About Today’s Show Today’s podcast features Jon Eckert, the Copple Professor for Christians in School Leadership at Baylor University and a Cardus Senior Fellow. Jon talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Leadership Interdependence, where “leaders, including board members, have diverse backgrounds and are transparent about and rely on others to offset their weaknesses.” Jon shares his work around collective leadership and shares insights for Christian schools on creati...
Apr 27, 2023•16 min•Ep. 30
About Today’s Show Today’s podcast features Rex Miller, founder of MindShift and author of WHOLE: What Teachers Need to Help Students Thrive. Rex talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Resilience, applied to Christian school leaders and teachers, where they “handle stress effectively and respond well to/bounce back from difficult situations.” Rex unpacks the dangers of the “caregiver’s dilemma” and shares principles for post-traumatic growth in schools. To go further i...
Mar 29, 2023•19 min•Ep. 29
About Today’s Show Today’s podcast features Marianne Vangoor, Director of Leadership at Edvance in Ontario, Canada. Marianne talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of God’s Story, where “students believe they are a part of God’s bigger plan and can be used by Him to ‘make a difference’.” Marianne shares insights on how schools can ask “what does love require?” as a guiding question for students and staff as they grow in faith and serve God and their communities. To go fur...
Mar 01, 2023•22 min•Ep. 28
About Today’s Show Today’s podcast features Sean Schat, Assistant Professor of Education at Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario (Canada). Sean talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Caring Environment, where alumni report that “teachers were kind, students felt included in class, and students were protected from bullying.” Sean unpacks the idea of educational care and shares his research on how it takes much more than just good intentions to build relationships wi...
Feb 02, 2023•17 min•Ep. 27
In this podcast, Dr. Lynn Swaner interviews Dr. David Kinnaman, President of the Barna Group, on a new research project on today’s teens. As a partner in the research, ACSI is working with Barna to apply this research in the Christian education context and deliver insights to Christian school educators all over the world. Called “The Open Generation,” the research reveals how today’s teens are open to Jesus and the Bible, and how Christian adults are greater influences in their lives toward fait...
Jan 16, 2023•14 min•Ep. 26
About Today’s Show Today’s podcast features Tia Gaines, director for Educational Strategies for UnifiEd, A Center for Hope and Unity. Tia talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Insular Culture, where “the school shields students from the world’s brokenness, the school is independent from the surrounding community, and/or the student body lacks diversity.” The conversation focuses on creating communities of belonging for students within Christian schools. To go further ...
Jan 05, 2023•17 min•Ep. 25
Today’s podcast features Andrew Neumann, Executive Chair and CEO of Open Sky Education. Andrew talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Resource Constraints, where leaders believe “we could be more effective as a school if not for fiscal constraints, and we lack the resources we need to make changes in our school.” Andrew discusses the ways in which the Christian school sector can move from a scarcity to abundance mindset when it comes to resources and reaching more chil...
Dec 02, 2022•18 min•Ep. 24
Today’s podcast features Elizabeth Lucas Dombrowski, Director of All Belong Center for Inclusive Education. Elizabeth talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Responsiveness to Special Needs, where “teaching staff works together to serve students with special needs, aided by processes and resources for identifying and responding to those needs.” To go further in learning about this construct, check out these resources: ACSI’s Leading Insights: Special Education and Inclu...
Oct 27, 2022•15 min•Ep. 23
About Today’s Show Today’s podcast features Justin Smith, Head of the Upper School and Vice President of Little Rock Christian Academy. Justin talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Questioning, where “students have doubts about their faith, lack time to pray or study the Bible, and feel that most Christians are too judgmental.” Justin share how questions can actually be harnessed in the classroom as tools for both spiritual formation and academic learning. To go furth...
Sep 22, 2022•16 min•Ep. 22
About Today’s Show Today’s podcast features Tyler Amidon, Director of Student Life and Middle School at Denver Christian School. Tyler talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Mentoring Students, where “staff point out talent in each student, help students see how they fit in God’s bigger plan, and are aware of students’ struggles at school or home.” Tyler shares foundational approaches for mentoring and how Christian school leaders, teachers, coaches, and staff can buil...
Sep 01, 2022•24 min•Ep. 21
Today’s podcast features Ginger Hill, Founder of Good Health for Good Works. Ginger talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Stress, where “constant feelings of stress and being overwhelmed accompany a lack of time to prepare for instruction (Teachers) or to focus on physical health (Leaders).” Ginger shares practical strategy for staff and schoolwide well-being during this time of increased stress and burnout in education. To go further in learning about this construct,...
Aug 01, 2022•16 min•Ep. 20
Today’s podcast features Darren Iselin, Director of Research and Innovation with Christian Schools Australia (CSA). Darren talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Qualified Staff, where “new teacher hires are credentialed (educationally and licensed/certified) and have classroom experience,” and which emerged as a strength for CSA schools through the Australia pilot of the Flourishing School Culture Instrument (FSCI). Darren unpacks a number of reasons for this, includi...
Jun 28, 2022•23 min•Ep. 19
Today’s podcast features Dave Hill, Founder of HeartSmart. Dave talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Resilience, where “students handle stress effectively and respond well to/bounce back from difficult situations.” Dave shares insights about developing resilience, character development, and social emotional learning (SEL) in schools. To go further in learning about this construct, check out these resources: Blog post Character or Compliance: You Choose by Dave Hill H...
May 31, 2022•13 min•Ep. 18
Today’s podcast features Heather Lee, Assistant Superintendent at Fredericksburg Christian School in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Heather talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Culture of Improvement, where “guided by school leadership and focused on the future, the school is continually improving/makes necessary changes to improve.”
