Zion is a tender-hearted five-year-old who is empathetic and has a heart that beats with joy. At a young age, he is already navigating the pressures to belong, feel accepted, and have a home within a community.
Is Christian Education ‘Worth It’?
Christian education is a formational experience. It is stated in most Christian schools’ missions to offer a Christ-centered education, a high standard for academic rigor, and a response to do kingdom work.
What I Hope for my Daughter: Eyes to See
Diagnosis In 2019, when my daughter Reese was in kindergarten, she was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on a Friday in March. We spent the weekend in a local children’s hospital, discharged on Sunday with an expensive pharmacy bill and a very rough understanding of how to replicate the work of our daughter’s now defunct pancreas. On … Read More
Growing Our Own: Addressing the Teacher Shortage
How can we have a great teacher in every room? Growing our own. We need to look at local candidates and recruit members of our own communities.
When Parents Choose, Kids Win!
Parents have always had a vested interest in their children’s education. Public policy should fiercely defend the right of parents to choose an education for their children because parental choice in education is in the best interest of their children. Parental preference is a powerful predictor of student outcomes. When parents choose, kids win!
Teacher Flexibility and the New Normal
It’s been two full school years. Has normal come back? Maybe the old ‘normal’ shouldn’t be the new normal? When something as traumatic as a pandemic happens, it is easy to throw out everything associated with it, but instead of scrapping all of it, let’s reflect on some of the positive changes that contribute to the new normal.
Steward Leadership and Christian Schools
As one considers a relationship between Steward leadership and experience within an organization, there seems to be a connection. Steward leadership approaches to decision-making is evidenced in the way school leaders operate with their leadership team and in leadership team meetings.
Celebrate and Imagine #10: Flourishing Together in Community – Dr. Lynn Swaner
Dr. Lynn Swaner has done unprecedented and comprehensive research on flourishing in Christian education. In this speech, she made strong connections between the “Big Story” and student flourishing. She discovered three aspects of spiritual formation happening in Christian schools that highly correlated with Christian school alumni continuing to walk with God: community engagement, Christ-like teachers, and responsiveness to special needs. She gave encouraging examples of how she has seen these aspects practiced in our schools.
Sabbath-keeping in Christian Schools
Communities in which members profess faith in God should affirm human dignity in part by prioritizing Sabbath rest. Along with our churches, Christian schools should be among the communities in which the freedom of Sabbath rest is proclaimed.
Initial Research Observations Post COVID at Christian Schools
Whereas satisfaction with Christian schools remains generally strong, there seem to be new negative pandemic impacts on various groups typically studied in satisfaction research at Christian schools. Trends among parents, students, and staff seem to be connected with one another and to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.