There is a question sitting beneath almost every strategic conversation I hear happening in Christian schools today. It surfaces in board meetings, in hiring cycles that stretch too long, in resignation letters that arrive too soon. It is the question of people—specifically, whether your school can find, form, and retain the kind of teachers who make everything else possible. Ask … Read More
Imagine Stepping Away
A number of years ago, I had the privilege of serving on a curriculum-writing team led by CACE’s own Darryl DeBoer. We spent a week in Seattle building a K–12 curricular supplement for Christian schools. As the Friday deadline approached, many of us became increasingly anxious. The work wasn’t finished, flights were looming, and every glance at the clock seemed … Read More
Proximity over Position: Forming a Heart for Belonging in Christian Schools
I went into my doctoral research expecting theology to do the heavy lifting. I was wrong. For my dissertation, I studied how Christian evangelical leaders in large corporations navigate questions of inclusion and belonging. I assumed that a leader’s denomination and doctrine would predict and influence how they approached difference. Tell me what someone believed, and I could tell you … Read More
Heartland Christian Schools begins new chapter as part of Dordt’s Center for the Advancement of Christian Education
Heartland Christian Schools is entering a new chapter through a new partnership with Dordt University’s Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE), ensuring continued support for Christian schools across the Midwest while preserving Heartland’s longstanding mission and identity. Heartland Christian Schools will now function under CACE. The transition follows the resignation of Heartland Coordinator Nicki Kuiper, who stepped down after much prayer … Read More
How Strong Is Your Network? Leading Change in BC K-12 Christian Schools
If you want to lead your community through crisis or change, the first step is to ask, “How big is our kingdom vision and what is the strength of our network?” This focused question surfaced for me as I studied change leadership in British Columbia (BC) K-12 Christian schools. My dissertation addresses the following questions: Christian school leaders must wrestle … Read More
Trauma-Informed Christian Education: On Earth as in Heaven
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Matthew 6:10 (NLT) In the first post of this series, we considered how student behavior often tells a story. What may appear as defiance, apathy, avoidance, or even academic success may be a student’s learned response to stress, fear, instability, or shame. When we … Read More
The Leadership Gap in Christian Schools
Forming Teachers as Leaders I remember the moment clearly. I was sitting across from one of the strongest teachers on my staff during her annual evaluation. As I shared with her how impactful she was and how there wasn’t much room left for her to grow, I noticed her expression change. Frustration crept across her face. So I paused and … Read More
An Invitation To Imagine: Come With…
Ben’s request Lao Tzu of the 6th Century BC is credited with saying, “The good traveler is not intent on arriving.” This quotation has been a favorite of mine for more than thirty years, not because I live it out well, but because it serves as a reminder for me, someone who has been destination-oriented, that I have often missed … Read More
An Invitation To Imagine: Strategic Excellence for the Sake of Formation
During a new family interview, a father paused before asking a question that carried more weight than he likely intended. “Can you tell me more about the academic program here? Is it better than what I experienced?” He went on to explain that he had attended a Christian school himself but felt unprepared for college and eventually dropped out. “I … Read More
An Invitation to Imagine: Unity, Partnership, and Shared Mission
Imagine a Christian school where the common thread holding the staff, leadership, parents, and students together was a shared understanding of the gospel (the creation-fall-redemption-restoration narrative of God’s work in the world) and the fundamental truths that have historically defined orthodox Christianity. What if that understanding, and that alone, was the litmus test for a school’s mission, academics, culture, and … Read More