Jeremy Wayne Tate, founder and CEO of the Classic Learning Test (CLT), participated in a discussion with Pepperdine University president Jim Gash as part of the President’s Speaker Series on February 26, 2026. The event took place in Payson Library’s Surfboard Room and focused on education that emphasizes both moral and intellectual development.
In his opening remarks, Gash stated, “Education is never neutral. What we choose to teach, how we choose to teach it, and even how we measure what has been taught—these all reflect a vision of what we believe a human being is, and what we believe a human being is for . . . And we believe that students flourish when they are transformed by serious engagement with the great ideas and great works that have shaped civilizations.”
Gash introduced Tate as an important figure in educational reform who founded the CLT in 2015 as an alternative to the SAT and ACT. He noted that Tate’s approach aligns with Pepperdine’s principles: “At Pepperdine,” Gash said, “we believe that intellectual excellence and moral formation are inseparable.” He further stated that Christian faith guides learning at Pepperdine.
The CLT includes passages from about 150 influential thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Dostoevsky, Dorothy Sayers, and C. S. Lewis. According to Gash, this test has influenced school curricula and discussions about literacy by promoting deeper intellectual inquiry while also including Christian perspectives.
Tate described his motivation for creating the CLT during his time teaching in public schools. He observed that standardized testing often dictated curriculum choices: “I wanted to solve the problem I saw happening in education,” said Tate. “While a test is probably never going to change a single student’s life, a school changes a student’s life. And a test has a big influence on a school remaining faithful to its mission. If we care about the future of our country, we have to care about how we educate the next generation.”
Rather than eliminating testing altogether, Tate aimed to design an assessment that supports deep reading and engagement with classic texts. He explained that classic literature expresses “what it means to be human” and helps shape character through storytelling.
The popularity of the CLT increased significantly in 2024; according to Tate, participation rose from 25,000 test takers to 250,000 nationwide—including those at major service academies. More than 300 universities now accept CLT scores.
Tate emphasized parallels between virtue education and Christian sanctification: growing in wisdom involves striving for greater resemblance to God. He shared his personal experience reading Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment,” which helped him understand consequences of sin and motivated him toward virtue.
He commented on students’ search for meaning amid social media culture: “We are seeing a generation that wants something deeper,” he explained. “They want truth. They want substance.”
Addressing questions about artificial intelligence in education’s future, Tate expressed optimism but highlighted its limitations: “AI can summarize information,” he said, “but it can’t replace formation. It can’t replace a teacher who inspires, who models virtue.”
During the event, it was announced that President Jim Gash joined the CLT Board of Academic Advisors alongside Jessica Hooten Wilson of Pepperdine University’s Great Books program. Afterward Tate wrote on X: “President Gash is the single most dynamic, energetic, and mission-obsessed university president I have ever met.”
The event drew faculty members, students from various levels of Christian schools across California—including Holy Innocents School—and over 4,000 viewers via livestream platforms X and YouTube.
Kiernan Fiore from Holy Innocents School attended with three students; she remarked: “I appreciate that Pepperdine is a convener of such pertinent discussions because the value of education is passing on the fullness of humanity.”
Following up online after the event were figures like Oscar Ortiz Duarte from Heritage Classical Academy; The Culturist publication; Ascend: The Great Books Podcast; host Deacon Harrison Garlick; among others who commented positively.
Holy Innocents high school junior Thérèse Hope Dyogi reflected on her experience: “An education centered on the Great Books has helped me to see my purpose of bringing people to Christ and to help form them, and to be formed myself into whole individuals.”
A full broadcast of Jeremy Tate’s conversation at Pepperdine University is available via PeppLearn.