Ken Smitherman, President, Association of Christian Schools International (retired 2009)
The term education freedom means significantly different things to different people. We at ACSI relate the meaning to one of our core beliefs which states that “the opportunity for Christian schooling should be accessible to families as a means of intellectual and spiritual development and formation for a life of service to God and society.”
In essence, from our perspective, education freedom is about choice—a family’s opportunity to choose and have accessibility to Christian schooling. This choice, however, is generally not viewed as acceptable in the popular political framework that currently dominates education policy in the United States. The education freedom reflected by current policy is more about open enrollment among public schools, magnet schools, charter schools, and homeschools—all of which vary significantly among the states—and, for those who have the financial wherewithal, it’s about the right to send their children to a religious or independent school.
Clearly, many urban families simply lack the financial wherewithal to bring education freedom to reality. But even as we pursue political remedies to the freedom issue, it is incumbent on us to recognize and work to address at least one other significant reality. Today, too few Christians view Christian schooling as essential. For some, their conclusion is based on a perception that Christian schooling is not effective—at least not at its cost. Christian schools must be effective schools, attaining both the intellectual development and the spiritual formation of students. The product must reflect such an emphasis if Christian schooling is to be perceived as essential.
Generally, people will pursue and fight for those things and issues that they are convinced are essential. It is such a pursuit that, as God goes before us, may one day begin to break down some of the current barriers to education freedom. That one day may mark the dawning of education freedom and the expansion of greater choice to the many who do not have it now, if we as Christian school leaders are faithful and diligent to what God has called us to—the pursuit of effective schools.
The Meantime Volume 4 Number 1