In fall of 2021, CACE invited a group of 70+ educators to Washington, D.C. We met at the Museum of the Bible for a two-day conference on the history and ongoing impact of Reformed Calvinist K-12 day school education. It was a time of remembering, appreciating, and evaluating the history of this movement and considering how it may continue to impact Christian education in North America. Hence the title for this ten-part blog series comes from the conference title: “Celebrating the Past, Imagining the Future.”
Educators as Learners: Opportunities for Professional Learning
Given the disruptive nature of life these days and the press of the urgent at this time of year, I thought it might be a public service to aggregate professional development opportunities and resources for you to consider.
What Kind of a School?
During the eight years I taught EDUC 501 as an adjunct at Dordt University, my graduate classes increasingly became a mix of Christian and public school teachers. In order to put all of my students on a common ground of biblical understanding, I used Our World Belongs to God: A Contemporary Testimony, a wonderful “creed” published by the Christian Reformed … Read More
Difference Makers
This time of year I usually offer some recommendations for your summer reading. But this year, I hesitate. For starters, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t feel like reading one professional book this summer. Most of you are tired and weary. To have survived this year is an accomplishment that you should either celebrate and/or forget like a bad … Read More
Introducing . . . The Practicing Faith Survey!
How do we know that faith is at work in our schools? How can we show the impact of Christian education in the faith practices of our students? These are the questions the Practicing Faith Survey seeks to address. PFS is a a self-administered online survey tool designed to help faith-based schools assess their impact on students’ faith formation.
What the World Needs Now: A CDL4 Retrospective
As we reflect on the 4th annual Deeper Learning gathering of Christian/faith-based schools, we are grateful for the “real work for real people” being done all around the world. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, there are around 32,000 faith-based schools just in the United States, educating more than 3 million students. We rejoice in being part of … Read More
DEEP CONSISTENCIES: Five Essential Steps to Christian Deeper Learning
We hope that you enjoyed our series, The Many Roads to Christian Deeper Learning. We are inspired by the variety of partnerships Christian schools have developed to support their mission. Though we featured six approaches, we are aware that additional models are used by faith-based schools to engage students in kingdom life. We also recognize that some Christian schools have … Read More
The Many Roads to Christian Deeper Learning: Project Based Learning
TfT begins with the premise that all things in the world belong to God, and that as schools, we want to help students see God’s grand story in every subject they study. Every unit and lesson must be seen as sacred–a divine opportunity for the student to enter into a deeper relationship with their God.
The Many Roads to Christian Deeper Learning: Big Picture Learning (BPL)
The next pathway to Christian Deeper Learning that we are looking at is Big Picture Learning. The program is built around students’ individual interests and provides opportunities to work on real-world projects.
The Many Roads to Christian Deeper Learning: The IB Education Model
One of the six pathways to Christian Deeper Learning that we are looking at is International Baccalaureate. This program prompts students to take ownership of their learning and schools to focus on best practices.