This site is devoted to fostering practical and creative dialog for promoting excellence in K-12 Christian schools.
Excellence in K-12 Christian Schools / Published by Dr. Barrett Mosbacker
Summer is a great time for a school leader. While we may not have the "summer off" the slower pace of the summer months allow time for the 3Rs that are essential practices of a leader: Resting, Reflecting, and Refocusing.
Read MoreAs I’ve “captained” small boats on the inland lakes and the Great Lakes of Michigan, I’ve discovered what Don Soderquist, former Vice Chairman of Walmart, said about great leaders, “Great leaders are like great captains.” Here is what I’ve learned that I thought might be helpful to you.
Read MoreThe unusual comparison of a retailer and an educational institution may seem to be a bit strange.
However, they have a lot in common and there are some clear corollaries which can be instructive considering the challenges and changes facing both sectors. Mission, Culture, and Leadership will be discussed in this article with a free article available at the end.
“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” is the mission statement that guided J.C. Penney and his company when he was actively involved. Changing consumer behaviors, challenging employee hiring, Wall Street profit pressures, and a dramatic increase in competition from e-commerce challenged the commitment to that mission and to profits. People are shopping elsewhere—many online.
Many of these same factors are creating tremendous pressure on Christian schools who were founded to provide a Christ centered, biblically-directed education. Parents have ever increasing choices. The NCES says conservative Christian School enrollment has decreased 29% in the last 10 years. Charter schools, for profit schools, online schools, home schools, and classical Christian schools have experienced significant growth at the expense of the traditional Christian school ...
Read MoreSummer is a great time for a school leader. While we may not have the "summer off" the slower pace of the summer months allow time for the 3Rs that are essential practices of a leader: Resting, Reflecting, and Refocusing.
Read MoreI have never seen a Christian school with such a sign and I don’t ever expect to see one. For too many Christian schools such a sign might reflect “truth in advertising” but would it be extraordinary bad marketing! It would also be suicidal for both the administrator and the school. Besides, while average may be more common than we would like to admit, every school administrator I know is genuinely committed to excellence in his or her school.
But the fact of the matter is, and the research supports it, far too many Christian schools are average–generally no better than their public school counterparts as measured by student achievement. There are many reasons why this is so but I believe one of them–perhaps the primary one–is that we are afraid of excellence of the kind that could be classified as world-class.
This is part one of a series of short articles exploring the questions; “Should our schools strive to be world-class, or as I will explain later–Kingdom-class–and if so, how do we get closer to that goal? How excellent should we strive to be? What is excellence, anyway? Does the pursuit of world-class standards of quality run the risk of compromising our integrity as Christian schools? Do we run the risk of becoming worldly institutions?”
Read MoreNinety-nine percent (99%) of our parents are wonderful. They are supportive. If they have a concern they know how to “speak the truth in love.” They assume the best and seek understanding, reconciliation, and unity for all concerned. They don’t sugar coat problems, nor should they, but neither are they sour. They can deal with unpleasant issues without leaving a bitter aftertaste.
Read MoreYou are probably having too many meetings, for too long, and with too many people.
Let’s say you hold a weekly meeting with five people that lasts for one hour. And let’s say you hold this meeting every week for the school year. Here is the math:
5 people x 1 hour = 5 cumulative personnel hours of work time per week.
5 hours x 36 weeks (average school year) = 180 hours.
180 hours = ~4.5 weeks of time devoted to this one recurring meeting.
What could you and or your staff do with an extra 4.5 weeks each year?
Read MoreI don’t make New Year’s resolutions; I make New SCHOOL Year resolutions. I have never found New Year’s resolutions particularly helpful because my life revolves around the SCHOOL year, not the calendar year. This makes the summer an ideal time to pray and reflect on the past year and to plan for the next. Over the summer I reflect on and assess two areas: my leadership and my life-work balance.
Read MoreSometimes we are our own worst enemy. We create battles we don’t need to fight.
I avoided an unnecessary skirmish recently after receiving a call from one of our elementary principals. She called about a clear violation of our dress code policy.
The problem had to do with the language of the policy prohibiting non-school pictures or logos on clothing except for small monograms. This created a problem for parents who wished to purchase, or who had already purchased, tops for younger children with flowers, animals or similar imprints. Several parents were complaining about the policy. The principal believed we should enforce the “letter of the law” because it was clearly written and to “protect” the school’s culture.
Read More
Eighteen Ways to Make YOUR Superintendent Very Unhappy Guest Article, Bruce Johnson
Things brought to him as superintendent for almost three decades.
Gossip in the Teachers’ Room and don’t hold anyone accountable for anything they say (and don’t let anyone hold you accountable for anything you say).
Trust students (or your spouse) to keep confidences about other students or staff.
Break confidences that you have with parents by “sharing” with other parents, co-workers or your spouse.
Keep confidences you shouldn’t keep (moral, ethical, legal).
Discuss students with other student’s parents.
Miss deadlines for grades or reports – or anything else – if you feel you have something more important to do.
Teach whatever you want to teach – regardless of the approved curriculum.
Be tardy to devotions, staff meetings and class.
Question everything – all the time – after all, you know better than anyone else.
Tell everyone else before you tell your administrator any complaints you may have about the school or him – or her.
Make excuses for your mistakes and never, ever take responsibility for anything that goes wrong.
Don’t volunteer for anything at any time, no matter how much everyone else is doing or how much your assistance is needed.
Ask for special favors and exceptions to policies that apply to everyone else.
Don’t dress or act professionally – and complain if you disagree with any guidelines, decisions regarding curriculum or anything else.
Don’t be careful what you say or how you say it to students or your co-workers.
Recognize that the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22,23 does not apply to you.
Don’t be loyal to the Lord, or school, or each other.
Remember that the school is fortunate to have you on staff.
Cafés evoke feelings of warmth, conversation, community and connection. Conversations in a cafe often give birth to great ideas. This is the idea behind this site.
The Christian Education Leadership Cafe is a comfortable and informative place for connecting and sharing best practices in Christian School Leadership. This site is devoted to fostering practical and creative dialog for promoting excellence in K-12 Christian schools. Discussion focuses on leadership, productivity, professional development, technology integration, personnel, dealing with stress and conflict, enrollment and marketing, and best practices for promoting and sustaining world-class quality in Christian schools.
Come on in and join the conversation.
DISCLAIMER
This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent those of the authors and not those of my employer or any other organization. My thoughts and opinions may change from time to time as a necessary consequence of being a life-long learner. The information on this blog is authentic to the best of my knowledge, and as such, it is prone to errors and the absence of information. The content on this blog is provided for entertainment and informative purposes only and should not, therefore, be perceived as professional advice in regards to health, finances, or any other field. This disclaimer is subject to change at anytime without notification.
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