The Urban Education Resource Division (UERD) will endeavor to address the unique circumstances of urban schools. The circumstances are born of the adverse socio/environmental factors common to many urban children. If these children are to be educated effectively and successfully, these factors must be addressed and overcome. UERD provides urban schools and educators with assistance in FACTS:
Fund and Resource Development:
ACSI Urban School Services Department will assist urban schools in making their services affordable without sacrificing quality. The Fundraising and Development video provides schools with a plan. The plan includes development of a contribution based student-sponsorship funding program containing principles of development, proven techniques, and ideas for fund-raisers.
Academic Excellence:
The Christ-centered urban school can accomplish what no government institution can—as they educate children, they also help to nurture and raise them. Such an education must be holistic in nature, providing instructions that are:
- Academically excellent, as children are taught the mental 3 Rs of Reading, ’wRiting, and ’aRithmetic
- Bible based, as children are taught the spiritual 3 Rs of Repentance, Regeneration, and Reconciliation
- Character shaping, as children are taught the social 3 Rs of Respect, Responsibility, and Resourcefulness
To further academic excellence the department assists schools in developing, implementing, and assessing their academic programs. This includes designing, developing, and implementing a curriculum that is academically rich as well as socially and culturally relevant.
Character Development:
The purpose of an education is not just for children to acquire knowledge, but to also undergo spiritual transformation that is reflected in their character. The department understands the importance of Christian educators and schools implementing and integrating a character training component in the educational process.
Urban School Services will assist schools throughout the nation in designing, developing, assessing, and securing curricular materials that will effectively educate these children. Through ACSI headquarters and regional office staff, this department will offer professional assistance through consultations, student assessment, and a host of services to promote the character development of the urban school.
Teacher Training:
The department provides a bridge to ensure teachers working with urban, minority, and under-resourced children are not socially, racially, or culturally distant from their students. Urban schoolteachers must do more than teach children; they must co-labor with parents as the child matures. Urban schoolteachers must be prepared and equipped to teach social skills to children who have a deficiency in social training. These schoolteachers have to be equipped as counselors and mentors.
To assist urban schools in understanding the “culture” of the children, this department will conduct workshops and seminars in regional conventions nationwide. On-site training will also be made available to schools. Training is supplemented by booklets, manuals, and other materials designed to enable teachers and school administrators to understand while effectively addressing the cultural dynamics bearing on the children.
School Improvement:
In order to better serve the urban children, educators must chart a continuous course of school improvement. ACSI offers a nationally recognized accreditation program for preschools, elementary schools, and secondary schools, enabling schools to pursue and maintain a program of academic excellence. ACSI also provides professional credentials for teachers and administrators.