Christian School

A common theme in Christian school literature is the search for and/or description of the distinctiveness of the Christian school and the Christian school movement.  There is general recognition that the Christian school exists as an alternative to public schools and even non-religious private schools for a variety of historical, philosophical, and practical reasons.  Faith-based schools, that is, religious schools in general, and Christian schools in particular, have a unique place in the United States and Canada, in particular, but even more broadly in Europe.

My purpose in this paper is to consider the biblical mandate for Christian schooling, and more specifically the relationship between the home, the church, and the school in the light of biblical categories. I assume that the Christian family desires to obey the call to raise their children with a biblical world and life view according to the clear directives of scripture passages such as Deuteronomy, Proverbs, etc. In this article I am making a distinction between that call for Christian education and enrollment in a Christian school, which is only one way to obey the command. Important to this argument is the fact that in scripture three institutions have been ordained and the school as an organization is not one of them. DJR

Cornelius Van Til was part of the Dutch reformed or Calvinist day school movement in both the Netherlands and America. He attended a two-room schoolhouse in an immigrant Dutch community in Hammond, Indiana. During his days as professor at Westminster Theological Seminary he founded an independent Christian school that still serves students on three campuses in suburban Philadelphia.

The establishment of Dutch reformed day schools has an important place in the history of America education. Dutch Christians migrated to pursue religious liberty, and settled throughout America establishing Calvinistic schools. Their motivation was the freedom to educate their children in religious schools not controlled by the government. The establishment of these schools was not a reaction to a public school system that was too traditional or too progressive. It was a decision based on religious convictions, and a philosophy of education that considered faith more essential than anything else.

Dutch reformed schools were founded on principles derived from the Reformation. Though outside the common school and public school movements, they have nevertheless been influential on the American educational landscape.  Van Til brings a new perspective to the ongoing traditionalist/progressive debate, suggesting that the differences may be more of a “family quarrel.”

Finally, teachers in Christian schools may appreciate a fresh perspective on the distinctives of a Christian education. The Christian school is not just a public school with some prayer and Bible reading sprinkled on a common curriculum. Van Til addresses what makes a Christian school unique.

The efforts in the Christian school to effectively integrate faith and learning lead one to consider foundational theories of knowledge. Defining knowledge raises questions about the knower and the known, the relationship between experience and knowledge, and the certainty of knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature as it relates to theistic (specifically Christian) and non-theistic epistemologies and their impact on the integration of faith and learning. Kant, Pearson, Russell, and Dewey presented theories that attempted to ensure objective knowledge. Polanyi, Gill, and Palmer supported the view that knowing is always personal. Polanyi’s theory of tacit knowing was especially important. The modern debate has roots in ancient theological formulas regarding the relationship between faith and reason. Kuyper, Bavinck, and Van Til presented a revelational epistemology founded in the Dutch Reformed tradition. Finally, the author examined a model of integration based on these ideas and discussed the implications.

A review of the Christian school literature finds a common theme, that is, the search for and description of the distinctives of the Christian school. There is an understanding that the Christian school exists as an alternative to public schools and non-religious private schools for a variety of historical, philosophical, and practical reasons. The literature makes it clear that Christian educators need to clarify their distinctiveness and pass on to the next generation of Christian educators the history, foundations, and vision of Christian education. The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature as it relates to the definition of the Christian school, specifically, the meaning of the expression “the integration of faith and learning,” which is frequently used in descriptions of the distinctive features of the Christian school. In the course of this review the concepts of the religious experience of the faculty, the covenantal nature of education, religious neutrality, epistemological dualism, philosophical antithesis, and the expressions “all truth is God’s truth,” and “thinking God’s thoughts after Him” are explored.

This study involves discussing issues in the South African education system with regards to poor academic results, classroom behaviour and attitudes. It then looks at the benefits of Christian Bible Education in the classroom context and how it can eradicate South Africa`s educational issues, specifically looking at classroom behaviour, classroom attitudes and academics. The study then took the implementation strategy of Christian Bible Education and applied it to a Grade 7 class and assessed the changes the class experienced over a period of two terms (6 months). The class was observed by their different subject teachers and their observations were recorded. The findings included a noticeable difference in the learners classroom behaviour, especially in their support of helping one another behave appropriately in the classroom. It also found an increase in the classes overall aggregate per term and average per subject. It was concluded, based on the study's findings, that the implementation strategy of Christian Bible Education should be implemented across the board in South African schools.

