91ºÚÁÏÍø

Because of their biblically based philosophy of education, Christian schools ground their vision and mission in Scripture. Thus, based on the scriptural truth that God desires to bless his people and cause them to flourish (Psalm 44:2; 52:8; 72:7, 16; 92:12-13), ACSI Research set out in 2018-2019 to understand the ways in which Christian schools can flourish. Over 15,000 Christian school students, teachers, administrators, board members, parents, support staff, and alumni participated in the research via the Flourishing School Culture Instrument (FSCI).

The results of this research were groundbreaking and yielded the first-ever measure and model of Christian school flourishing. The resultant Flourishing School Culture Model (FSCM) clusters 35 validated constructs for all survey groups into five domains of flourishing: Purpose; Relationships; Teaching & Learning; Expertise & Resources; and Well-Being. These domains provide a compelling and comprehensive picture of the areas in which Christian schools can focus their efforts and resources in order to promote a flourishing school culture and community. The model has been externally reviewed and rigorously validated to provide leaders with statistically sound and relevant feedback for their schools.

The question remains, however, of how these findings can be utilized by school leaders to develop their own practices that lead to flourishing-related outcomes for their schools. Because the FSCI engages multiple school leaders (including heads of school, principals and other administrators, board members, and teacher leaders), it not only provides an assessment of outcomes across different leadership roles, but also enables exploration of relationships between roles, how these relationships influence outcomes, and how they contribute in positive ways to flourishing school cultures. Factor analysis of constructs for leaders— supplemented by literature-based consideration of the nature of the constructs as they relate to leadership behaviors—yields three “levels” of constructs as they relate to leaders. These are: leader specific constructs, which are “embodied” by leaders; leader directed constructs, for which leaders are directly responsible; and leader shaped constructs, which leaders influence at the level of culture. While they differ in the mechanisms by which they work, all three levels of constructs are crucial for school flourishing.

The present report builds upon these three data-informed levels of leadership to identify leadership practices that promote flourishing. First, through foundational practices, leaders “lead by example” in modeling spiritual devotion and self-development for their teachers and students. Second, through relational practices, leaders promote healthy relationships not only with and among teachers, staff, and students, but also with the local community at large. And finally, through strategic practices, leaders pursue sound financial planning and hiring to create an environment in which educators and students can thrive. In addition to exploring these practices, this report provides two sets of self-reflection guides—one for school leaders and one for school boards—with questions that can be used individually and collaboratively to strengthen leaders’ foundational, relational, and strategic practices.

Finally, with over 100 schools administering the FSCI since its launch, the size of the research database and the opportunity to collect qualitative data on how schools use FSCI results continues to grow. The concluding section of the report shares insights from this expanding knowledge base around flourishing in Christian schools, with a specific focus on 1) top cultural strengths and areas for growth identified across all FSCI-participating schools and 2) qualitative insights from leaders on how they are leveraging FSCI results in change and improvement efforts at their schools (like strategic planning, accreditation, and new initiatives). Using FSCI insights wisely in leading schools invites the blessing of God, who promises to be the source of our flourishing: “Your fruitfulness comes from me” (Hosea 14:8b). 

Swaner, L. E., Dodds, C., & Lee, M. H. (2021). Leadership for flourishing schools (Research report). 91ºÚÁÏÍø. /docs/default-source/research-member/fsci-leadership-report-2021.pdf?sfvrsn=eceffe30_0 

How do Christian schools flourish? What elements of school culture contribute to flourishing, and do some elements matter more than others? Is there a roadmap to school flourishing that can be validated by empirical research in Christian schools? In 2018, ACSI Research sought to answer these questions through rigorous research on Christian school cultures, by using a new research tool—the Flourishing School Culture Instrument (FSCI).

Questions for the FSCI were formed based on catalogued findings from an extensive review of relevant prior research and literature, as well as findings from a meta-analysis of leading Christian schools’ expected student outcomes (ESOs), which fell into six major domains (spiritual, academic, community, excellence, impact, and servanthood). In total, the FSCI tested 1,445 discrete variables across seven different survey groups: students; parents; alumni; teachers; leaders/administrators; support staff; and board members. Between Fall 2018 and Spring 2019, over 15,000 survey responses were collected from these groups, representing 65 Christian schools of diverse size and geographic location, thereby making the FSCI the largest study of flourishing in Christian schools to date.

