ACSI: Moving Forward with Lynn Swaner

Moving Forward Flourishing Series: Stress

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, check out these resources:

• Blog post From Fatigue to Flourishing by Ginger
• Ginger’s resource for school leaders who want to design an employee wellness strategy to support teacher well-being in their school
• Ginger’s resource for individual teachers and staff who want to create an attainable and sustainable personal well-being plan

To learn more about Flourishing Schools Research, check out the Flourishing Together book by Lynn Swaner and Andy Wolfe (Eerdmans 2021) and this video overview of the research. You can also find out about the related institute for leaders and instrument for schools here. 

Moving Forward Flourishing Series: Qualified Staff

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, including partnerships with higher education institutions and in-school training opportunities for pre-service teachers, and concludes with encouragement for Christian schools to invest in the professional qualifications of teachers.

To learn more about Flourishing Schools Research, check out the Flourishing Together book by Lynn Swaner and Andy Wolfe (Eerdmans 2021) and this video overview of the research. You can also find out about the related institute for leaders and instruments for schools here. 

Moving Forward Flourishing Series: Resilience

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
• HeartSmartTV, with SEL and related resources for schools

 

To learn more about Flourishing Schools Research, check out the Flourishing Together book by Lynn Swaner and Andy Wolfe (Eerdmans 2021) and this video overview of the research. You can also find out about the related institute for leaders and instrument for schools here. 

Moving Forward Flourishing Series: Culture of Improvement

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.”

Moving Forward Flourishing Series: Community Engagement with Joel Gaines

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.

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How to Support Women’s Leadership in Christian Schools

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.

Returning to School with a Trauma-Informed Perspective

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.

School Mergers and Collaborative Christian Education

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.

 

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Learning from the Future

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, schools and leaders are eager to not just face the challenges of today’s marketplace and educational environment—but also seize new opportunities to provide a deeper and more authentic Christian education, share stories of love and hope with our neighbors, and catalyze the growth of the church and the Kingdom.

Learning from the Future

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 post on the ACSI blog, How Do Students Learn from the Future? for an overview of Master’s future ready model, including examples of student work.