How to Turn Parents Into Raving Fans

 

Sometimes the blogging “gods” smile upon you!  For years now I have promoted the concept, that I first heard from Dr. Kynerd, that it is best to Under Promise and Over Deliver when dealing with our parents and employees.  Although I often promoted this approach as essential for building good will, I had never heard or read others promoting this approach—until now.

While reading the Wall Street Journal I stumbled upon following article.  Although written for business leaders and owners. it has direct applicability to our schools—after all, our parents and students ARE CUSTOMERS.

How to Turn Customers Into Loyal, Raving Fans, By MIKE MICHALOWICZ-WSJ

Do you want satisfied customers or do you want customers who are so thrilled with your company they become loyal, raving fans? I'll take option No.2. Satisfied customers may come back a second or third time; they may even become regulars. But unless you exceed expectations, your satisfied customers could just as easily become your competitors' satisfied customers.

If you want customers who are so loyal that they would never think of going to anyone else, and if you want customers who are so thrilled with your business that they tell everyone how amazing you are, then you're going to have to move the goal line beyond mere "satisfaction." You're going to have to wow everyone who walks through your door.

Now, I'm sure you could come up with loads of ideas that would dazzle your customers, but there's actually a simple shortcut to knocking their socks off every single time – and it won't cost you a dime. It's the "under-promise, over-deliver" (UPOD) method.

When we talk about "customer satisfaction," we strive to deliver on our promises. Complete the market study by Friday, as promised. Deliver the new couch in July, as promised. Provide two valet attendants, as promised. When you do exactly as you said you would, you end up with satisfied customers. But when you give them something more than they expect -- faster service, extra help, more options, early delivery and so on -- you end up with the loyal, raving fans you need to propel your business into the stratosphere.

The idea behind UPOD is that people are most favorably influenced by great service they don't expect, rather than great service they do expect. And they expect it because you promise it. If you tell customers they will get their new shoes the next day, and the shoes arrive the next day, those customers will be satisfied, maybe even happy. But if you tell customers they will get their new shoes in five days, and the footwear arrives the next day, your customers will be amazed and thrilled.

Here's the trick with UPOD: It's not about doing things faster or throwing in "extras." It's about building the "under-promise" part into the equation from the start. If Friday is the earliest you can complete a study, then promise to have it done the following Wednesday. "Surprise! We finished early." If you know you will deliver a couch in July, promise to have it there by August. "Great news! We wanted you to have it as soon as possible!" Build a business model in which you have enough income to cover three valet attendants, promise two, and the day of the party, send over three. "We just thought you could use the extra help. No extra charge."

Most businesses know UPOD is a good practice, but few adhere to it because people think they have to change their operation to wow customers. Just take this very simple shortcut: Change your promise.

Using UPOD will also help you avoid mistakes that inevitably occur when people rush to meet deadlines. It will enable you to respond positively to last-minute requests and help you stay calm, cool and collected as you work surprisingly reasonable hours. Most importantly, when you under-promise and over-deliver, you will inspire satisfied customers to become devoted customers – and that's money in the bank.

Take a few minutes to reflect upon this article and then jot down ways in which you can apply the UPOD principle to your leadership or your classroom.  Also reflect upon how UPOD is consistent with Jesus’ command that we are to:

You have heard that it was said,  An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. (Mt 5:38-42)

Leading Your School In Uncertain Economic Times: Practical Suggestions

Many experts predict that we are headed for a recession.  A recession in and of itself is not particularly worrisome.  Like breathing, expansions and retractions in the economy are normal and keep the economy healthy and vibrant over the long-term. What is of concern is that this recession may be deep and long.  According to the Wall Street Journal:

The bailout plan was needed but more needs to be done to fix things, and we're not even sure a rate cut will be enough," a trader at GFT Global Markets says. To many Wall Street veterans, a painful, long recession unlike anything the U.S. has suffered in decades seems increasingly likely.  (WSJ: Today's Markets, Oct. 6, 2008)

Given the turmoil on Wall Street and words like "crisis", "recession", "bank failure" and "depression" circulating in the media, it is not surprising that consumers have dramatically cut back on spending, The New York Times reports that:

Cowed by the financial crisis, American consumers are pulling back on their spending, all but guaranteeing that the economic situation will get worse before it gets better ... But in recent weeks, as the financial crisis reverberated from Wall Street to Washington, consumers appear to have cut back sharply ... Recent figures from companies, and interviews across the country, show that automobile sales are plummeting, airline traffic is dropping, restaurant chains are struggling to fill tables, customers are sparse in stores.  Graph from the WSJ Business Section, Oct. 6, 2008-click on the graph to go to the article.

Whether the predictions of gloom and doom come true or not, it seems clear that we are in an extended economic slowdown, which may affect many of our schools. As school leaders, it is our responsibility to assess the situation and then to provide prayerful, faithful, and steady leadership. 

My good friend Zach Clark, Westminster Christian School (St. Louis), put it this way:

1. We should have an attitude of gratefulness for the strengths we have as a Christian school like increased enrollment and strong budgets, freedom to make changes, talented staff, etc.
2. Be steady during this time when everyone is looking for a reaction. Be realistic but confident in our ability to act.
3. Be sure that our focus is on keeping our attitudes positive, and encourage each other to stir each other up to love and good deeds.
4. Look for opportunities to be effective and efficient NOW.
5. Become an expert in engaging and developing others, especially volunteers to improve our stewardship of resources and human resources.
6. This is an opportunity to turn people’s focus to the substance of our work. To not only allow, but also enable others to determine the value of a Christian education.
7. Wait and watch what the Lord will do, trusting in His faithfulness.

Preparing Our Students and Our Schools

So how do we prepare our schools for economic turndown, or even a possible prolonged recession?  The role of the leader is not to react but to respond prayerfully and strategically. If the economy spirals into a long recession it will affect our families and in turn, our schools.

I offer the following series of possible contingent responses for your prayerful consideration if, as seems inevitable, there is a sharp economic downturn.  Obviously, every school and local market is different, but perhaps one of these suggestions will be helpful.

1. Pray faithfully for your families and for your school ministry.  As I indicated in a previous post, I do not encourage prayer because it is the expected thing to say or because it is the politically correct preamble to a real solution. I say pray because in the final analysis it is the Lord who grants wisdom and who will provide for our needs.  Remember, your school ministry is the Lord's!

2. I refer you to my article Economic Crisis, Globalization, our Students, and our Mission (Era of U.S. financial dominance at an end: Germany) on possible ways to prepare your students for an economic downturn.

3. As much as possible, move toward zero-based budgeting or at least look at your budget from that perspective.  Investopedia defines zero-based budgeting is "a method of budgeting in which all expenses must be justified for each new period. Zero-based budgeting starts from a "zero base" and every function within an organization is analyzed for its needs and costs."

This contrasts from the usual method of simply adding a percentage increase to existing budget categories or departments.  This requires a strategic approach to school leadership.  For more information, see my previous post: Are You Spread Too Thin? How to Thrive and Not Merely Survive as a Christian School.

4. Smaller schools need to assess the number of students per class to ensure that each class is at break-even on a contiguous basis.  Depending on the school's expenses and tuition levels, break-even is usually 16-18 students/full-time teacher.  If you have classes that are not at break-even you have built financial losses into the school's budget, which is never a good practice but is particularly problematic in during an economic downturn. 

