Thought Leadership
ACSI Thought Leadership engages leaders and schools in innovative dialogue and research on matters of educational, spiritual, and cultural importance for Christian education. For questions, please contact research@acsi.org.
ACSI’s weekly blog and monthly podcast features Christian education leaders and educational experts who share forward-thinking, innovational approaches to current issues and topics in Christian schools. Click below to view this week’s blog, search past posts, listen to the Moving Forward podcast, and subscribe to receive posts in your inbox once a week.
The Flourishing School Culture Model (FSCM) provides a research-validated path to flourishing for Christian schools in the domains of Purpose, Relationships, Teaching & Learning, Expertise & Resources, and Well-Being. The Flourishing School Culture Instrument (FSCI) continues to benefit Christian schools by measuring the core components of flourishing for their unique school cultures. To learn more about the research, select a report below.
Click here to learn more about the FSCI.
Click below to register your school today.
Flourishing Faith
ACSI’s Flourishing Faith Initiative, featuring groundbreaking research on biblical worldview and spiritual formation development in Christian schools, has culminated in the development and validation of a new research tool—the Flourishing Faith Index (FFI). The report below (free download) provides an overview of the research, including literature review, methodology, validation process, and initial findings. The FFI will be available for schools’ use beginning in early 2024.
ACSI’s new Sustainability Initiative, fielding grant-funded research in 2020-2021 in conjunction with Cardus, will study the question of how schools move toward innovative models that lend themselves to missional sustainability, both during the uncertainty of COVID-19 and beyond. Stay tuned for future reports.
Sustainability Initiative Overview
Additional Resources:
Innovative structural and financial models in U.S. Christian education
ACSI conducted three surveys in 2020 regarding Christian schools’ responses to COVID-19, with over 2,000 responses from schools combined. These reports share key data on enrollment trends, COVID disruption, distance learning plans/discounts, modifications to sports/activities, special education, teacher well-being, innovation and future plans, and more.
Summer 2020 COVID Survey Report
Spring 2020 COVID Survey Report
Additional Resources:
RiB is published twice a year by ACSI and is designed to share new findings and insights from research on the Christian school sector.
On an annual basis, ACSI collects and reports data from member schools on tuition, salary and staffing, school demographics, budgets, and admissions and retention.
2020-2021 Tuition & Salary Survey Results
ACSI has developed a protocol for external researchers seeking assistance from ACSI in their sampling procedures, which includes doctoral students working on their dissertation proposals. Please review the protocol (link below) and direct any questions to research@acsi.org.