Data analysis for the instrument accomplished three goals. First, reliability and validity were tested for FSCI items to produce a final subset of the original pre-validated questions, resulting in a psychometrically sound instrument. Second, the statistical power behind the FSCI construction and analysis, particularly linkages to outcomes, enables the instrument to be a predictive (versus correlative) measure. And finally, the validated constructs identified through FSCI data analysis were mapped onto the first ever research-based model of Christian school flourishing—the Flourishing School Culture Model (FSCM). T he FSCM clusters the validated constructs for all seven survey groups into five domains of flourishing: Purpose; Relationships; Learning Orientation; Expertise and Resources; and Well-Being. These domains provide a compelling and comprehensive picture of the areas in which Christian schools can focus their efforts and resources in order to promote a flourishing school culture and community.

Analysis of connections between these domains and specific flourishing outcomes supported many of the school improvement practices typically undertaken in Christian schools (e.g., improving staff qualifications through hiring practices, promoting student wellbeing, responding well to students’ learning needs, providing ample classroom resources, and ensuring teachers develop caring relationships with students). Some findings, however, suggested schools pursue other culture-shaping efforts to promote flourishing— such as leaders’ engaging the larger community, ensuring teachers are oriented toward best practice, and promoting teachers’ engagement of students in deeper learning—with unexpected yet strong linkages to outcomes like spiritual formation and reduced teacher turnover.  

Forthcoming school-level reports and future FSCI administrations will strengthen both the usefulness of findings for schools and the data set that informs the predictive nature of the FSCI. In the meantime, this national report unpacks FSCI findings and the FSCM model for Christian educators which, when taken together, provide measurable signposts on a roadmap toward flourishing Christian schools. 

Swaner, L. E., Marshall, C. A., & Tesar, S. A. (2019). Flourishing schools: Research on Christian school culture and community. Colorado Springs: 91ºÚÁÏÍø. Retrieved from /docs/default-source/research-member/fsci-research-report-2019.pdf?sfvrsn=4718e426_0 

Empirical research consistently documents evidence of the important role teachers play in student outcomes as measured by everything from standardized test scores and graduation rates to civic and noncognitive measures. While some research has examined the composition, preparation, and prior experiences of public school teachers, very little has been done to consider teachers in private schools, particularly private Christian schools. If we believe teachers are important to student learning, we should strive to understand who they are in the hopes of finding effective teachers for Christian schools.

In the fall of 2021, the 91ºÚÁÏÍø (ACSI) piloted a survey on spiritual formation in Christian schools. While the primary purpose of the study was to develop a validated instrument for understanding spiritual formation and biblical worldview development, the survey also featured questions about teachers’ professional experience, demographic characteristics, and educational background. These questions provide rich, descriptive evidence of teachers in private Christian schools. 

This report summarizes our first set of findings with respect to the teacher pipeline. Altogether, we collected data on 982 teachers broadly representative of ACSI membership and considered their demographic characteristics, prior experience and certification, educational attainment and spiritual formation, and current work as a teacher. Some of our main findings include:  