If you are losing money in any class consider how you can consolidate classes.  For example, if you have two third grade classes, both of which are not at break-even, consider combining them and then hiring a full-time teacher and a full-time academic aide (and laying off the other teacher or making him/her the academic aide but at a lower salary (I know this is hard, but it may be the right thing to do).

Doing so will permit a larger financially viable class without sacrificing academic quality while reducing cost IF the teacher and academic aide are experienced and very effective.  Obviously, this could present some PR issues so great prudence must be exercised.  But if you have classes of say 13 each, combining them into a single class of 26 with a teacher and academic aide will cut cost without negatively affecting academic quality.

5. Increase financial aid.  This is, of course, easier said than done, but increasing financial aid may be essential. There are several ways to increase financial aid; 1) allocate/earmark a certain dollar amount from tuition specifically for financial aid.  For example, $50/student x's 300 students produces $15,000 in additional financial aid.  2) Approach parents with financial resources to contribute specifically to the financial aid fund.  3) If your school is a church ministry, ask the church in contribute (or increase contributions) for financial aid.

6. Stay on top of your accounts receivables.  This is one of those areas that is hard but ESSENTIAL.  Do not allow parents to keep their children in the school if they are not keeping their accounts current.  I would not, however, dismiss a student mid-year if avoidable as this can be harmful to the student.  However, re-enrollment should not be extended unless and until accounts are current. If the family has a history of slow payment, require at least a half-year of paid tuition before permitting re-enrollment.

Be patient, understanding, and creative in working with parents.  "Do unto them as you would have them do to you." This does not mean that you are obligated to provide them a free education.  You have no ethical obligation to do so.  Doing so jeopardizes the long-term viability of your school (which is poor stewardship) and is unethical because tuition paying parents are subsidizing the non-paying parents.  Schools are not banks.

7. Think of ways to expand your market.  For example, consider running a bus to "outlying" neighborhoods to increase enrollment.  Keep in mind that you need parents with the financial means to pay tuition so target neighborhoods accordingly.

8. Work on your retention rates!  It is far easier to keep students than to recruit new ones.  The key to retention is value, which is a function of price and quality. 

Remember, if your community (market place) is blessed with a large number of high quality public and private schools, parents have a smorgasbord of quality educational options.

If parents perceive the local public schools to be safe, high quality learning environments, they are more likely to consider enrollment in the Christian school to be a discretionary “luxury” purchase. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE DURING AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN!

Only the most diehard adherents to a Christian philosophy of education will consider enrollment in the Christian school a necessity. We can make all of the theological and philosophical arguments about why Christian parents should have their children in a Christian school but this will affect the decision-making of only a small group of Christian parents.

The Archdiocese of Chicago provides a compelling example of this principle. Faced with declining enrollments and a school deficit of $20 million, the Archdiocese commissioned a study to determine how to boost school enrollment. Boffetti (n.d.) reports that researchers discovered that:

Struggling schools, at the very least, needed to fill every available seat with tuition-paying students. Surprisingly, many inner-city parents, both Catholic and non-Catholic alike, did not know that Catholic education would only cost them $1,000 a year, with the diocese picking up the rest of the tab. When they learned the facts, many said they would eagerly pay to get their children out of the awful and dangerous public schools they were in.

  Suburban parents were more sanguine. Parents who believed in the importance of Catholic education already sent their children to Catholic schools. The rest of the parents did not think it would be worth the added expense because they felt that their suburban public school system was at least equal to, if not better than, the Catholic schools in terms of academics and amenities [emphasis added]. In other words, the “Catholic” in Catholic education was not worth an extra $1,000 per year to them. (pp. 7-8)

Increase the value of your school by improving quality (teachers are most important here), adding high-impact courses/programs, leveraging technology, reducing costs, and moderating tuition increases.

9. Consider merging with other Christian schools.  This poses theological and philosophical challenges.  However, merging Christian schools can reflect very wise stewardship through economies of scale, the ability to pay higher salaries, cutting costs, consolidating programs, and building larger fine-arts and sports programs, to name a few.  Unless there are mutually exclusive theological and philosophical principles at stake, it makes little sense to have several small, struggling schools within a few miles of each other, particularly in a harsh economic environment.

Before considering a merger, keep the following in mind:

• You may need to create a transportation system.  Convenience and cost (given current gas prices) are two high values for parents.  If one school merges with another, one school will lose some students.  This loss can be reduced by providing a transportation service for parents whose school closed.
• Emphasize the advantages the merger will create for students.
• Differences in preferences can be overcome and the schools can merge.  However, fundamentally incompatible differences in theology or philosophy cannot and should not be compromised (e.g. a protestant school combining with a catholic school would reflect an unbiblical compromise, or the proposed merger of a fundamentalist school with a school committed to a reformed theology would be inherently incompatible theologically, culturally, and practically).  Be careful to distinguish between policy and pedagogical preferences and fundamental theological differences.  They are not the same but are often confused.  The challenge is to determine what is preference versus what are genuine theological and philosophical differences and core tenets.
• One school must take over the other--a house divided cannot stand.  One school board and administration must be taken over by the other.  Seldom should board members or administrators be absorbed into the new school.  More often than not this will be a recipe for conflict and failure.  However, the personnel (administrators, support staff, and teachers) of the school that is being merged/absorbed by another should be carefully interviewed and given priority for hiring provided they meet the absorbing school's standards.  This is fair and just but the absorbing school is not ethically obligated to hire the staff of the merged school.  Likewise, where there are redundancies in staff resulting from the merger, and there will be, only the best staff of either school should be retained.  This seems harsh, I know, especially for Christian leaders. However, as leaders it is our responsibility to staff our schools with the best available personnel, which may mean in a merger that some staff from either school may be let go. If so, generous and fair severance packages should be provided and good staff who are laid off due to redundancies should be rehired if positions become available.
• Pride must be crucified!  There is great pride of "ownership" by the leadership and founders of any organization, including Christian schools.  However, our schools belong to the Lord--not to us!  It is His glory and His kingdom that matters--not the sweat equity that we have invested in the schools we lead.  Since the schools we lead belong to the Lord there should be no pride of "ownership" and no shame if one school must be merged with another.  The merger may simply reflect faithfulness and wise stewardship for God's glory and the advancement of His kingdom.  Pride should never prevent two weak struggling schools from combining if doing so ultimately benefits students by creating a stronger and more stable Christian school.

10.  If you are a Covenantal school (a school that only enrolls children born to at least one confessing parent (1 Cor. 7:14), consider enrolling the children of non-believers.  If the  school's founding charter or theology/philosophy is covenantal, this will be controversial for leadership and for some parents.  More so if your school is sponsored by a church, in which case approval by church leadership will probably be required. 

I started out in Christian education as an ardent advocate for the covenantal model of Christian schooling but I have modified my position based upon theological considerations and personal experience (I have been founder and head of a covenantal school (Covenant Day School) and head of two non-covenantal schools, including my current school, Briarwood Christian School.

