ACSI Research Fellow Program

Association of Christian Schools International / 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 Association of Christian Schools International (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 Association of Christian Schools International, 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

    The Call to Abide

    Mar 4, 2025, 07:07 by Douglas Campbell
    There are many words that we can use to describe our modern culture, but there is one that we can all resonate with: “busy.” We are busy people living in a busy world. The calendar always seems full, and life always seems to be moving at a more rapid pace than the year before. As an educator, you feel this at an even higher level as spring approaches. There are too many tasks to complete, events to be planned, and meetings to be attended, yet too little time.

    There are many words that we can use to describe our modern culture, but there is one that we can all resonate with: “busy.” We are busy people living in a busy world. The calendar always seems full, and life always seems to be moving at a more rapid pace than the year before.

     

    As an educator, you feel this at an even higher level as spring approaches. There are too many tasks to complete, events to be planned, and meetings to be attended, yet too little time.

     

    Do you feel this too?

     

    Often, our solution to the busyness is to work harder, move faster, and get more done. We are under the illusion that doing more will alleviate the stress of our hurried pace of life, but it never seems to work. The stress level gets higher, and the feeling of restlessness begins to take root. There seems to be no end.

     

    Even in our walk with the Lord and the ministries He has called us to, we find ourselves operating at a pace of life that we are not created for. We begin to neglect the presence of the Lord at the expense of productivity. We begin to feel as if we don’t have time for the Word, for prayer, and for fellowship. We become so distracted with serving (as honorable as the tasks may be) that we neglect the One who has called us to serve. Slowly but surely, we grow tired of ministry and our cup dries up.

     

    This is not the way of Christ, and this is not the life that He offers. Jesus calls us slow down, rest in His presence, and abide in Him.

     

    This call to abide is at the heart of ACSI’s Global Day of Prayer.

     

    In John 15:4-5, Jesus tells his disciples,

     

    “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

     

    The word abide comes from the Greek word meno, which means to remain in the same place or position over a period of time. It means to reside, stay, live, lodge, tarry, or dwell.

     

    Like many of the commands of Jesus, the command to abide is distinctly counter-cultural. In a culture that praises productivity and pressures us to find meaning in doing more, Jesus’ command to abide is a call to remain, to tarry a little longer, and to rest in His presence.

     

    There are three important truths that we can glean from Jesus’ words in John 15.

     

    First, we abide because it is God’s good purpose and design for our lives. “I am the vine; you are the branches.” Our identity is found in our connection to Jesus. In other words, we are not defined by what we do, but by who we are connected to.

     

    Second, we abide because it is the path to a life and ministry of fruitfulness. Jesus does not command His disciples to produce fruit in John 15. He commands them to abide. Jesus knows that connection to Him will result in an overflow of fruit and good works.

     

    Third, we abide because it is the way of Jesus. Jesus always acted from a state of surrendered dependence upon the Father. He would often withdraw to desolate places to pray before intentional times of ministry. If the Son of God abided in the Father, then wisdom would call us to do the same.

     

    Warren Wiersbe writes, “To abide in Christ means to depend completely on Him for all that we need to live for Him and serve Him. It means to keep in fellowship with Christ so that His life can work in us and through us to produce fruit. It is not by means of imitation that we abide in Christ and walk as He walked. No, it is through incarnation: through His Spirit, Christ lives in me.”

     

    Simply put, without the life of Jesus working in us and through us, we cannot do the work He has called us to.

     

    So, as we unite all over the world to pray for and with one another, may we be reminded that apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. The work of Kingdom Education is too great a task to be accomplished apart from Him.

     

    And more importantly, may we see this day of prayer not only as an opportunity to pray, but also as an opportunity to slow down, rest, and worship in the presence of our good and loving Savior, Christ the Lord!

     

    We hope that the theme “Abide” encourages you to sit at His feet, learn from His Word, meet with Him in prayer, fellowship with His people, and relax in His presence. Jesus will meet us in these ordinary means of grace, resulting in an overflow of fruitfulness to the glory of God and for the blessing of others.