A nationwide study on the presence and origins of social media policies in accredited Christian schools:
Social media has become woven into the fabric of modern life. Educators are facing that reality as well. They are observing the nearly ubiquitous presence social media occupies in their students’ lives and are faced with decisions about how the school should respond to this phenomenon. From the educational impact in the classroom to the social, ethical, and legal implications the use of social media raises, schools cannot simply avoid the issue. Christian school administrators possess a unique purpose of developing their students morally and spiritually as well as academically; this adds complexity in dealing with social media use in Christian schools. The response to the challenges brought about by social media is often found in establishing policies that address the issues raised by its use in schools. The research has shown that the majority of schools (75%) have created social media policies, and nearly all (97%), whether they currently have a social media policy or not, believe a policy is necessary. The data show that a majority (64%) of policies are supportive of social media use, about a third (29%) have a limited policy, and a minority (6%) have a restrictive policy. Most (89%) support or allow social media use in the classroom, while avoiding outright encouragement of such use in many cases. Social media policies are seen as an extension of their code of conduct and Christian worldview, and training students and teachers on social media use is seen as being important. Most schools (94%) have not encountered a major incident that drove them to create a social media policy, with the majority of schools (91%) creating a policy proactively or in response to a mixed situation with small promptings positive and/or negative. A chi-square test for independence revealed a number of associations between variables, as well as a confirmation of no association between others. Statistically significant associations were found between schools’ governance structures and whether they had a policy or not, with parent-run schools being less likely to have a social media policy in place than church or non-church board run schools. There was also an association between student age and the presence of a policy, with older-aged student bodies being more likely to have a policy. There was likewise an association between student age and the type of policy in a school, with younger-aged student bodies having more restrictive policies and older-aged student bodies having more supportive policies. There was no statistically significant association between the geographic location of a school and the type of policy, nor was there a relationship between the size of a school and the presence of a social media policy. There was no association between the age of a senior administrator and the type of policy implemented in a school, nor was there an association between the type of governance in a school and the type of policy. Neither was there an association shown between the type of policy and the situation that existed at the time the policy was created. This study presents what types of social media policies accredited PK-12 Christian schools have in place, and it further presents data which aids in understanding the organizational situations that led to the creation of these policies.

A distinctive of private religious schooling is the opportunity to integrate faith and learning in the school curriculum, or perhaps (according to one theological/philosophical construct) it is to recognize how faith is already an integral part of all learning, even all of life.  Were it not for the religious perspective, faith-based schools might look the same as many public and private non-sectarian schools.  The integration of faith and learning is an essential ingredient that makes religious schools what they are.

The purpose of this study is to explore the distinctiveness of the Christian school, specifically as expressed in the phrase, “the integration of faith and learning (IFL),” and to investigate how experienced teachers understand this expression and how they actually see faith integrated in practice.  A multiple case study was conducted using interview methodology.  Twenty-eight K-12 teachers participated from eleven Christian schools affiliated with five Christian school associations.  Data included participants’ perceptions about what evidence there is that faith is integrated with learning at their school.  Participants were asked to report evidence of faith being integral in the life of the school in general, in school and curricular documents, in the classroom environment, and in instruction.  In addition, participants were asked about religious neutrality, the idea of the sacred and secular in the curriculum, and whether faith is explicitly or implicit integrated in the curriculum.  Theoretical constructs based on the philosophies of 19th century Dutch neocalvinism and 20th century reformed epistemology informed the study, and a framework of curricular integration adapted from recent work in multicultural education served to structure the analysis and discussion.

The purpose of this study is to explore the distinctiveness of the Christian school, specifically as expressed in the phrase, “the integration of faith and learning (IFL),” and to investigate how experienced teachers understand this expression and how they actually see faith integrated in practice.  The goal is to contribute toward a vision of what it means to integrate faith in the process of teaching and learning in religious schools and how IFL is practiced.