Great prudence and much prayer must accompany any discussion of this decision.  The goal is to clearly discern the Lord's will in this matter.  He has called some school ministries to serve only the Covenant community.  Other school leaders and churches believe the Lord has called them to minister to BOTH the believing and non-believing communities.  It could be that the Lord will direct you to change your ministry focus.  Only prayer, study of God's word, and wise counsel will help you discern His will in this critically important matter.

Here are some things to consider as you prayerfully ponder this possibility. 

(NOTE: This blog article is already too long so I cannot go into all of the details of why I suggest this possibility.  If you have questions please contact me directly and I will be happy to speak with you.)

• I believe the decision as to whether the school is Covenantal or non-covenantal is a matter of Christian liberty.  There is room for disagreement here based on the leadership's sense of God's calling, but I believe either model can be biblical, can advance the kingdom, and can glorify our Lord.
• I have been surprised to find that when a school is well-run with good leadership that there are no more problems in the non-covenantal school than in the covenantal school.  This was counter intuitive to me until I gave this more thought.  The short version of my thinking is this: non-believing parents who choose to send their children to a Christian school tend, by common grace, to share the same high standards for external behavior and academic achievement as many Christians (provided the school does not have a reputation as a reform [small r] school for troubled students).  I find many Christians, on the other hand, to be antinomians (at least when it comes to their children) who, when confronted with a disciplinary matter, respond "I thought this was a Christian school--where is the grace!"  Translation, grace means "no or only mild discipline, at least for my children."
• The admissions process is essential for ensuring a healthy school culture.  I have found that having a "pooled" admissions process for grades 7-12, in which NEW prospective students are enrolled ONLY after they have interviewed with an admissions committee, is a very effective way to protect the school because only students who are deemed as good fits are enrolled.  Frankly, sometimes the children of non-believers can be better fits then the children of some believers.
• The school must have strong caring school leaders who wisely and consistently enforce policies.  When this is the case, I have found that enrolling the children of non-believes creates no more problems than those found in covenantal schools.  On the other hand, when the school does not have good policies or when leadership fails to wisely and consistently enforce them, there will be problems resulting in an unhealthy school culture in both covenantal and non-covenantal schools.
• As a practical matter, the non-covenantal model greatly expands the school's marketplace.  This has several advantages including larger enrollments and stronger finances.  Under wise leadership, this translates into higher teacher salaries, improved instruction, expanded and higher quality programs, higher retention rates, and financial stability. This in and of itself is NOT sufficient reason to move from a covenantal to a non-covenantal model but if school/church leadership believe that either model, when done properly, can be biblical and that the Lord is leading them in that direction, then this model offers significant practical and financial advantages.

We may be facing difficult years ahead.  Now is the time to prayerfully plan ahead.  How are you going to position your school to not only survive, but thrive in uncertain times?

One of my favorite verses refers to King David's leadership:

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation... (Act 13:36, ESV)

We are called to serve the purpose of God in our generation, which includes providing godly, biblically informed, steady, and strong leadership for our schools during times of uncertainty.  May the Lord grant us the grace to be beacons of light and steadfastness for our brothers and sisters and before a frantic and watching world.

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U.S. Schools Are Still Ahead—Way Ahead?

Want some good news?  According to the article posted below (Bloomberg Businessweek, January 12, 2011), contrary to what we read in the media, U.S. students and s chools are way ahead of their foreign counterparts.  This article makes essentially the same argument that Yong Zhao makes in his excellent book, Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization. 

These positive assessments of American education contrast sharply with Friedman’s The World is Flat, 2 Million Minutes, statements by Bill Gates, and a host of other reports and books. 

I am going to email Bill Gates and Thomas Friedman to see if they have a reaction to this report.  IF, A BIG IF, I get a response, I’ll let you know.

What do you think?

U.S. Schools Are Still Ahead—Way Ahead

America's alarm about international rankings of students overlooks some critical components of our education system, Vivek Wadhwa says

By Vivek Wadhwa

America has an inferiority complex about its education system. You hear the sirens every year, when the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) releases its annual test results. Finland, South Korea, and Singapore usually come out on top; we start blaming our K-12 teachers for not teaching enough mathematics and science; we begin worrying about the millions of engineers and scientists China and India graduate.

This year the big surprise was that Shanghai garnered first place in the PISA rankings. Then The Wall Street Journal ran a story on the home page of its website titled "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior." The Journal article claimed that Chinese (and Korean, Indian, etc.) parents raise "stereotypically successful kids"—math whizzes and music prodigies. They do this by not allowing their children to attend sleepovers; have a playdate; be in a school play; complain about not being in a school play; watch TV or play computer games; choose their own extracurricular activities; get any grade less than an A; not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama. The article went on to recount as typical a series of acts that would be considered child abuse in the U.S. (and aren't the norm in India and China).

The Journal article was simply bizarre, yet it is true that education in China and India is very challenging and fiercely competitive. Children are brought up to believe that education is everything, that it will make the difference between success and starvation. So from their early years they work long and hard. Most of their childhood is spent memorizing books on advanced subjects.

American Stereotypes

Meanwhile, the perception is that American children live a relatively easy life and coast their way through school. They don't do any more homework than they have to; they spend an extraordinary amount of time playing games, socializing on the Internet, text-messaging each other; they work part time to pay for their schooling and social habits. And they party. A lot. These stereotypes worry many Americans. They believe the American education system puts the country at a great disadvantage. But this is far from true.

The independence and social skills American children develop give them a huge advantage when they join the workforce. They learn to experiment, challenge norms, and take risks. They can think for themselves, and they can innovate. This is why America remains the world leader in innovation; why Chinese and Indians invest their life savings to send their children to expensive U.S. schools when they can. India and China are changing, and as the next generations of students become like American ones, they too are beginning to innovate. So far, their education systems have held them back.

My research team at Duke looked in depth at the engineering education of China and India. We documented that these countries now graduate four to seven times as many engineers as does the U.S.The quality of these engineers, however, is so poor that most are not fit to work as engineers; their system of rote learning handicaps those who do get jobs, so it takes two to three years for them to achieve the same productivity as fresh American graduates.As a result, significant proportions of China's engineering graduates end up working on factory floors and Indian industry has to spend large sums of money retraining its employees. After four or five years in the workforce, Indians do become innovative and produce, overall, at the same quality as Americans, but they lose a valuable two to three years in their retraining.

Rankings Reconsidered

And then there is the matter of the PISA rankings that supposedly show the U.S. trailing the rest of the world. Hal Salzman, a professor at Rutgers' John J. Heidrich Center for Workforce Development, debunked myths about these in a May 2008 article in Nature magazine. Salzman noted that international tests use different sampling criteria from country to country, so we're not always comparing apples to apples. As well, the tests compare select populations of small countries such as Singapore and Finland, which each have about 5 million people, with the U.S., which has 310 million. These countries achieve the top rankings on the PISA list. Compare these countries to similar-sized U.S. states, however, and you find that some of those states, including Massachusetts (population 6.5 million), produce the top students. Additionally, we're comparing America's diverse population—which includes disadvantaged minorities and unskilled immigrants with little education—with the homogeneous populations of countries like Finland, Japan, and New Zealand.

