it is about how increasing student access
- 1. Increasing Student Access in K to 12 Education A Challenge for Adventist Education in the 21st Century David R. Williams, PhD, MPH, MDiv Florence & Laura Norman Professor of Public Health Professor of African & African American Studies and of Sociology Harvard University
- 3. Investment of SDA Education • Castries SDA Primary School, St Lucia • St. Lucia S.D.A. Academy • B.Th., hons, Caribbean Union College (now, University of the Southern Caribbean, Trinidad • M.Div., cum laude, Andrews University • M.P.H., Health Education, Loma Linda University
- 4. Returns on Investment (SDA Education) • Accepted for PhD study in top 3 dept (University of Michigan) • 1986 - 1992, Assist. to Assoc. Professor, Yale University • 1992 - 2006, Assoc to Collegiate Professor, University of Michigan • 2006 – present, Norman Professor, Harvard University • Author of more than 400 scientific papers • Ranked among 10 Most Cited Social Scientists in world • Ranked as Most Cited Black Scholar in Social Sciences • Ranked by Thompson-Reuters as one of the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds in 2014 • Elected, National Academy of Medicine, 2001 • Assoc. Dir, Health Ministries, Gen Conference of SDA, 2014-
- 6. Major Themes 1. Challenge of Youth Retention 2. Challenge of providing high quality education 1. Challenge of making SDA education affordable to our constituency
- 7. Major Themes 1. Challenge of Youth Retention 2. Challenge of providing high quality education 1. Challenge of making SDA education affordable to our constituency
- 8. Attrition • In 5-year period, 2010 - 2014, 6.2 million new members • During same period, 3.7 million members left the church • Excluding deaths, the net loss rate for the quinquennium is 60 per 100 new members • This stunningly high loss rate is due, in part, to membership audits GT Ng, Adventist Review, 2015
- 9. Attrition -2 • Membership audit: process of identifying and removing from membership lists people who have left the church • Considering the prior 15 years predating the recent round of thorough audits, the losses are 48 for every 100 new members GT Ng, Adventist Review, 2015
- 10. Retention: Accessions vs. dropped, 2000–2012 Loss rate = 43.364 per hundred new converts
- 11. Losses of our Youth • Landmark NAD study that started in 1987 • Over 1,500 baptized 15 and 16 year olds, representative of all SDA youth (big & small churches, small towns & big cities, public schools & SDA schools, all ethnic groups) • Interviewed every year for the next 10 years • How many of them left the church by age 25 and 26? at least 40 to 50% • We are losing one half of our youth. Not one lost coin, but half of the coins Roger Dudley, Why Our Teenagers Leave the Church, 2000
- 12. Questions to Ponder? Before we blame the youth or the Devil, let’s examine ourselves: 1. Could it be that we are responsible for this pattern? 2. Are there things that we could be doing differently that would keep many more of God’s children in the safety of His fold? https://michaeljeshurun.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/lord-is-it-i-final.jpg
- 13. Our Role in the Losses of our Youth ‘It is because so many parents and teachers profess to believe the word of God while their lives deny its power, that the teaching of Scripture has no greater effect upon the youth.’ Education, page 259
- 14. Our Laodicean Condition “It is one thing to treat the Bible as a book of good moral instruction, to be heeded so far as is consistent with the spirit of the times and our position in the world; it is another thing to regard it as it really is--the word of the living God, the word that is our life, the word that is to mold our actions, our words, and our thoughts. To hold God's word as anything less than this is to reject it. And this rejection by those who profess to believe it, is foremost among the causes of skepticism and infidelity in the youth.” Education, page 260
- 15. Re-affirming Our Mission • The Adventist church needs to re-affirm the central role of Christian education as part of the evangelistic mission of the church. • The need for Adventist education has never been greater than today Ellen White said, “there should be schools established wherever there is a church or company of believers. Teachers should be employed to educate children of Sabbath-keepers” Ellen G. White, “Special Testimony to Battle Creek Church, pg 40, 1898.
- 16. 3 Predictors of SDA Youth being Committed 1. Youth who view church as relevant to their lives. 3 factors: a) Sabbath Sermons in my church are interesting; b) My church meets my spiritual needs, and c) My church meets my social needs 2. A grace orientation towards salvation. Someone with a grace orientation believes that salvation is based on what Jesus has done, not on what I do 3. Attending an SDA college. Those who attended an Adventist college more likely to be committed than those in other colleges or not in school at all. Higher education in secular universities tends to lessen religious commitment and produce religious skepticism Roger Dudley, Why Our Teenagers Leave the Church, 2000
- 17. Major Themes 1. Challenge of Youth Retention 2. Challenge of providing high quality education 1. Challenge of making SDA education affordable to our constituency
- 18. What SDA Parents Are Looking For • SDA's have come of age. We want the best for our children • I have run into many parents who are intent on sending their kids to non-Adventist schools because they believe that SDA schools cannot provide the academic rigor to make their children competitive in today's world • One challenge is that many of today’s SDAs are only using secular criteria to determine what is best • But what shall it profit a man or woman if he gain the finest education but lose his own soul?