This paper explores the purpose of education from the perspective of Shalom. Christian educators in Indonesia—teacher and parents—are the ultimate audience for this paper. The subtle influence of neoliberal policies has created inequality and injustice in education. By discussing some complex issues in education, the author invites parents to
think seriously about the purpose of education, justice, mercy and the hope for Shalom in the light of the Kingdom of God.

Keywords: education, neoliberalism, justice, shalom, parents.

The goal of this research is to explore the meaning and practice of the integration of faith and learning (IFL) in the context of the Christian school.  This research was accomplished following a multiple case study method.  The phenomenon being studied was “the integration of faith and learning.”  This phenomenon was explored as it was manifested in individual cases, namely, in participants who were K-12 teachers in Christian day schools.  Each new case was treated as a replication of the study.  Data were gathered primarily through interviews with teacher participants.  In addition, I toured and photographed school facilities and classrooms, observed student interaction, hall and classroom displays, bulletin boards, and noted especially visual and artifact evidence for the integration of faith and learning.  I also read school and school association literature, especially mission and vision statements, and school and association web sites.  Interviews followed a structured question format and the interview questions were based upon these research questions:
1) What are the distinctive qualities of the Christian School?
2) What does the expression, “the integration of faith and learning” mean to the Christian school teacher?
3) How does a Christian school teacher integrate faith in the classroom? Or How does a Christian school teacher practice IFL?

This study included an examination of the differences between the religiosity of students representing both public and private schools that qualified at the state and national levels in the United States Academic Decathlon, a national, interdisciplinary academic competition. The statistical significance of religiosity in relation to achievement scores in the Academic Decathlon was examined. The literature reviewed suggested a positive correlation between religiosity and academic achievement. The Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) instrument was administered to students on both teams to determine religiosity levels. Statistical analysis was applied to the data to test for significant difference. No significant difference between overall competition scores was found in relation to reported student religiosity; neither the public nor private school scored significantly higher or lower in the competition. Significant difference in scores was found for specific subject areas. Further, no significant difference was found between student religiosity in relation to grade point average. The conclusion that student religiosity was not found to have a significant influence on competition scores in the Academic Decathlon suggests that religiosity and academic achievement may not always positively correlate. The implications for Christian education suggest that faith-learning integration should be critically examined across disciplines in Christian school settings, particularly in the subjects of mathematics and science.

I am delighted to enclose the brochure for the forthcoming international Christian Education research conference that will be hosted at Canterbury Christ Church University in July 2017. There are also some fascinating plenary speakers for you to experience. We hope you will be able to join us and we encourage you to book as soon as possible as the conference is always popular. Follow this link to book your place:

This article gives the final two suggestions for how a Christian college can avoid being pulled away from purposes that are appropriate to the reasons it was founded.  The article was first published in Christian Academia Magazine as Shoot the Pirates: And Three Other Strategies to Avoid Mission Drift – Part 2.  It can be found at http://christianacademiamagazine.com/shoot-pirates-three-strategies-safeguarding-schools-mission-part-2/.  Other articles of interest to those who serve in Christian academia can be found at www.ChristianAcademiaMagazine.com.

This paper explores the calling of Christian parents as the prime educators for their children. By the end of fourteenth century, the role of parents in education shifted to formal school institutions and since then Christian parents never fully rediscovered their calling. On the other hand, Christian schools dominate the education arena and push parents to the corner and let them uncritically accept the subconscious tendency to withdraw from serious discussion and proactive involvement. This paper suggests that awakening Christian parents’ consciousness is a necessary process in rediscovering their calling and developing Biblical Worldview in Christian education.

Keywords: calling, Biblical worldview, Christian education, Christian parents.

My purpose in this paper is to consider the biblical mandate for Christian schooling, and more specifically the relationship between the home, the church, and the school in the light of biblical categories. I assume that the Christian family desires to obey the call to raise their children with a biblical world and life view according to the clear directives of scripture passages such as Deuteronomy, Proverbs, etc. In this article I am making a distinction between that call for Christian education and enrollment in a Christian school, which is only one way to obey the command. Important to this argument is the fact that in scripture three institutions have been ordained and the school as an organization is not one of them. DJR

Leadership is vital in any field or endeavor.  Christian school administrators need to understand leadership from a biblical and a business perspective.  Reading this paper will help all leaders within a Christian school setting to stay up to date with the latest trends found in educational and business leadership.