ACSI Research Fellow Program

91黑料网 / Thought Leadership / ACSI Research Fellow Program
Program Overview

The Research Fellowship program at ACSI offers a unique opportunity for talented researchers to contribute to advancing the field of Christian education while addressing critical global challenges. By fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovative research, the program aims to make a significant impact on the world stage.

Program Aims:
  • Create a vibrant and inclusive international research community.
  • Foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovative solutions to address both US and global challenges through research projects in Christian education.
 
Program Oversight:
  • The fellows will collaboratively work with ACSI’s research department and Thought Leadership and the Research Director will oversee the program.

 

ACSI Fellows Collaborate on Research to Advance Faith-Based Education

ACSI Fellows collaborate with the Thought Leadership team (Research Department) to develop research and Working Papers on important topics in education, spirituality, and culture, focusing on their impact within the realm of Christian education. Their work addresses current trends and challenges, offering valuable insights for advancing faith-based learning.

Research in Brief

RiB is a biannual publication by ACSI, aimed at sharing the latest research findings and insights on the Christian school sector. It is available exclusively to ACSI member school and is managed by ACSI Director of Research.

 

Current Fellows
Lynn Swaner

 

Lynn Swaner Ed.D.

President of Cardus USA – ACSI Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Lynn Swaner is the President, US at Cardus, a non-partisan think tank dedicated to clarifying and strengthening, through research and dialogue, the ways in which society’s institutions can work together for the common good. She also serves as a Senior Fellow for the 91黑料网 (ACSI). Dr. Swaner is the editor or lead author of numerous books, including Future Ready: Innovative Missions and Models in Christian Education (Cardus & ACSI, 2022); Flourishing Together: A Christian Vision for Students, Educators, and Schools (Eerdmans, 2021); and MindShift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education (ACSI, 2019). Dr. Swaner holds a doctorate in organizational leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University and a diploma in strategy and innovation from University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. She previously served as a professor of education and a Christian school leader in New York.
Matthew Lee

 

Matthew Lee, Ph.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State University - ACSI Senior Research Fellow
Matthew Lee is Clinical Assistant Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State University. He previously served as the Director of Research at the 91黑料网, where he helped develop the Flourishing Faith Index. His peer-reviewed research on Christian education has appeared in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Journal of Religious and Health, International Journal of Educational Development, and the Journal of Religious Education. He is co-author of Future Ready (ACSI/Cardus 2022) and co-editor of Religious Liberty and Education (Rowman & Littlefield 2020). He earned his Ph.D. in education policy at the University of Arkansas.
Francis Ben

 

Francis Ben, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Head of Postgraduate Coursework and Research at Tabor College Adelaide Australia – ACSI Global Research Fellow
Francis has more than 30 combined years of experience in secondary and tertiary education. He has an undergraduate qualification in Civil Engineering, and postgraduate qualifications in Physics and Education. At secondary schools in North Carolina, he taught mathematics and physics subjects. He also taught Physics, Research Methods, and Education-related subjects at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. His research and publications include Physics Education, Educational Measurement, large-scale studies (e.g., PISA). He is currently Head of Postgraduate Programs and Research in the Education Faculty at Tabor College of Higher Education in South Australia.
Alison Heap Johnson

 

Alison Heape Johnson

PhD candidate at the University of Arkansas – ACSI Junior Research Fellow
Alison is a PhD candidate and Distinguished Doctoral Fellow at the University of Arkansas where she studies education policy, with research interests in school finance, school choice, and teacher/administrator pipelines. She previously taught in both public and Christian schools and has a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in teaching English as a second language. She and her husband Blake reside in Arkansas with their newborn daughter and enjoy exploring the beauty of the Natural State and gathering with their church where Blake is a pastoral resident.
Become A Fellow
    Eligibility:
    • Understanding of Christian education.
    • Strong academic credentials (e.g., relevant degrees, publications, minimum a Ph.D. candidate in education programs for Junior Fellow and a Ph.D. or Ed.D. for Senior Fellow).
    • Demonstrated research excellence.
    • Experience in international research collaboration.
    • Excellent English communication skills.
    • Minimum five years experience of doing research.
     
    Nomination and selection process:
    • The selection of the fellows is done through ACSI’s internal nomination.
    Blog

    Learning and Leading with AI: Teaching, Technology, and Courage to Grow

    Sep 30, 2025, 08:57 by Dr. Dave Mulder
    Artificial intelligence has entered our classrooms and staff meetings, sometimes in big ways, sometimes in subtle ones. It鈥檚 changing how we write, research, grade, plan, and even how we imagine what teaching could look like in the future. For Christian educators, this new reality brings both opportunity and challenge. The question isn鈥檛 whether AI will be part of education鈥攊t already is. The deeper question is, how will we, as Christian teachers and school leaders, engage it faithfully?

    Artificial intelligence has entered our classrooms and staff meetings, sometimes in big ways, sometimes in subtle ones. It’s changing how we write, research, grade, plan, and even how we imagine what teaching could look like in the future. For Christian educators, this new reality brings both opportunity and challenge. The question isn’t whether AI will be part of education—it already is. The deeper question is, how will we, as Christian teachers and school leaders, engage it faithfully?

