Education and Freedom: Defending the Family and Western Tradition - Jeffrey S. Trimbath
12 February 2026

Education and Freedom: Defending the Family and Western Tradition - Jeffrey S. Trimbath

Anchored by the Classic Learning Test

About

What kind of education is required to sustain a free society?

On this episode of The Anchored Podcast, Jeremy Wayne Tate, founder of the Classic Learning Test (CLT), sits down with Jeffrey S. Trimbath, President of the Maryland Family Institute, to examine the deep connection between classical education, family formation, and self-government.

Jeffrey draws on his experience in public policy, education, and family advocacy to argue that a democratic republic depends on citizens who can govern themselves—and that kind of formation does not happen by accident. From the decline of grammar schools to modern education experiments, this conversation explores how cultural and educational shifts shape freedom itself.

If we cannot govern ourselves, someone else will.

Topics Covered in This Episode:

Why self-government depends on moral and intellectual formation

The role of classical education in preserving a democratic republic

How modern schooling departed from the grammar school tradition

Family, virtue, and the Western intellectual inheritance

Education policy, parental rights, the issue of euthanasia, and cultural formation

About Our Guest

Jeffrey S. Trimbath is President of the Maryland Family Institute, an organization dedicated to strengthening families through public policy, education, and cultural engagement. Learn more at:

https://marylandfamily.org

About the Host

Jeremy Wayne Tate is the founder of the Classic Learning Test (CLT) and host of The Anchored Podcast, where education, culture, and the Western tradition meet.

About The Anchored Podcast

The Anchored Podcast is the official podcast of the Classic Learning Test, featuring conversations on classical education, culture, and the ideas that shape human flourishing.