Apr 25, 2022•23 min•Ep. 17
Today’s podcast features Joel Gaines, Head of School at The City School in Philadelphia. Joel talks with Lynn Swaner about the Flourishing Schools construct of Community Engagement, where “the school engages with the surrounding community and local churches, and regularly taps into community resources, including networking and resource- sharing with other schools.” Joel shares insights on how schools can be a light and a bringer of shalom to their communities and neighborhoods. ----more---- Addi...
Apr 01, 2022•19 min•Ep. 16
This month’s podcast features Becki Rust, ACSI Thought Leadership Project Coordinator, who interviews Dr. Maria Varlet, Head of Research and Innovation at Crest Education in Melbourne, Australia, about the importance of women's leadership in Christian education. They discuss ways to develop women’s leadership through mentoring, building a leadership network, and taking a strengths-based approach, as well as Maria's recent blog post for the new Women Leaders for Christian Education blog.
Nov 11, 2020•24 min•Ep. 15
This month’s podcast features Betsy Winkle, Director of Evaluation Services at All Belong . Guest host Dr. Charlotte Marshall Powell speaks with Betsy about ways that trauma-informed perspectives can help both students and teachers adjust back to school life during COVID-19. This podcast provides a helpful follow up to Betsy’s earlier blog post on the same topic of trauma-informed instruction for students and support for educators....
Aug 14, 2020•24 min•Ep. 14
This podcast features Phil Puleo, Superintendent of the Christian School Association of Greater Harrisburg (CSAGH) , an organization that oversees both Harrisburg Christian School (HCS) and West Shore Christian Academy (WSCA) in the Pennsylvania capital. I talk with Phil about the process of bringing these two schools together, the promise that mergers and acquisitions have for Christian school sustainability, and lessons he’s learned about collaboration that apply to the COVID-19 crisis. View t...
Apr 30, 2020•27 min•Ep. 13
This month’s podcast features Dan Beerens and Erik Ellefsen, who are co-editors of the new book MindShift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education , along with podcast host Lynn Swaner. The editors discuss their two-year journey with over 60 leading educators through a Christian education “mindshift,” which is a transformational process of dialogue and exploration pioneered by futurist Rex Miller. With nearly 11,000 copies of the book picked up by educators since its release in early fall 2019,...
Dec 19, 2019•27 min•Ep. 12
This month’s podcast features Tom Rudmik, who is the CEO and Founder of Master’s Academy and College , an award-winning R&D Christian school located in Calgary, Canada. I interview Tom about Master’s Future Ready Model of Education and the innovative methods that Master’s uses to prepare students to “learn from the future.” Tom also shares insights for Christian school leaders as they work to inspire their staff and teachers toward transformation. Additional Resources: Check out Tom Rudmik’s...
Sep 26, 2019•28 min•Ep. 11
This month’s podcast features Rex Miller, author of upcoming book, WHOLE: What Teachers Need to Help Students Thrive, which examines ways to create a healthy workplace in our schools. I talk with Rex about the negative impact of stress on teachers—including at Christian schools—and how it also has implications for students, school cultures, and our communities.
Aug 20, 2019•18 min•Ep. 10
This month’s podcast features Joel Gaines, High School Principal at The City School of Philadelphia, and Jenny Brady, Director of Diversity at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas. I talk with Joel and Jenny about their national work spearheading efforts to create diverse and inclusive communities in Christian schools, as well as the philosophy, programs, and practices they use in their own school settings.
Jul 10, 2019•29 min•Ep. 9
This month’s podcast features Jake Becker, Head of School at The City School in Philadelphia. I talk with Jake about the what makes The City School unique, including the school’s history of multiple successful mergers, their emphasis on socioeconomic diversity, and their schoolwide focus on shalom as a unifying concept for an open admissions school. Jake also shares insights on navigating the challenges facing today’s Christian schools with courage and a willingness to take risks, as well as wha...
Apr 26, 2019•18 min•Ep. 8
This month’s podcast features guest host Dan Beerens, CACE Fellow, as he interviews Lynn Swaner and Roger Erdvig about their new book, Bring it to Life: Christian Education and the Power of Service-Learning . Ultimately, service-learning can help students to grow in their identity in Christ, and in their ability to be His agents of restoration in a broken world. They can learn about how they are uniquely created for good works (Ephesians 2:10) and can gain practical experience in walking in thos...
Jan 02, 2019•26 min•Ep. 7
This month’s podcast features Tim Greener, Superintendent of Christian Academy of Louisville School System, as he discusses the concept of creating “schools within a school” as a way to meet students’ unique interests and learning needs—and to grow your enrollment and better engage your community in the process.
Nov 01, 2018•19 min•Ep. 6
How to create inclusive communities in Christian schools, which are welcoming of learners from all backgrounds and abilities.
Oct 05, 2018•22 min•Ep. 5
Christian school students present with a number of mental health needs and challenges. School leaders can benefit from learning about best practices for addressing those needs and challenges in the Christian school setting.
Sep 05, 2018•20 min•Ep. 4
The joint Barna-ACSI research report entitled “Multiple Choice: How Parents Sort Education Options in a Changing Market” which came out in 2017, addresses the educational needs of today’s families, how they make schooling choices in a competitive schooling market, and the implications for Christian schools.
Aug 09, 2018•20 min•Ep. 3
The “flexible office” concept is an innovative approach to designing spaces for the school leadership team. However, this approach isn’t really about the space—but more about creating a collaborative culture, building relationships, and modeling a Christ-centered community for teachers, students, and families.
Jul 16, 2018•21 min•Ep. 2