Much is made of the PISA test scores and rankings, but the international differences are actually quite small. Most of the U.S. ranking lags are not even statistically significant. The U.S. falls in the second rank on some measures and into the first on others. It produces more highest-performing students in science and reading than any other country does; in mathematics, it is second only to Japan. Moreover, one has to ask what the test results actually mean in the real world. Do high PISA rankings make students more likely to invent the next iPad? Google (GOOG)? I don't think so.

Let's keep improving our education system and focus, in particular, on disadvantaged groups. Education is the future of our nation. But let's get over our inferiority complex. America is second to none. Rather than in mastery of facts learned by rote and great numbers of accomplished martinets, its strength lies in the diversity and innovation that arise in an open, creative society.

Wadhwa is a visiting scholar at University of California-Berkeley, senior research associate at Harvard Law School, and director of research at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization at Duke University. Follow him on twitter—@vwadhwa .

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Is It Christian or Worldly to be World-Class?

Dr. Barrett Mosbacker, PublisherI had the privilege of traveling to Australia and to China this summer. My trip to China was to develop relationships with school and government officials for establishing an academic and cultural connection between a Chinese high school and our new online Chinese class. The trip was also designed to lay the foundation for a possible student and/or faculty exchange program. The trip exceeded my expectations resulting in a partnership with a large Chinese high school and bringing a Chinese student to BCS to complete his last two years of high school.

I was also invited to Australia to speak to a Christian School Conference on the topic of “Building World Class Christian Schools.” This was timely because I have touched upon the subject from time-to-time in previous presentations and writings.

As I considered this topic, several questions came to mind:

• What is world-class? Is it a cliché?
• Should Christian schools strive to be world-class or are we merely accommodating the world?
• Is seeking to be world-class elitist and prideful or can it be honoring to the Lord?
• What would a world-class, Christ-honoring, Christian school look like?

These are important questions. On the one hand, we must always be vigilant not to mimic the world or adopt unbiblical values and perspectives. On the other hand, we are called as stewards to prepare our students to serve Christ in a global, technologically rich, interconnected world.

I believe we should and can build Christ-honoring world-class Christian schools but only if we carefully define what we mean by world-class. And I believe that this can be achieved by small and large Christian schools alike.

The dictionary defines world-class as “ranked among the best or most prominent in the world; of the highest order.” I offer for consideration a definition that significantly alters and expands the traditional definition of world-class making it far more biblical and practical.

A world-class Christian school is one that is used by Christ to change lives, its community, and its culture by virtue of its commitment to the preeminence of Christ as reflected in the development of the Christian mind and character of its students and in its establishment of superior standards in teaching and learning so that the school is a model of best practices throughout the world.[1]

A world-class, Christ-honoring, Christian school requires a combination of traits and practices that are so unique, so “otherly worldly” that they are in a class by themselves—not by virtue of what we are against but by what we are for and by virtue of a quality that transcends the normal.

There are eight traits that we should cultivate in the pursuit of world-class quality. We should strive to be world-class in:

• Character
• The Content and Quality of our Instruction
• Being Culturally Relevant
•  Our Caring
• Our Courage
• Fostering Curiosity
• Our Being Champions of Excellence, and
• Our Commitment to the Preeminence of Christ.

World-Class Character

Ideas have consequences. One of the best ways to promote Christian ideas—biblical truth—is to get students and others to ask questions. People ask questions when they are curious. People are curious when they are seeking closure—trying to connect dots.

People ask questions because they are curious or in an effort to bring harmony to emotional, spiritual, or what psychologists call cognitive dissonance. There is a tension and people seek answers and closure to relieve the tension.

Peter admonishes us to “always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” But, we often take this verse out of context. Why was the question being asked in the first place?

It is because the Christians, who were suffering under Nero, were responding in a very peculiar way—instead of whining and feeling sorry for themselves, they were simultaneously grieving yet “rejoicing.”

(6) In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials … (8) Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. (I Peter 1)

This was very unusual—they were not acting like everyone else—they were “otherly worldly”. They were able to rejoice even in the midst of dreadful circumstances—they could rejoice while crying. They, like Paul, could sing hymns while chained to Roman guards.

Those around them wanted to know “How can this be?” “How can these Christians respond this way when they are losing their jobs, their property, when they are being made fun of and slandered—even tortured and killed?

It was the uniqueness, the quality, the transcendent nature of the believers’ character and behavior—under great distress and duress—that prompted the questions and the openness to the Gospel. In other words, they were different and in being different—in being a peculiar people—they made a difference.

That is our call and our challenge. We will not change the lives of our students or the lives of our parents, let alone the community and world around us, unless we are fundamentally different—not legalists, not separatists, not kill joys—but different in our response to the issues of life—both the good and the bad.

The greatest lessons we ever teach are not spoken—they are lived. Ideas matter. Ideas have consequences but it is the character of our lives that open the door for a discussion of the ideas—of truth.

Go back for a moment in your mind’s eye. Jesus tells a small group of men standing on the hillside that they are the salt and light to the world. Most of these men were not great men of learning; they were not professors or teachers. In fact, it is quite possible that many of them did not do particularly well in school, which may explain why some of them are fishermen and tax collectors!

So how is it that they would be the Lights of the World? Obviously the direct application has to do with sharing the Gospel but there is actually a broader definition at work.

If you examine the full context of Jesus’ sermon, you realize that they were to be the light of the world—not merely because of what they would teach and preach-but because of what they would become by God’s grace. Consider the before and after context:

Before his statement about them being the Light of the World, he preached The Beatitudes (Mat 5:3-11):

(3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(4) "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

(5) "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

(6) "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

(7) "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

(8) "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

(9) "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

(10) "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(11) "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

After telling them that they were to be the light and salt of the world, he describes how (Mat 5:21-48):

(21) "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' (22) But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment …

(27) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' (28) But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

(33) "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' (34) But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all … (37) Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.

(38) "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' (39) But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

(43) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' (44) But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (45)

And so on……

This demonstration of Godly character is counter-cultural, this is a much higher standard—this in a sense is world-class—in a class by itself—transcending cultural norms and cultural expectations.

We reflect this character in how we deal with personal challenges—physical, family, and financial. It is reflected in how we respond to an angry email or to the apathetic student.

It is our character that makes our message believable, that gives it credibility.

To be a Christian world-class school means that our character sets us apart from the pack; to be among best in world: ranked among the best or most prominent in the world, of the highest order—World-Class character.

World-Class Content, Curriculum, Instruction, and Standards

This leads to the second point, to be world-class means that we are to be fully committed to truth.

In one way—only Christian schools can be truly world-class because—if we are faithful to god’s word and to careful Christian scholarship—we are the only ones who teach the whole truth.

Don’t misunderstand—many unbelievers have, by common grace, much truth. And, many Christian are wrong about a great many things. But, Christians who are careful with God’s word and are careful students and teachers are able to be the light of the world because they have the whole truth—not mere fragments or distortions of it.

Psalm 19 declares:

(2) Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. (3) There is no speech, or are there words, whose voice is not heard. (4) Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun … (Natural Revelation)

(7) The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; (8) the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; (Special Revelation)

Ultimately—the Word and the World are united in Christ in whom “we live and move and have our being.” To quote Dr. Poythress (Harvard Mathematician, Professor of NT, Westminster):

All scientists-including agnostics and atheists-believe in God. They have to in order to do their work … A Hindu philosopher may say that the world is an illusion. But he does not casually walk into the street in front of an oncoming bus. Sue, a radical relativist, may say that there is no truth. But she travels calmly at 30,000 feet on a plane whose safe flight depends on the unchangeable truths of aerodynamics and structural mechanics … scientists describe the regularities in God’s word governing the world.

