
3. We also highly recommend reading “A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion” by Oliver DeMille, Rachel DeMille, and Diann Jeppson. This book provides a wealth of additional ideas and practical examples for TJEd home education.
4. Join the community. Nothing serves to inspire change like seeing how it helps other families, and nothing helps you stay on the path like having support from friends on the same journey.
   • Find other TJEd Families in your area using the TJEd Locator, listed at the top of each page as the Find Others link.
   • There are some wonderful discussion forums here, which are also linked at the top of the page, that can help connect you with other TJEd families. These also contain a wealth of questions and answers about “how to do it.” Please feel free to ask your own questions there, as well.
   • Sign up for our free newsletter, the TJEd Times. It’s a great way to get periodic reminders of what is going on in the community, as well as encouragement for your own endeavors.

We hope you’ll join us in this renaissance of true liberal arts education. The world needs leaders, and those leaders live in your home. Please give them the education they will need to truly change the world.