Part 1 and part 2 on the purpose of education (from roxborochristianacademy.org)

Just what are the options for Christian parents?
Once a parent has identified the most important purpose of education (see below), the next step is to identify the options. Options may include public, public charter/magnet, Home, or Religious schools. Lets look briefly at each.
Horrace Mann (1796-1859) is known as the father of the modern public school system. He called for the wealthy and the religious to abandon private education in order to establish a free (publically funded) and universal educational system. This conveyor belt like system was hailed as the "spoke in the wheel of progress" leading to a utopian society. Among others this vision called for teachers who were models of virtue, a common religion that was free from sectarian debate, and a curriculum rich in history, philosophy, democracy, and public speaking. If Horrace could not find these ideals in his time, how can Christian parents expect to find it today? A Christian parent having a child in the public system, by choice or by circumstance, faces many challenges. Not only must you instill Biblical virtue but you must teach your children history that inspires awe in how God has directed it. You must teach Science that involves God as the designer and sustainer of all that is. If you don't fill in the gaps, your children will believe what they are taught at school. Some surveys reveal that as many as 85% of publically educated children from Christian homes neglect thier heritage within two years of moving out on their own.
The idea of specialized public schooling has been tried in many forms. Recent forms include magnet schools, schools within a school, and the now popular charter school. Having considered starting a charter school, the very first rule is that your charter can not have a religious nature. Further, charter school can not advocate, indoctrinate, or otherwise promote religious belief. Despite a dress code, a selection process, and more receptiveness to parent concerns, Charter schools are publically funded and publically bound public schools. Parents who do not see it as a public school may not work as hard to counteract the influence of the human centered education being taught to their children.
Home schooling has seen a revival in the past few decades. There are many reasons why parents choose to homeschool. Parents looking at homeschooling now have support groups and other resources that did not exist just a few years ago. I, like other homeschool parents, will tell you that it is both a calling and a lifestyle. A few cautions for those looking to homeschool. First, be very careful of unplanned days off. This flexibility can be both a blessing and a curse. You must see it as a full time job. Second, carefully select your resources and stay with them as long as possible. Constantly changing curriculum is like changing schools. Third, consider a partner like RCA with advanced subjects or electives.
Religious schools operate under a number of philosophies. Here I am referring to conservative Christian schools. As this is the topic of most of my writing I will limit comments here to a few. For parents considering these schools, I will tell you that every school has issues. Look for a school that is in the process of growing as a community, in the process of getting better. Though I may be bias, this is my intent as administrator at RCA. Let us show you what we can become with your help. It is not about sports, or clubs, or academics in and of themselves. Christian schools should work in these areas because we understand the true purpose of education. Woe to the Christian school that believes because they are Biblically based it is ok to let other areas suffer. Here at RCA we want to do what we choose to do well because we are Biblically based, thus reflect the glory of God.


What is the Purpose of Education?
As a parent, how would you answer this question? For me the hardest part of answering this question is knowing what to leave out. I know I want my kids to love God with all thier heart, soul, mind, and strength. There, I found a simple sounding Christian response! Then my mind is flooded. What about college? What about finding a good job? Oooh, what about developing a love of learning..and test scores. Yes, good test scores must be important. Then there is character, exposure to activities, developing healthy relationships with others. Is your head spinning yet? Perhaps then our challenge as Christian parents is to identify the most important purpose of education. A solid conviction on this point should be the basis of every decision that you make concerning your children's education.
If you were to poll Christian parents on why they chose to send their young children to Christian school, you would not be surprised to hear answers like biblical teaching, moral character development, and teachers who care. Yet, years later when these same parents withdraw their children and place them into public school the responses are quite different. Surveys from Barna to Lockerby show a low rate of correspondence to the initial responses above. Most now center around extra curricular activities (sports, fine arts, academic programs), social interaction, wanting their children to experience the "real world," and children who want more freedom from Christian school rules. Are these parents now saying that that the spiritual and moral development of their children is no longer important? I doubt it. Perhaps like above, the simple Christian answer becomes muddled amidst a number of important considerations. Perhaps, we as Christian educators have underreached in our ministry to Christian families as our students get older.
As the summer progresses I would like to begin a dialogue with you, Christian parents who are attempting to follow God's command to take responsibility for your children's education. Perhaps you are on the fence about returning to RCA. Perhaps you are a homeschool parent who may be looking for a part-time partner in education. Perhaps you have been "chosen" by a charter school and yet you are feeling unsettled in partnering with the public school system. Let's get a conversation going. Please email me under the contact section.
Wally Lindsey