So-called natural law is really the law of God or word of God, imperfectly and approximately described by human investigations … let us remember that we are speaking of real laws, not merely our human guesses and approximations. The real laws are in fact the word of God, specifying how the world of creatures is to function. So-called “law” is simply God speaking, God acting, God manifesting himself in time and space [Day-to-day pours forth speech]… what people call “scientific law’ is divine. We are speaking of God himself and his revelation of himself through his governance of the world … in thinking about law, scientists are thinking God’s thoughts after him.[2]

God has an opinion about everything…we are to seek to think about the world as God does. Let me give you an example. Francis Collins, —a world-class Christian scientist who takes both natural and spiritual revelation seriously—and whose Godly character has prompted many atheists to seek Christ because of his Christian response to his daughter’s rape, proclaimed in a speech to the world on the steps of the White House:

The human genome consists of all the DNA of our species, the hereditary code of life. This newly revealed text was 3 billion letters long, and written in a strange and cryptographic four-letter code. Such is the amazing complexity of the information carried within each cell of the human body, that a live reading of that code at a rate of one letter per second would take thirty-one years, even if reading continued day and night. Printing these letters out in regular font size on normal bond paper and binding them all together would result in a tower the height of the Washington Monument. For the first time on a warm summer day six months into the new millennium, this amazing script, carrying within it all of the instructions for building a human being, was available to the world …

Notice his words here:

… Without a doubt, this is the most important, most wondrous map ever produced by humankind…we are learning the language in which God created life. We are gaining ever more awe for the complexity, the beauty, and the wonder of God’s most divine and sacred gift …

… It’s a happy day for the world. It is humbling for me, and awe-inspiring, to realize that we have caught the first glimpse of our own instruction book, previously known only to God”[3]

Now that is being a light to the world. That is a reflection of the proper relationship of science and theology. That is a world-class Christian scientist! That reflects our spiritual and academic aspirations for our students!

World Class-Cultural Awareness and Relevance

David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers. (Acts 13:36b)

Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. (1Chron. 12:32a)

These passages make a point of emphasizing that godly leaders, those that God uses to shape their institutions, schools, communities and countries, understand their times—they are relevant and contemporary and they knew how to lead and to apply biblical principles to the contemporary context.

A world-class Christian school is relevant—its teachers and administrators are current, aware, globally informed and may I even suggest, “Withit”?

To borrow a phrase from someone else, we cannot have Flintstone schools in a Jetson world.

We are entering the second decade of the 21^st century. We must understand our times and cultures if we are to effectively prepare our students to serve Christ.

In many ways, it is the tale of two cities—the best of times and the worst of times—at once an unprecedented time of progress and an unprecedented time of distress.

Progress

• The WSJ recently heralded a potential new era in biology, scientists for the first time have created a synthetic cell, completely controlled by man-made genetic instructions.
• We are in the midst of a third industrial revolution: Microelectronics, Computers, Robotics, Human Genome, Biotechnology, New materials, and Telecommunications.
• The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004.
• More than 3000 books are published every day.
• In 2008, the amount of new technical information was doubling every two years. This year, 2010, it is projected to double every 72 hours!
• Immediate access to vast amounts of information and communication: we carry a world of knowledge in our pockets!
• There has been some progress in some cultures dealing with racial, political, and socio-economic discrimination.
• The human race is more productive than at any time in human history.
• More people have access to better health care than at any time in history.
• Generally speaking, we are far more sensitive to environmental concerns than in past generations.
• The educational opportunities available in the world are advancing rapidly enable giving more people greater access to education and a better future.

Distress

• We live in a very violent time. More people were killed by war and their governments in the 20^th century than in all human history combined. Local, regional, and international wars continue to increase.
• Fanaticism of all sorts too often results in the killing of innocent men and women.
• Many of the world’s economies are sinking under unsustainable debt.
• It is increasingly difficult for the undereducated to find permanent employment to care for themselves and their families.
• The deviate and perverted are celebrated as good while the natural and holy are condemned as evil.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isa 5:20)

• Materialism and sensuality are rampant.
• Relativism and post-modernism are the reigning worldviews of our time.

These are our times-this is the world that our students are entering and in which they must provide leadership. It is a world of unprecedented opportunities and challenges!

We cannot do business as usual. We must engage with how things are, not how they were or how we wish them to be.

There is great value in tradition; there is great value in our heritage as Christians, and as Americans. But the value is not in the traditions themselves-it is in the principles and lessons learned that can be applied in new and creative ways to our contemporary context so that like the men of Issachar, men who had “understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do,” we understand our times and know what do to—how to teach and how to lead.

I want to emphasize that while our methods may and often must change, e.g., through the application of neuroscience, technology, creative assessment techniques, and so forth, our commitment to God’s word is immutable.

World-Class Caring

We cannot and will not meet the challenges of the 21^st century and of our students unless we care. We cannot be a city on the hill; we cannot be the light of the world, unless we love our neighbors as ourselves, unless we sacrifice ourselves for our students and our parents, even or especially the ones that we find it hard to like.

One of the primary ways we let our light shine is through our good works, a reflection of our love and concern for others: “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father.”

• Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Php 2:5-8)
• You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (Joh 13:13-17)
• A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (Joh 13:34-35)

In other words, people are more important than tasks. Administrators lead people not employees, teachers teach students, not subjects!

To be world-class Christian schools means that we love and serve our students, we do not merely teach them. Sometimes this requires tough love but it always requires love. Paul makes the point as powerfully as it can be made: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (I Cor. 13:1)

To be world-class our love, our devotion, and our sacrifice for and service to our students must be ranked among best in world: ranked among the best or most prominent in the world—of the highest order.

There should never be an instance when an unbelieving teacher, administrator, or coach is more caring, more loving, and more sacrificial in the care and teaching of his or her students than a believer!

World-Class in Courage

To be world-class takes courage.

• It takes courage to speak the truth.
• It takes courage to insist and to model excellence—it takes courage to refuse the mass current of mediocrity—to swim against the current.
• It takes courage to give an honest, rather than a safe grade.
• It takes courage to tell a parent that his/her son is not doing well, is not working hard.
• It takes courage to tell a teacher that he/she is coasting.
• It takes courage to tell an administrator that he or she is not providing visionary, strategic, effective leadership.
• It takes courage to try new things, to experiment, to get beyond our comfort zones and our routines.
• It takes courage to go beyond tradition and beyond what we have always done.

Without the courage to speak the truth in love, without the courage to experiment, without the courage to break out of the ordinary and to help our students do likewise, we cannot be world-class.

World-Class in Curiosity

We cannot shine if we are dull. We cannot be lights to our students if we have stopped learning. We cannot ignite a heart and mind of curiosity if we have lost ours—the student will be like his teacher—we cannot give what we do not possess.