    This is not just about mastering a new tool. It’s about remembering what it means to be human, to teach in ways that honor God, and to use technology in ways that amplify—not diminish—the high calling of living out our faith through our work as educators.

     

    Teaching and Learning, and Committing to Playful Practice

    Teaching is a journey of becoming, not arriving. Whether you are new to the profession or a seasoned educator, your development as a more faithful educator is a process, one shaped by reflection, practice, and imagination. As Christian teachers, this journey takes on a distinctive purpose: learning to more faithfully follow Jesus through our work, integrating our discipleship into the classroom. One powerful way to approach this journey is through what I call playful practice, a method of learning and experimenting that nurtures creativity, resourcefulness, and flexibility.

    When we speak of creativity, many educators hesitate, thinking it requires being “artistic.” But creativity is broader than painting or music. It is the capacity to be generative, adaptive, and resourceful—qualities we can cultivate through repeated, intentional practice. In teaching, playful practice allows us to explore new ideas, refine strategies, and even experiment with technologies like artificial intelligence without fear of failure. Just as practicing a musical instrument or athletic skill develops permanent habits and capabilities, playful practice in teaching cultivates habits of thoughtful, imaginative, and ethical decision-making. A willingness to experiment and explore, even with regard to your teaching, is the heart of playful practice, so take this as your invitation to play!

    Approaching AI through the lens of playful practice and God-glorifying, human-centered discernment also involves acknowledging the limitations of technology. Machines are powerful but often less magical in reality than in our imagination. A Roomba may promise effortless cleaning, yet in practice, it struggles with corners, stairs, and furniture layouts. Similarly, AI tools might seem impressive at first glance, but their outputs are only as good as our guidance, oversight, and ethical judgment. Our task as educators is to identify which tasks humans (both teachers and students alike!) should be performing. This is not to say we can’t be supported by tools, of course. If you are going to dig a hole, I suspect you’ll use a shovel—or perhaps even a backhoe for a really big hole—rather than your bare hands. Humans use tools, and sometimes very powerful tools, to help with the work we are doing. But discerning which tools to use, and when to use them, is a key part of ensuring that the human work remains meaningful and formative.

     

    Remembering Who We Are as Teachers

    As I see it, the heart of Christian teaching is a conviction that education is about more than efficiency, productivity, or even content mastery. A real, true education is really about shaping persons made in the image of God, nurturing wisdom, cultivating character, and guiding students toward truth.

    AI has the power to automate certain tasks that weigh us down—lesson planning, grading drafts, and organizing resources. But if we allow it to take over the distinctly human parts of teaching—relationship, mentorship, imagination, prayerful discernment—we risk hollowing out the very work we were called to do.

    Our role as Christian educators is not to compete with machines, but to lean more fully into the really human work of teaching: listening to our students, encouraging and challenging them, and bearing witness to Christ’s love in the classroom. This is the good, God-delighting work we get to do!

     

    The Goodness of Work and the Danger of Shortcuts

    Teaching is hard work, and that’s not a flaw in the system—it’s part of the goodness of the vocation. Hard work forms us, shapes our students, and creates the deep satisfaction that comes from effort and growth. Just because the work is hard does not diminish its goodness one iota!

    However, we might be tempted to avoid hard work. I suspect our students are likewise subject to this temptation. And the truth is, AI can certainly tempt us with shortcuts, ways we might avoid the hard work that doesn’t always seem so “good.” Why labor over a lesson plan when a chatbot can generate one in thirty seconds? Why wrestle with engaging a tricky passage when an algorithm can spit out a neat summary? But taking the shortcut often means losing the joy, creativity, and growth that come through the struggle.

    As Christian educators, we are called to hold onto the dignity of the work, even as we wisely use the tools available to us. AI should serve as an assistant, not a replacement. It can clear away the busywork, but it must not rob us—or our students—of the transformative power of learning through effort.

     

    Playful Practice and the Ongoing Journey

    Teaching with AI is not about “arriving” at a perfect strategy once and for all. It’s about becoming the kinds of educators who are curious, discerning, and willing to experiment.

    This requires a spirit of playful practice. Try a new AI tool with your students and see what happens. Use it for brainstorming, for generating questions, and for exploring multiple perspectives. Then reflect—what worked? What didn’t? How did it help your students grow?

    We don’t have to be experts right away. What matters is a willingness to learn, to adapt, and to let our classrooms be places where both teachers and students grow in wisdom together.

     

    A Call to Courage and Imagination

    We are stepping into a new era of education, one where AI will only grow more powerful and more present. Christian educators cannot afford to ignore it, nor can we simply adopt it uncritically. What we need is courage and imagination.

    I think we need courage to resist the pressures that would reduce education to efficiency alone. It takes a kind of counter-cultural courage to keep our focus on the human, the relational, the spiritual. Likewise, I think we have an opportunity to develop our collective imagination to see how AI can be used in service of God’s kingdom: freeing teachers to spend more time with students, helping learners explore complex questions, and discipling students as we seek to cultivate wisdom, virtue, and Christian character.

    So, here’s the challenge, friends: let’s commit to stepping into this new frontier with open eyes and faithful hearts. You can use AI, but don’t be used by it. Experiment, reflect, and keep the good, human work at the center. Show your students that in a world of machines, it is still good to be human!