We make thousands of choices every day. Children do too. How do we help children choose well? The goal is to build character, the ability to make a good choice in any given moment. Sometimes we think that we’re building character in our schools when we’re actually building compliance. Do children choose the same thing when we’re not in the … Read More
Chasing “likes”
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” This quotation is attributed to Teddy Roosevelt as he often demonstrated a joy-filled life in the leadership positions he was called to serve. Given that his life journey was not an easy one, it would have made sense for him to stop and compare, allowing joy to be stolen. He lost his first wife … Read More
What Is Education For? A Conversation About the Impact of Religious Schools
Over the past decade, many of us have been delving into, reading voraciously, and discovering insights from the Cardus Education Survey. This research was first conducted in 2011 in Canada, but then was expanded to the U.S. shortly after. The research is focused on discovering the unique outcomes of Christian and non-religious independent school sector graduates on academic, social, political, … Read More
Deeper Learning Conference–Take Two!
It was a great time of learning, connection, and celebration at our second annual Christian Deeper Learning conference held at Legacy Christian Academy in Frisco, Texas on March 6-8! A couple of highlights for attendees were the keynote speech given by one of the deeper learning pioneers in the national movement, Ron Berger from EL Education; and a presentation of … Read More
Cardus’ Cofounder Ray Pennings on Schooling & Spiritual Development
This blog represents the opinion of Barna’s research partner for this study, Cardus. Cardus is a non-partisan, faith-based think tank and registered charity dedicated to promoting a flourishing society through independent research, robust public dialogue and thought-provoking commentary. Barna president David Kinnaman served as an early advisor on the Cardus education study, one of the first of its kind to look … Read More
The Power and Limitations of Executive Function In Schools
I noted in the first post on this topic—the presence and impact of professionalism in private schools—that two upheavals have altered the ways in which professional standards are defined in faith-based schools. The first is the erosion of the social standing of spiritually oriented vocations, including private school teachers. Not only is this trend driven by secularization, but the economics of private … Read More
“Professionalism” In Faith-Based Schools: A Brief Primer
When I ask small groups of teachers in faith-based schools why they teach “here and not elsewhere,” invariably someone says, “Because God called me here.” Often, more than one person in the same interview will claim divine direction as their fundamental motivation. Erik Ellefsen, a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE), asks good questions. … Read More
Marketing for Strategic Growth – Thoughts from GCSLS
On January 30 to February 1, I attended the Global Christian School Leadership Summit in San Antonio, Texas. CACE was one of the sponsors of the event that drew over 1100 attendees from all over the world. If you were not able to attend the summit you can gain access to some of the content by registering for the GCSLS … Read More
Favorability & Opportunity with Catholic Families for Christian Schooling: Are We Missing a Receptive Audience?
In April 2018, Charter Oak Research, conducted a national survey on Christian parents of school age children. The research explored favorability toward Christian school options. This research focused on evangelical protestant options and school profiles – descriptions were clearly noted as such for respondents. The sample included both protestant and catholic respondents and they were segmented by this self identification … Read More
Rethinking Recess
Some of my clearest memories of elementary school are the all-out sprints from the door to be the first to the basketball court, baseball diamond or the merry-go-round at recess. I remember, like it was yesterday, how hard it was to stay in the single file line from the classroom to the exit door, frustrated by how slowly the line had to … Read More