Are we reading outside our professional field? Are we learning about new discoveries? Do we read those with whom we disagree? Are we learning new skills? Is there any venturesomeness about us? Or have we become stale, provincial, sheltered, and comfortable? Are we routine?

Curiosity is the very essence of Christian education because it is embedded in us as image bearers, it is the catalyst for the cultural mandate—to exercise dominion and stewardship over creation—and is it what propels us to investigate and to learn, to develop new tools and new methods.

Paul Marshall, in his wonderful book titled: Heaven in Not My Home[4], writes:

Many of those who denounce technology have no real desire to live in some primitive civilization. Instead, many of them sit amidst the fruits of technical progress all the while denouncing the technology that brought them. Technology, properly used, is a gift from God.

The topic of technique and technology preoccupies today’s world. Technique refers to “how to” do something—it is the science of “how.” It encompasses all that we can do—from going to the moon to public speaking, from designing nuclear bombs to making love, from serving a hungry neighbor to writing books. All of these are included when we talk about technique.

Along with technique comes technology, which is the made, created, embodied structure of technique. Technology includes, in one form or another, all those things that do not naturally occur, all those things that we shape and reshape. Technology infuses art as much as physics, families as much as engineering. To talk about technique and technology is to talk in one particular way about all of human life, as all of human life has some technical aspect. Responsible technical skill is both a gift and a calling. It is the human task of reshaping the materials of God’s world in new ways. It is imagination and skill in the service of usefulness.

Nor is our task in the world simply following the clear rules that God has set down, though we must certainly follow God’s commandments and learn from the creation itself. We have a creative task in the world. We must shape things in ways for which there is sometimes no clear direction. This is why imagination is not just a feature of the arts; it is a feature of human life itself. Without imagination, without experimentation, without openness to new questions and new possibilities, there can be no science and no technology. We are not challenging God when we do this, at least not when we do it in humility and faith. We are not stealing fire from the gods. We are taking up our responsibility before God to shape what he has placed in our hands.

Christian education is the exploration of God’s mind as revealed in creation! Christian education is preparing students to use their skills, their imaginations, and their curiosity to shape the world and to build God honoring culture. That is a wondrously beautiful and infinitely deep mission!

On a building at Harvard is the following inscription: “Students explore the mind of God for the art of life.” Let that sink in. “Students explore the mind of God for the art of life.” I often include this quote in my email signature line because I believe that if one takes time to mediate on it that it has profound implications for Christian education. The Psalmist writes:

Great are the works of the Lord; they are studied by all who delight in them. (Psalm 111:2)

• When our students look into a microscope, they are peering into the mind of God.
• When they gaze through a telescope, they are encountering the creation of an incomprehensible, infinite intelligence.
• When they listen to music, they are experiencing the beauty and harmony of God’s character.
• When they study mathematics, they are, to quote Edward Everett, a former president of Harvard:

Contemplating truths, which existed in the divine mind before the morning stars sang together, and which will continue to exist there, when the last of the radiant host shall have fallen from heaven.” Mathematics reflects the sustaining power of the Word of God.

• In the study of history they are investigating the sovereignty and providence of God as worked out in time and space:

And ^x[God] made from one man every nation of mankind to live ^yon all the face of the earth, ^zhaving determined allotted periods and ^athe boundaries of their dwelling place, ^{27 b}that they should seek God, in the hope that ^cthey might feel their way toward him and find him. ^dYet he is actually not far from each one of us, ^[5]

This is inexhaustible! Do we FEEL the wonder in what we teach and why we lead? Are we passionate about plunging into the depths of God’s infinite, beautiful mind as we explore this world and the universe?

Is that what you are experiencing? Is this what our students are experiencing in our classrooms? Do they leave our classrooms awestruck at who God is and what he has done? Do they leave Chemistry class a better person for having encountered Christ in chemistry?

Fostering curiosity like this will produce world-class teachers, students, and schools!

World-Class Champions of Excellence

We are to be champions in the quality of our own work and in our work-ethic. Champions, by definition, are world-class. I immediately think of Olympic champions or the World-Cup. These athletes are the best in the world.

As Christian school teachers and leaders, we should seek to be the best in the world, to have the best schools in the world—not for our glory but that men may see our “good works” and glorify our father in heaven.

This is not a matter of pride. Since we are to “do everything as unto Christ” and since Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and since one day we must give an account for our work on this earth, how can we strive for anything less?

• How can we serve up a warmed over lesson plan? Would you serve Christ leftovers if he came over for dinner? Why then would we serve his children left-over lessons or left-over leadership? Jesus said “as you did it to one of the least of these ^dmy brothers,⁶ you did it to me.”
• How can school administrators provide mediocre leadership?
• How can we fail to walk that extra mile for a student or parent (even the ones we don’t particularly like) when Jesus tells us to willingly walk an extra-mile for a Roman soldier who has occupied your country, steals your wealth through unfair taxation, who may be the very soldier who will crucify Jesus, and who may serve Nero in torturing Christians to death? How can we do less for our students and parents? How can we do less for each other?
• How can we be satisfied to provide our students an education, that while ranking high in the U.S., may in fact be in the middle of the pack or lower when measured against international standards?

We are to be the beacon of light on the hill of excellence—drawing unbelievers to our schools to learn from us!

We are to be Champions in the quality of everything that we do: ranked among best in world: ranked among the best or most prominent in the world, of an international standard of excellence; of the highest order—not for our glory but the glory and honor of Christ.

World-Class Commitment to the Preeminence of Christ

This work is not about us. The work we do in our Christian schools is about the Kingdom of God—it is that simple and that profound. Jesus is The Alpha and the Omega of Creation and he is the Alpha and Omega of our work and our schools!

Being a world-class Christian school is a POSITIVE mission:

• It is not about withdrawal, not about protecting, and not about sheltering; our call is about providing a positive imaginative, engaging vision of personal and cultural redemption and transformation under the Lordship of Christ.
• It is not about what we are against as much as what we are for, what we are called to do as creative, relational, rational, redeemed image bearers.

Paul Marshall[6] makes the following observation and goes on to quote C.S. Lewis:

The major patterns of our culture and society are being shaped with almost no Christian presence. We live in a “subculture,” on our own island, increasingly far from shore.

And when we do seek influence, we often only react to someone else’s proposals. If the Disney Company puts out movies that trivialize or demonize the Christian faith, we boycott them. But this simply pulls us farther into our own shell. We have no alternative to put forward, no movies that undercut Disney because they’re better. A familiar proverb says, “The fool curses the darkness, but the wise man lights a candle.” We “curse” a lot but have few candles, and so the darkness deepens …

If Christian faith produces good families, good businesses, good art, good books, and good politics, then people will notice, and they will be intrigued. In American society, where people think they know all they want to know about Christianity, this is especially important. As usual, C. S. Lewis said it well:

I believe that any Christian who is qualified to write a good popular book on any science may do much more by that than by any directly apologetic (evangelistic) work…We can make people (often) attend to the Christian point of view for half an hour or so; but the moment they have gone away from our lecture or laid down our article, they are plunged back into a world where the opposite position is taken for granted…What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects—with their Christianity latent. You can see this most easily if you look at it the other way round. Our Faith is not very likely to be shaken by any book on Hinduism. But if whenever we read an elementary book on Geology, Botany, Politics, or Astronomy, we found that its implications were Hindu, that would shake us. It is not the books written in direct defense of Materialism that make the modern man a materialist; it is the materialistic assumptions in all the other books. In the same way, it is not books on Christianity that will really trouble him. But he would be troubled if, whenever he wanted a cheap popular introduction to some science, the best work on the market was always by a Christian.

