In a recent appearance on the 5AM Podcast, Reliance College founder Marsha Familaro Enright offered a compelling critique of modern education—and a bold vision for how to fix it. With over 25 years of experience leading a successful Montessori school and nearly two decades running the Great Connections Seminar, Enright is no stranger to reimagining how young people learn and grow.
Her message was clear: today’s education system is broken because it prioritizes obedience over independence. “It’s not aimed at developing self-reliant, self-responsible individuals,” she said. “It’s aimed at compliance—often for political reasons.”
Enright traced this issue back to top-down policies like No Child Left Behind, which incentivized teaching to the test while cutting vital areas like art, music, and recess. But the problem runs deeper than policy. At its core, she argued, much of modern schooling is rooted in a postmodernist worldview that denies objective truth and encourages conformity over critical inquiry.
By contrast, the educational model at Reliance College is built to foster independent judgment, deep reasoning, and lifelong curiosity. “To thrive in a free society, a person needs to be able to judge reality for themselves,” Enright explained. “That’s not something you can cram for. It has to be cultivated.”
A Montessori Mindset, Elevated
At Reliance College, our foundation lies in Montessori principles—education tailored to each individual’s developmental stage, interests, and pace. But the work doesn’t stop at the K–12 level. We’re bringing this same individualized, purpose-driven approach to higher education through Reliance College, launching in Chicago in Fall 2026.
The college will combine a rigorous liberal arts curriculum—including logic, writing, economics, and statistics—with hands-on experience in a student’s field of interest. “Students will learn how to think clearly, communicate effectively, and apply their knowledge in the real world,” she said.
The Power of Great Books and Collaborative Socratic Dialogue
A major pillar of our educational philosophy is the use of Great Books and collaborative Socratic discussions. These are not dusty texts taught through dry lectures. They’re dynamic, timeless works—Aristotle, Rousseau, Homer—discussed collaboratively in small groups where students must think for themselves and back up their views with reason and evidence.
The method is transformative. “Students come away from our Great Connections Seminar saying, ‘I didn’t know I could think like this,’” Enright shared. “They gain confidence because they learn to own their ideas—not just repeat someone else’s.”
This approach, Enright emphasizes, isn’t just about academic enrichment. It’s about forming free individuals capable of navigating a complex, changing world.
Why It Matters
Enright also contrasted our vision at Reliance College with the ideology of the Frankfurt School, a group of Marxist intellectuals whose postmodernist influence still echoes in today’s universities. Their belief that truth is subjective and power is all that matters, she argued, undermines reasoned discourse and leads to censorship and ideological intolerance.
“The reason they don’t want debate is because they’ll lose,” she said. “Facts and logic support freedom.”
Looking Ahead
As Reliance College prepares to open in 2026, we continue to lead the Great Connections Seminar—a weeklong summer program in Chicago that gives students a taste of this transformative educational model. Past attendees describe it as life-changing.
The future of education isn’t about more credentials or more bureaucracy. It’s about rediscovering the principles that once made education a path to freedom: truth, reason, and self-reliance.
For parents, students, and educators who feel the system isn’t working—there’s another way.
📚 Learn more about Reliance College and the Great Connections Seminar at reliancecollege.org/seminar.
📺 Watch the full interview with Marsha Familaro Enright on the 5AM Podcast and discover what it truly means to educate for liberty and leadership.
