School choice is a popular conversation with Christian parents of school age children. A common element of discussion is often related to the parent’s views on mission as it relates to their involvement with the public school and the public square in general. It is interesting to see how this view of engagement can be influenced by or related to … Read More
Ed Policy Chaos: Why it Matters to Christian Schools
Introduction: Education policy in the United States has moved from a period of change into a time of chaos. The predominant policies and actions of the past fifty years have been turned on their head through federal government legislation, private money, and exceptions to nearly every pre-established rule. In a sense, we are exiting what I call the “Teacher Union … Read More
Teacher Evaluation from a Christian Perspective
What we believe about humans as image-bearers is made manifest in our professional development systems: if we say all people can learn, we should put in place systems of evaluation/professional growth processes that demonstrate that belief and promote growth.
The Problem with Teacher Evaluation Today
As a more than casual observer of the teacher evaluation and teacher professional growth scene over the last thirty years, I feel a deep sense of discouragement about this aspect of our profession. The current national situation in teacher evaluation seems to indicate that we are likely to repeat past mistakes. Why do we keep trying to quantify, rank, and … Read More
Incarnational Christian Education: More than Concepts, Objectives and Standards
In his recent CACE Blog, Dan Beerens effectively challenges educators to raise levels of student inquiry with well-crafted Essential Questions that engage students in active learning while encouraging a spirit of respect and humility. To illustrate the value of Essential Questions he points us to questions Jesus asked during his incarnational ministry on earth. Jesus’ question “who do you think I … Read More
Charter Schools: The False Choice (Part I)
“Charter schools are the devil,” I blurted out as I listened long enough to two friends talk about the new push for a Three Sector policy approach to educational change in the United States. After they got over their astonishment at my statement realizing it was another one of my strong opinions, they asked for explanation. At this point I … Read More
Essential Questions – Engaging and Mission Oriented
I have been working on Essential Questions with Christian schools for a number of years now. Asking questions is a gracious way to invite people into a conversation. Jesus used questions in many different ways, but in each it was a way to cause those being asked to move to a higher plane of reflection, engagement, and dialogue. Jesus’ questions … Read More
Will We Earn the Honor of Future Generations by Standing for Truth and Justice?
French sociologist Alexis de Tocqueville visited America in the heyday of the 1830s and immediately saw the source of her strength: Americans, he wrote in Democracy in America, do not assume that government exists to solve their problems. Rather, they created flourishing institutions (families, churches, clubs, aid societies, and so forth) to solve those problems at the level closest to … Read More
Two Types of Wisdom and the Christian School
I recently read a blog post featuring an excerpt entitled “How Productivity Advances the Gospel” from a book by Matt Perman- What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done. Perman’s exposition of the two types of wisdom go directly to the heart of the content and process of a holistic Biblical integration of faith and life … Read More
But I’ve Earned the Right To…
The older I get and the more tread comes off my tires, the more my eyes are opened to my warped sense of identity and value. As I rewind the story of my career as an educator and educational leader, I witness far too many scenes where I have fallen prey to a defensiveness in the face of conflict and … Read More