• It is about being empowered by God’s Spirit that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It is about leading, serving, changing, and creating under the Lord of Jesus Christ-our King and our Savior!
• It is about being a city on the hill—a city of educational excellence that draws believer and unbeliever alike to our schools as models of character, caring, of contemporary instruction and learning, of curiosity as we explore the wonder of God’s world.
• It is about the exaltation of Christ as He is seen and known in the Scriptures and in creation.

Conclusion—A Vision for the Future—Where in The World Are We Going?

We live in one of the most challenges times in human history and a time of nearly unparalleled opportunity. On the one hand, the world faces great challenges and threats; we live in a time when one small miscalculation, e.g., on the Korean Peninsula or in dealing with Iran, can erupt into a regional or world war with devastating consequences.

On the other hand, we live in a time when we are able to access and to disseminate information with unprecedented speed and ease. We can carry whole libraries in our pockets. With leadership, vision and the right tools, we can make our lessons available to most people on this planet!

There has seldom been a time when the light of God’s word was more needed or a time when there have been more competing false lights in the world.

As Christian school teachers and leaders, we are called to be lights on the hill, beacons of truth.

• We must lead not follow, as individual Christian professionals and as a school!
• We must set the standard, not rest with mediocrity the easy the familiar, the comfortable. We are called to be world-class—to rise above the norm—by being world-class in our Character, the Content of our Curriculum and Quality of our Instruction, Caring, Courage, Curiosity, in being Champions of Excellence, in our Commitment to the Preeminence of Christ.

Right Now Counts Forever

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (2) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (4) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." (5) And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." (6) And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. (7) The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son … (22) And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. (23) And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (24) By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, (25) and its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there. (26) They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.” (Rev 21:1-7; 22-26)

That is our future—that is the future that we are preparing our students to inherent—a new heaven and a new earth in which men from every tribe, nation, and tongue build a new culture and a new civilization. The work begins now—with our students, in our classrooms, in our Christian schools! This is the end for which we work! This is world-class Christian education!

---

[1] © Copyrighted Barrett Mosbacker 2010

[2] Poythress, V. S. (2006). Redeeming science: A God-centered approach. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[3] Dr. Francis Collins, A scientist presents evidence for belief: The language of God, (Free Press, New York), 2006, pp. 2-3

[4] Marshall, P. (1998). Heaven is not my home: Learning to live in God's creation

^{x x} [Gen. 3:20; Mal. 2:10]

^{y y} Gen. 11:8; Luke 21:35

^{z z} [Job 12:23; 14:5]

^{a a} Deut. 32:8; [Ps. 74:17]

^{b b} [ch. 15:17]

^{c c} [Job 23:3, 8, 9]

^{d d} [Deut. 4:7; Ps. 145:18; Jer. 23:23, 24]; See ch. 14:17

^[5] The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ac 17:25–27). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

^{d d} ch. 28:10; John 20:17; Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:11; [ch. 12:50]

^{6 6} Or brothers and sisters

[6] Marshall, P. (1998). Heaven is not my home: Learning to live in God's creation

Is Online Learning on Your Radar?

Dr. Barrett Mosbacker, PublisherMost of us recognize how important it is for a modern aircraft, particularly a commercial aircraft, to be equipped with the latest technology in order to provide the best possible chance for mission success. If any of us walked onto a flight and was informed the trip was being made without radar, we might think twice about remaining on board. Do we not trust the experience and instincts of the pilot? I imagine our reasons for leaving the airplane would not be about mistrust, but more about believing that reliable and proven technology gives us the best chance for success.

What about in our schools? Sometimes our daily requirements and routines capture our attention so often that we overlook the tools that are available to give us the best chance for success. Christian, public and private schools alike are wrestling with the present day economy, as well as the expectations of government, parents, board members and students. Budget surpluses are no longer in the school administrator’s toolbox, and to make matters worse, it seems organizations that could provide solutions elect to clash with one another instead. The commitment to instructional excellence is mostly unchanged, but the need to search for new tools is a reality, perhaps even a necessity.

One tool that is proving successful is online learning. Whether a child is studying in the classroom, living at home, attending a youth group or just hanging out in the neighborhood, we are well aware of their interest in virtual communications. It has been said that young people today will grow into adulthood with the Web as much a part of them as the land-line telephone was for others in years past. Many students are so comfortable with technology, and the tremendous speed at which it changes, that new technological tools are an everyday expectation, not a novelty. How does the concept of online learning strike them? Their answer, as we have discovered, is a resounding YES!.

As an active participant in the Christian online education world, Sevenstar (www.sevenstaracademy.org) is privileged to be part of introducing quality Christian curriculum to a number of Christian schools and homeschoolers around the world. It has helped administrators, counselors, principals and board members solve present day challenges with technology that is ready to use now and remain an integral part of their future.

Almost four years ago, Dr. Mark Beadle, Sevenstar CEO/Head of School and long time Christian education administrator and teacher, sensed the Lord’s calling to pursue the introduction of an online Christian curriculum provider. After prayer, study, and meetings with leaders from all facets of Christian education, Dr. Beadle and others began the process of developing the highest quality curriculum possible. After identifying curriculum from Florida Virtual School and integrating biblical principles to create a sound Christian worldview, Sevenstar tied it all together with a strong support system and a partner model for schools.

In today’s Christian educational environment we hear of shrinking student enrollments, decreasing faculty retention, limited course offerings, and scheduling conflicts. The present day economy is contributing to these and other issues more than most of us ever remember. Online education is proving to be a source of relief from those concerns? Depending how one elects to use it, online instruction and curriculum can supplement a school’s revenue, as well as introduce a possible second revenue source for teachers. Other exciting possibilities include science labs and research projects conducted everyday via online education. Sevenstar students are engaged in Chinese and Latin, as well as Dual Credit courses from renowned Christian colleges. Online learning today involves more than one model with more than a million K-12 students studying courses of all types. It is predicted that over 10 million persons will be engaged in online learning in one form or another by 2014.

One model that is growing, to which Sevenstar can participate, is “hybrid" or “blended” education. This format allows a school to maintain their traditional brick and mortar approach while injecting portions of online learning right into the classroom. It enables a teacher to add an exciting link to the curriculum with an endless supply of information, tools and techniques. That which would normally require having to leave the classroom, online learning can introduce with the click of a mouse.

Sevenstar has chosen to enter into the Christian education arena to partner with schools, students and parents so that they have similar options, if not better, than the best of the public and private sectors. With rigorous courses that exceed all national standards, Sevenstar enables the smaller schools to compete with larger ones by offering single courses, entire subject matter, or entire curriculums to instruct in a “Hybrid” setting. It offers curriculum solutions for unique circumstances as well as a second chance to recover credits, move ahead with summer school, take AP classes or choose from over 100 dual credit programs. Some schools, like Sevenstar, are even using the courses to offer their own virtual diploma.