1. Teachers in private Christian schools are predominantly female and White, though teachers in international schools are more diverse with respect to ethnicity.  
2. Teachers in international schools tend to be younger and less experienced than teachers in U.S. schools. 
3. About three-fifths of our sample has attained a bachelor’s degree as their highest level of education, and another third has gone on to attain an advanced graduate degree. 
4. Many teachers attended a private Christian college or university for either their undergraduate or graduate studies. About three-fifths of the sample attended a private Christian college or university at some point in their educational careers.
5. With respect to reasons for choosing their educational institutions, desired program or faculty, a faith-based program, proximity to family, and affordability were among the top reasons for choosing an undergraduate institution, while desired program or faculty and flexibility were the top two reasons for choosing a graduate institution. 
6. When it comes to teachers’ own spiritual formation, we observe some differences when comparing teachers who ever attended a faith-based higher education institution and teachers who never attended a faith-based higher education institution. “Ever attenders” were more likely to report personal study, friends and mentors, and campus ministries as playing a major part of their spiritual formation while “never attenders” were more likely to state that they experienced little spiritual growth as undergraduate or graduate students. Both “ever attenders” and “never attenders” were more likely to report that church played a major role in their spiritual formation as graduate students than as undergraduate students. 
7. The most common bachelor’s degree was in the field of education, with nearly half of all U.S. teachers majoring in education as undergraduate students. 
8. Teachers are involved in student life outside of the classroom. Three-quarters of U.S. teachers and nearly 90 percent of international teachers report some involvement in extracurricular activities. 
9. Teachers report having the most influence over professional development, teacher evaluation, and student spiritual formation, but very little influence over their own spiritual wellness. 
10. Teachers believe faith has a major influence on their school’s statement of faith, mission statement, and school culture, and less influence on their school’s dress code, special education and inclusion, and philosophy of diversity. 
11. Teachers believe spiritual formation is the top reason why a parent would choose their school, and also that partnership with parents is the biblical foundation for Christian education.  

These data provide important insights into the incredible work being done by Christian school teachers. We hope this report will prove helpful for teachers and leaders everywhere as they carry out their missions to prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Christ. 

Johnson, A., & Lee, M. H. (2023). Tending the teacher pipeline. 91ºÚÁÏÍø. Retrieved from /docs/default-source/research-member/teacher-pipeline.pdf?sfvrsn=4e3ba34a_4 

Administrators are tasked with complex responsibilities that include overseeing personnel decisions, navigating policy, and building school culture. Outside of teachers, administrators may be the most important school input related to student outcomes. While some research has examined the composition, preparation, and prior experiences of public school administrators, very little has been done to consider administrators in private schools, particularly private Christian schools. Since administrators oversee so much in the life of the school, identifying and equipping effective school leaders should be a priority for research.

In the fall of 2021, the 91ºÚÁÏÍø (ACSI) piloted a survey on spiritual formation in Christian schools. While the primary purpose of the study was to develop a validated instrument for understanding spiritual formation and biblical worldview development, the survey also featured questions about administrators’ professional experience, demographic characteristics, and educational background. These questions provide rich, descriptive evidence of administrators in private Christian schools.

This report summarizes our first set of findings with respect to the administrator pipeline. Altogether, we collected data on 170 administrators in schools broadly representative of ACSI membership and considered their demographic characteristics, prior experience and certification, educational attainment and spiritual formation, and current work as an administrator. Some of our main findings include:

1. We find several differences by sex, with respect to administrative position held, prior experience, and educational attainment.
2. For administrators with a graduate degree, about three-fifths of administrators studied at a Christian higher education institution at some point in their education careers. Roughly half studied at a faith-based college or university as undergraduate students and roughly half studied at a faith-based college or university as graduate students.
3. >Administrators who ever attended a Christian higher education institution at some point in their career were more likely to report that personal study or campus ministries played the most significant part in their spiritual formation when compared to those who never attended a Christian program. Both “ever attended” and “never attended” administrators were more likely to say that church played the most significant role in graduate school than as undergraduate students.
4. Administrators report having the most influence over spiritual leadership, teacher evaluation, and personnel decisions, and report having the least influence over academic standards and curriculum—two areas in which teachers report significant influence.
5. Administrators overwhelmingly reported that spiritual formation was the top reason a parent would choose their school.
6. Similar to teachers, administrators reported that faith had a major influence on their school’s mission statement or statement of faith and the least influence on their philosophy of diversity and dress code. 
7. Finally, three-fifths of administrators reported that a partnership with parents was the underlying biblical philosophy of Christian education.  

These data provide important insights into the incredible work being done by Christian school administrators. We hope this report will prove helpful for school leaders everywhere as they carry out their missions to prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  

Johnson, A. H., & Lee, M. H. (2023). Learning to lead: an Analysis of the administrator pipeline in Christian schools. 91ºÚÁÏÍø. Retrieved from /docs/default-source/research-member/admin-pipeline.pdf?sfvrsn=15befeed_4