- 19. The Other Side • At many of our SDA schools, there is a lot of room for improvement • Too many of our schools are run by administrators who lack vision • Our constituencies have changed. Years ago, you opened a school and SDA parents sent their children. • Today, parents are looking for excellence • Don’t blame the parents! They are looking for exactly the same thing that God is looking for. God wants our schools to be the best. God wants us to be the head and not the tail. God places no premium on mediocrity.
- 20. But Achieving Consistent Academic Quality is a Challenge Because: 1. The low Socioeconomic Status (SES) profile of many SDAs 2. Academic Quality does not occur by chance
- 21. Demographic Survey Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America Conducted for the NAD Secretariat By Center for Creative Ministry 2007-2008
- 22. Center for Creative Ministry, 2008 40% 30% 24% 7% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% < 25,000 25 -50,000 50-99,000 >100,000 Percent Annual Household Income in Dollars Annual Household Income of SDAs, 2007-08
- 23. Low SES Profile of Many SDAs • In 2008, median household (HH) income in U.S. was $50,303 • And the poverty line was $22,025 for family of four • That is, 40% of SDA HHs had income close to or below poverty level • and 70% of SDA HHs had incomes below the median level in the U.S. Center for Creative Ministry, 2008
- 24. U.S. Pattern is not Unique • Historically, Adventists have recruited the majority of new adherents from lower SES groups • But with our emphasis on education, the 2nd generation has typically transitioned to the middle class • The bottom-line is that, around the world, many SDAs, especially recent converts, come from lower SES groups Center for Creative Ministry, 2008
- 25. Implications of Low Income • Low income children receive less cognitive stimulation and enrichment (e.g., having parents read aloud to them or taking them to the library) • Parents of low income children spend less time in face-to-face interaction and in talking to their children • Homes of low income children have fewer educational resources such as age-appropriate toys, books and internet access • Children in these homes watch more TV and get less parental monitoring Gary Evans, American Psychologist, 2004
- 26. SAT = Scholastic Aptitude Test
- 28. Fair Test, College Board, Wall Street Journal, Oct 7th, 2014 SAT SCORE by Family Income
- 30. Money Alone is Not Enough • Simply giving more money to struggling schools and students does not have a big impact on academic performance • States that have equalized finance among schools, have reduced the gap in academic scores between high- and low- income students by 5% • Purchasing computers and other upgrades to school facilities have had no or negative effects on academic performance • Key to student performance is high-quality, individualized instruction Cullen et al, J of Econ Perspectives, 2013
- 31. The Primacy of Teacher Quality • Excellence is not produced by chance • The Education Trust – a leading education advocacy organization summarizes the science • The single strongest predictor of student educational performance in the US is teacher quality • The quality of instruction provided by the teacher is the best predictor of student performance. • Even economically disadvantaged children that are taught at high levels achieve at high levels • Given the right teaching, right classes, right supports, all students can perform well The Education Trust, “Yes we can: Telling Truths and Dispelling Myths about Race and Education in America,” 2006
- 32. What Determines Quality? “The only place where success comes before (hard) work is in the dictionary” Vidal Sassoon http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Entertainment/ap_vidal_sassoon_jrs_120509_wblog.jpg
- 33. Usain Bolt: Excellence Personified • Trained every day, many hours/day for many years • Many types of training: weight, plyometric, circuit, flexibility, and sprint drills • Comprehensive: bouts of intensive training, then rest, massage and relaxation, then more training • Special Diet • Example: London Olympics • Won 100M race by 12 centiseconds • 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th place finishers were all within one-third of a second of Bolt’s time Wade, Motley Health, 2014
- 34. The Example of Jesus Jesus sought to “do the best work in every line. He was not willing to be defective, even in the handling of tools. He was perfect as a workman, as He was perfect in character. By His own example He taught that it is our duty to be industrious, that our work should be performed with exactness and thoroughness, and that such labor is honorable.” Desire of Ages, page 72
- 35. God’s call to Excellence • God is calling teachers to excellence. Excellence in how we represent Him. Excellence in how we teach. • Excellence in how we prepare our students to be the best that they can be in this world and the world to come. • God has called teachers to be a key part of the gospel commission. As important as those of pastors. Teachers are preparing God’s children to sit on His throne. • Imagine how teachers in your division would approach their job, if they knew that Jesus, the Majesty of heaven was going to be a student in their class. You know what, Jesus is in their classrooms. Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these, you do it unto Me.