Many Christian schools have worked hard to establish a quality education for their students. Today, opportunities for those same students can be found not only in the classroom, but on their home PC, their cell phone or anywhere they can connect to the virtual world. Is such a world on your radar? It might be time to consider a tool that expands your future possibilities and brings solutions to your present day challenges – online learning.

For more information about Sevenstar, go to www.sevenstaracademy.org

References:

http://www.blackboardschoolcentral.com (2010)

http://www.k12perspectives.com/morewithless.asp (2009)

Crouse, Brian, 2009 “How to Launch a School with Sevenstar Academy” – Brian Crouse

They Are Coming After Your Students and Said So!

Dr. Barrett Mosbacker, PublisherAt a recent Executive Symposium on Distance Education that I attended a public school superintendent, not knowing I was from a private school, said to the group (to paraphrase), "we are developing a robust online program and we fully expect to recapture students from home schooling families and private schools."

I just reread portions of Christensen's excellent book, "Disrupting Class".  I am particularly interested by his analysis of the "Dimensions of Agreement" and the "Tools of Cooperation".  I have attached graphics depicting the concepts.  These are particularly important to me because it can be difficult to get staff to accept change--I find this particularly problematic among conservative Christians, whom by definition, are "conservative."  :-)  In my estimation, moving forward, carefully and thoughtfully, with distance learning programs in imperative but it is not an easy task--the learning curve is steep, creating a feasible business plan is critical, and getting buy in can be tough.  But, Christensen argues, refreshingly, that consensus is not necessarily the goal--cooperation is!  I find that a refreshing approach given the emphasis on consensus building over the last several decades in the management literature.  I was also surprised by his observation that change is most difficult when there is wide agreement on the goals and processes currently in place.  Generally, one would think that this is a good thing. Upon reflection, however, it is easy to see why change in an organization can be very difficult when the organization is in the upper right quadrant of the dimensions of agreement chart.  This means that one of our challenges is to challenge the consensus on the goals and/or processes currently in place, which is all the more difficult when the organization is successful.  In other words, success can actually work against us, as in "good is the enemy of great."  It is what I'm calling the "Hobbit Effect."

In the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbits went merrily about their lives oblivious to the fact that Mordor was rising and threatening them.  Only a few saw the danger and acted.  I wonder if distance learning and charter schools aren't the "Mordors" of Christian education.  While we argue about uniforms, dress codes, and tuition discounts, the public system is installing a robust distance learning infrastructure and charters are multiplying.  Will we wake up in 10 years and wonder what happened to our market?’

Christensen (2008), Disrupting the classroom, p. 187

 

I am so impressed with Christensen's book that I've ordered two more:
The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do

The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth

Charter Schools Pass a Major Test!

I have posted several articles addressing the charter school movement (The Charters are Coming!; Can We Keep Up with the Competition?; Are You Spread Too Thin? How to Thrive and Not Merely Survive as a Christian School; and Leading Your School In Uncertain Economic Times: Practical Suggestions) because I see two major trends that have the potential to have a significant impact on our schools:

1) the rapid development of distance/online learning and

2) the growth of charter schools. 

It is our responsibility as school leaders to anticipate the future and to steer our schools in the right direction to ensure that they remain relevant and vital.

The following Wall Street Journal article is important because it shows the growing acceptance and credibility of charter schools.

Charter Schools Pass Key Test in Study

By JOHN HECHINGER and IANTHE JEANNE DUGAN

WSJ September 2009

New York City students who win a lottery to enroll in charter schools outperform those who don't win spots and go on to attend traditional schools, according to new research to be released Tuesday.

The study, led by Stanford University economics Prof. Caroline Hoxby, is likely to fire up the movement to push states and school districts to expand charter schools -- one of the centerpieces of President Barack Obama's education strategy. (emphasis added)

Among students who had spent their academic careers in charter schools, the average eighth grader in Ms. Hoxby's study had a state mathematics test score of 680, compared with 650 for those in traditional schools. The tests are generally scored on a roughly 500 to 800 scale, with 650 representing proficiency.

Ms. Hoxby's study found that the charter-school students, who tend to come from poor and disadvantaged families, scored almost as well as students in the affluent Scarsdale school district in the suburbs north of the city. The English test results showed a similar pattern. The study also found students were more likely to earn a state Regents diploma, given to higher-achieving students, the longer they attended charter schools.

This year, the Renaissance Charter School in Queens and the Democracy Prep Charter School in Harlem each had 1,500 applicants for 80 seats. Rennaissance co-principal Stacey Gauthier says 90% of students achieve proficiency in the state test and end up going to college. "We have to perform well or we lose our charter," she says. "It makes us step up our game."

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, argued that New York City's charter schools aren't representative of the nation's, because the state caps charter schools and agencies vet them thoroughly before authorizing them, assuring they are of higher quality than elsewhere.

Charter schools are publicly funded schools, typically with nonunion teachers, that are granted more freedom by states in curriculum and hiring, and are often promoted as a way to turn around failing schools.

Critics of charter schools have long argued that any higher test scores were not necessarily attributable to anything the schools were doing, but to the students themselves, on the premise that only the most motivated students and families elected charters. Ms. Hoxby's study sought to address that argument by comparing students who attend charters directly with similarly motivated students -- those who sought to attend charters but were denied a seat through a random lottery. She concluded the charters did have a positive effect.

Charter supporters, including many conservatives, have often cited the school-choice research of Ms. Hoxby, a well-known economist who is also a fellow at Stanford's right-leaning Hoover Institution.

New York City's 99 charter schools are concentrated in poorer neighborhoods such as Harlem and the South Bronx. Some 30,000 students attend and another 40,000 are on waiting lists -- a small fraction of the 1.1 million students in the nation's largest school district.

Ms. Hoxby's study noted a strong correlation between achievement and charter programs with the following practices: a longer school day, merit pay for teachers and a disciplinary policy that punishes small infractions and rewards courtesy.

"We want to make New York City the Silicon Valley of charter schools," says schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who supports lifting statewide caps. "This study shows that when districts aren't antagonistic to charter schools, and instead welcome them, the results are very powerful."

But Ms. Weingarten, the union leader, cited another study this year from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes -- also at Stanford -- that looked at charters in 16 states and found that half did no better than traditional schools, and more than a third performed worse.

Pierina Arias, an Ecuadorean immigrant, turned to the Renaissance charter after her twins were rejected by a private school because they didn't speak English. "I was crying," says Ms. Arias. "I didn't know what to do." The twins won charter admission in a lottery, recently graduated with honors and are both in college, she says.

Patricia Hesselbach won a place in Democracy Prep's lottery for her 14-year-old daughter, Ayanna Mason, now a ninth grader. She had been at a traditional public school and needed to take outside courses to keep up with such basics as reading, her mother says. At Democracy Prep, Ms. Hasselbach says, her daughter is thriving. "They hold them to high expectations, and make sure they have discipline and dedication," Ms. Hesselbach says.

But Cynthia Lee, a hospital manager in Harlem, entered ten lotteries to get her 13-year-old daughter into Democracy Prep and didn't win a place. So, the single mother enrolled her daughter in a Catholic school for $3,100 a year. "I had no choice," she says. "I'd rather pay every last dime than put her in a public school."