Top 10 lists always emerge as the year draws to an end and we pause to reflect on the past year. The Inside Higher Education website had its own top 10 list noting “the stories that attracted the most readers in 2019.” Eight of the top 10 articles included topics we have seen in the past such as racism, cost … Read More
Deeper Learning in Christian High Schools
In their excellent bestseller, In Search of Deeper Learning: The Quest to Remake the American High School, co-authors Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine take a comprehensive look at Deeper Learning in high school education in America. They focused on four types of high schools that offer deeper learning and/or rigorous traditional learning: Project based “No excuses” International Baccalaureate Comprehensive (traditional) … Read More
Conferences and Collaboration
I am not sure how your first semester is going, but I trust you are looking forward to the upcoming holidays and a break from school. As leaders, we all need a break once in a while to recharge and refuel. We also need to take advantage of opportunities to connect with others in our industry around the country and … Read More
Setting Tuition
Boards routinely talk about setting tuition as being the hardest decision to make each year. The reason is not hard to discover. Board members are compassionate and loving people who know the hardships of families in their communities and desire to make it as easy for them as possible to be a part of the Christian School community. Keeping tuition … Read More
Leading as a Steward
If Christian schools require their leaders to act as stewards, it is useful to think about what exactly a Steward Leader is. It is easy to think that Steward Leadership is just a Christian version of Servant Leadership, a concept familiar to many of us. However, once explored, one can see significant and fundamental differences. What anchors Steward Leadership is … Read More
Now is the time to think about Denver!
I am excited to draw your attention to the third annual Christian Deeper Learning conference February 27 and 28! Who is this conference intended for? This is for anyone interested in deeper, meaningful, biblically informed teaching and learning for students in Christian schools! Just like at our previous two conferences, we will have presenters and attendees from around the world … Read More
Under Pressure: The Heart in a Culture of Cool Things
In science our students learn that Pressure = Force / Area. Essentially, pressure is calculated by measuring a particular force as it is applied to a particular area. And as you might imagine from looking at the equation, Pressure increases in two ways. First, if the Force increases. Imagine standing on a chair to reach a lightbulb. There is some pressure on … Read More
Church-Home-School: The Three-Legged Stool
As many of you know, Dordt University takes its name from the historic Synod of Dort held in Dordrecht, the Netherlands in 1618-1619. Arising from that six-month assembly was the Canons of Dort, one of the major confessional statements of Reformed churches. The Canons of Dort were a response to controversial theological statements made by the followers of Jacob Arminius; … Read More
Our Resistance to Accountability
The resistance to accountability goes back a long way–perhaps to the Garden of Eden with the passing of blame from Adam to Eve and from Eve to the serpent. Each evaded taking responsibility for his or her actions. These problems persist to the present day as a result of this original brokenness. To whom am I accountable and to whom … Read More
Creating Moral Ecologies for Benevolence
As I write this, the middle schoolers at my local church are about to embark on a week-long gauntlet chock-full of opportunities to serve our city. You can check out some of the organizations that they will be partnering with here, here, and here. My church professes the mantra “In the city, for the city,” and we hope that our … Read More