- 36. Leadership Matters • High quality principals have a large impact on student academic performance • “Where there is no vision….. • Part of the success of these principals is likely due to their ability to hire high- quality teachers and fire under-performing ones. Cullen et al, J of Econ Perspectives, 2013
- 37. Need for “Blessed Subtractions” • We need continuous quality improvement • We need to make a long-term and tangible commitment to improving the quality of teaching in SDA elementary and secondary schools • We need a plan to evaluate, nurture, monitor, and enhance the skills of our primary and secondary teachers • And schools of excellence have the courage and backbone to get rid of teachers who are not doing an outstanding job of teaching
- 38. Role of our Universities • Many elementary and secondary schools have teachers providing instruction in subjects in which they were not trained • Loma Linda University, in collaboration with six other SDA institutions started the Excellence in STEM Experiential Education (EXSEED) program • A one-week summer program brings K-12 educators from SDA schools to the Loma Linda campus to enhance their skills in the teaching of math & science • We need to build, strengthen and expand such initiatives for enhancing the quality of instruction
- 39. Summer Programs • What if we designed programs to strengthen the academics of SDA secondary school students, whether in SDA or public schools, and prepare them for success in higher education? • LLUs Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine’s summer undergraduate Training Program (UTP) is an example • Funded by NIH - a 9-week summer internship in a research laboratory Salto, Riggs, De Leon, Casiano, De Leon, PLoS ONE, 2014 Dr. Marino De Leon
- 40. Summer Program -LLU • It includes mentoring, participation in scientific seminars and lectures, educational enrichment activities • Participating students are compensated competitively on an hourly basis • High school and undergrad students in this program have showed gains in research skills and research efficacy • Program also successful in recruiting students to complete a STEM degree • A larger vision to expand programs of this type including ACT/SAT preparation classes Salto, Riggs, De Leon, Casiano, De Leon, PLoS ONE, 2014
- 41. Incubators for Innovation • Quality of our academic programs are variable • We need to design and test new strategies • We need science-based (and principles-based) innovation that leads to dramatic improvements in the impact of our work • Without innovation, we will not achieve ambitious goals • We need to mobilize the creative talents of SDAs within and without our system • We need new ways of thinking, working and leading
- 42. Quality: A Cornerstone of Access • A Divine mandate • Indispensable to effective recruitment • Critical to winning the support of today’s SDA parents • Necessary to raising financial support for SDA education within the church • Crucial to raising financial support for SDA education from persons outside of the church
- 43. Major Themes 1. Challenge of Youth Retention 2. Challenge of providing high quality education 1. Challenge of making SDA education affordable to our constituency
- 44. Demographic Survey Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America Conducted for the NAD Secretariat By Center for Creative Ministry 2007-2008
- 45. Challenge for Many SDA Parents • The low economic status of many SDA HHs means that many parents who would like to send their children to SDA schools cannot afford the tuition payments and desperately need financial assistance • In recent years, SDA membership in NAD is increasing among the lower middle and middle class, but declining among households above the national median income • A large and growing share of the church’s membership will be unable to financially afford SDA education under current funding arrangements Center for Creative Ministry, 2007-2008
- 46. What Can We Do?
- 48. The 5% Solution • Recently proposed by Thambi Thomas of Pacific U • Call to update the formulas used to support education • Asks church to increase its commitment to funding primary and secondary education by allocating an additional 5% of tithe income in every conference in NAD to support church school education • In the PU in 2009, this plan would have generated an additional $8 million dollars • This proposal is fully consistent with regarding Christian education as an essential evangelistic ministry of the church. Thambi Thomas, in Peril and Promise, 2012
- 49. Innovation
- 50. Learn from the Catholics? • Effort to improve quality and lower costs in urban education in Roman Catholic schools • Urban Catholic schools have been facing declining enrolment with many schools closing in recent years • Seton Education Partners developed the Phaedrus Initiative which has been successful in increasing student enrolment, decreasing teaching staff, reducing per pupil costs by 20 to 25% and improving academic achievement. Seton Partners, “Phaedrus Initiative”, 2014
- 51. Phaedrus Initiative • Key to Seton’s success is the combination of blended learning combined with best practices to increase student enrolment, achievement and motivation, as well as, to improve teacher quality and school culture • Blended-learning model: combines computer-based learning with small group, traditional classroom instruction • Many schools use the in-classroom rotation model • Core academic class periods divided into two segments: In 1st segment, teacher works with half of students in small group instruction while the other half of the class works on their computers, using guided instruction Seton Partners, “Phaedrus Initiative”, 2014
- 52. Phaedrus Initiative -II • For 2nd segment, the students switch • Teachers use information from the students’ work on the computers to identify and address subject areas that need additional emphasis • Model enables schools to increase enrolment, without having to employ additional teachers but still maintain a good ratio of students to teachers • With classroom of 30 students, individual students interact with their teacher in groups of 15 • The model is educationally and economically efficient Seton Partners, “Phaedrus Initiative”, 2014
- 53. Free Tuition • College of the Ozarks is a Christian liberal arts college of about 1,400 students in Missouri • Focus on character building and developing a strong work ethic, it is committed to providing high quality, Christian education to all who desire it • Instead of paying tuition, all students are provided work on campus (from dairy farming to custodial services) that will cover the costs of their tuition • Working 15 hours a week comes with the school’s guarantee to cover tuition expenses that exceeds what is covered by other scholarships and grants US News & World Report, December 2012
- 54. College of the Ozarks • In addition to weekly work, students also work two 40 hour weeks a year when classes are not in session • Needy students can get room and board covered by working at the College for 6 weeks per term during summer break • 70% of the college’s revenue comes from gifts and earnings from its endowment • Value of the endowment was $355 million in 2013 • Illustrates that an institution and a committed constituency can radically transform, in a values-driven manner, the way in which Christian education is funded and delivered. • US News & World Report, December 2012
- 55. Work Opportunities • Back to the Blueprint? • Vocational training of Ozarks is at the core of the Adventist philosophy of education • Some educational experts are also suggesting that more serious attention should be given to providing a vocational path with career and technical emphases for at least some students • Such approaches have been successful in increasing graduation rates and labor market outcomes Cullen et al, J of Economic Perspectives, 2013
- 56. New Commitment to Christian Education at the level of the local church and Creating a new culture supportive of SDA education
- 57. The Temple Plan •It is an organized program of a local church that has made the decision to pay the full tuition or a part of the tuition to a Christian school for all of the students from that local church that are attending the SDA school •Church has eligibility criteria (e.g., must be members of the church; must financially support church) •The Church pays tuition (full or part) to the school
- 58. The Temple Plan: Keys to Success • Local church makes commitment to Christian education and commits a substantial part of its budget to this • Parents and church members make personal commitment to Christian education and give regularly and systematically to the Christian education fund • Church members, who are not parents and do not have children in the school, contribute to fund so that students whose parents cannot pay the full tuition can be supported
- 60. God’s Promise “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV
- 61. Revival and Reformation “Revival signifies a renewal of spiritual life, a quickening of the powers of mind and heart, a resurrection from spiritual death. Reformation signifies a reorganization, a change in ideas and theories, habits and practices.” TM 128
- 62. Some Hard Questions to Consider • Do we need to re-think our educational structures? • Do we have the the vision and the systems in place to create the kind of academic leadership that our schools need? • Do we have a plan that equips our principals to enable all of our teachers to learn, grow and excel? • Are conference nominating committees and school boards equipped to select the leadership that our schools need? • Are we intentional and informed in selecting academic leaders at the local level?
- 63. Could This be True of Your Institution? “Whenever we hire a good administrator, it is by accident” Member of the Board of SDA School https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/1757102/Blog_images/blog_image.jpg
- 64. The 7 Last Words of the Church “We never tried it that way before” https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61muTPwaR0L._SL500_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
- 65. An Open Mind is a Key to Unity “Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed. God and Heaven alone are infallible. We have many lessons to learn, and many, many, to unlearn.”TM 3
- 66. Arise and Go Over this Jordan “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9, NKJV
- 67. No Shortage of Evidence • Describes “unexpectedly successful schools” • High- performing ones that serve large numbers of low-income students • Most principals work hard but but most lack the knowledge and skills needed to improve schools
- 68. Some Key Characteristics • Thoughtful, deliberate, efficient • They are schools that implement systems to improve instruction • Have programs of professional development • Leadership that works hard to: -- build trusting relationships -- creates a sense of urgency and purpose • Believe that students are capable of excellence and seeks to ensure the opportunity • Create a culture that celebrates academic excellence and academic improvement
- 69. My Story: His Leading in the Past • No opportunity for SDAs to go to high school • Visionary leadership to identify challenge and courage to respond • Faith that nothing was too hard for the Lord • A strategy that included ALL • Stepping out in Faith • Faith that God would overcome obstacles • Commitment that involved sacrificial giving • “We have nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” LS 196
- 70. Our Big Problem The real problem we face is not money …. It is a lack of -- vision, -- faith, -- and, obedience https://s-media-cache- ak0.pinimg.com/originals/13/eb/da/13ebdac05af7789271e6f7a7167a76da.jpg
- 71. Our Opportunity to Lead SDA schools have an enormous opportunity to become centers of excellence that specialize in ensuring academic success for students from low income backgrounds Adventist institutions can become national and global models for other schools in how to effectively nurture, support, and ensure academic excellence for students who come to us with less than optimal academic preparation
- 72. Guarantee: Our God is Able “Worry is blind, and cannot discern the future; but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief. Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet.” DA 330