President's Office
“ACSI is grieved by the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, an accredited member in Wisconsin. We are praying for those who were injured, the families of the victims, and the entire school community, knowing that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. We are thankful to law enforcement and first responders for their help.”
– Dr. Taylor, ACSI President & CEO
When you donate to ACSI Cares, 100% of your donation will be designated to the Abundant Life Christian School community to support those involved in the 12/16/24 tragedy. Visit https://www.acsi.org/acsicares.
Visit ACSI Cares Visit the President's Page
Welcome to Stories
As a parent, of course you are going to have to address the poor behavior, but this is going to take wisdom, discernment, time, and patience. If your child has experienced trauma, they need you to stay calm. You will need to slow down your reactions so that you can respond to your child's behaviors gently while tending to the underlying causes for their inappropriate choices. So, for example, if you find that your child is having trouble going to sleep at night, resist the urge to approach this as a behavioral issue and consider the fact that they might be afraid! You cannot discipline fear out of a child. We need to shepherd our children, seeking to understand their hearts and their reactions. We need to develop a plan to support them in their suffering.
As we approach Christmas, we asked Spiritual Life Directors at ACSI member schools how their school community celebrates this special season! Ideas include Christmas concerts, toy collections for children's hospitals, ornament decorating at nursing homes, at more.
5c57284d9ea64089870dec9f017b0096.jpg?sfvrsn=2ef16852_0 "Copy of Department Spotlights (1080 x 600 px)")
We have several employees retiring in December 2024. We are so grateful for their servant hearts and service in Christian education over the years! Celebrating Jan Snyder’s 30 Years of Service at ACSI Jan Snyder started her journey with ACSI on November 9, 1994, just two months after the organization moved its headquarters to Colorado Springs from Whittier, California. At the time, ACSI was led by founder Dr. Paul Kienel, and his wife, Annie Kienel, who hired Jan to work part-time in the mailroom. Annie, a servant leader, was gracious and flexible, allowing Jan to work during the hours that her three young children were at school.
We ask that you be in prayer for an ongoing ethnic and political crisis in an Asian country in which ACSI has a strong presence. Tensions between two communities escalated in May 2023 due to long-standing grievances, including issues related to land rights and political representation. This strife led to violent clashes, displacement of thousands of people, destruction of property, and widespread humanitarian concerns. The conflict has drawn national and international attention, with efforts underway to restore peace, but the situation remains volatile and sensitive.
In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, Peoria Christian School’s Key Club held a babysitting event aimed at raising relief funds for ACSI schools impacted by the storm. This year, the club, guided by a student-elected board, selected babysitting as their central project to support needs in the Christian community. With roughly 50 members committed to the mission, the club planned a sequence of four babysitting days in October, December, February, and April, each designed to generate financial support for various projects.
Featured Event
Flourish Deeper
- Rethinking Worldview & Student Leadership Development
02/6/25 | Columbus, OH - Healthy Governance & Sustainable Funding
03/6/25 | Pittsburgh, PA - Engaging Students Who Think & Learn Differently
03/20/25 | Sacramento, CA
Flourish Deeper is a one day focused, learning experience around a relevant construct from the Flourishing School Culture Research. It is a deep learning opportunity with a unique blend of expert-led sessions and interactive discussions designed to inform
a school’s planning, practice, and purpose.
Blog
.jpg?sfvrsn=5674fd67_0 "Globe 950 x 475 (10)")
If you walk into our headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, you will immediately see this Scripture on the wall: “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done” (Psalm 78:4). This is a precious Scripture to ACSI as we recognize a key part of why we exist. Across the history of the Jewish people, God was very intentional about ensuring that His people remembered the key events that demonstrated His faithfulness and goodness to them. Passover celebrates God’s deliverance of the Jews from Egypt in the days of Moses, and Purim celebrates God’s deliverance of the Jews from Haman in the days of Esther. Our own Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, follow that model of remembrance with Christ’s birth, death, burial, and resurrection.
9c5b36e2a5ee4143a2b5ab77d1a04820.jpg?sfvrsn=92b57781_0 "Globe 950 x 475 (8)")
I promise that I didn’t do it on purpose. I was not snooping around, but one early December day many years ago, in a moment of mindless meddling around the house, I found it. My big Christmas gift that my parents tried to keep hidden until Christmas morning: a full-sized Voltron action figure, the envy of any elementary aged boy in the 1980s. However, as much as I pleaded and begged, they would not let me play with it until Christmas morning. The toy was agonizingly within my grasp, but I had to wait.
.jpg?sfvrsn=a9b91091_0 "Globe 950 x 475 (9)")
I will never forget the sight and experience of my husband leading our church in worship the week after we lost our baby. With hands lifted high in praise and open in surrender, he proclaimed the faithfulness and goodness of God to every soul listening and invited them to do the same. I will never forget the agony—and bliss—of that moment: our chance to bring a true sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” (NIV)
.jpg?sfvrsn=bbdb715_0 "Globe 950 x 475 (7)")
Undeniably, schools emphasize academic success, measured by students’ achievement, test scores, graduation, or college going. While these outcomes are essential, Christian education is called for a purpose beyond that. In a world increasingly focused on academic achievement and standardized test scores, sometimes it is easy for Christian educators to lose sight of the true purpose of Christian education.
Podcast
Jerry Nelson and Mia Lazaga, Chief Evangelist with Archangel, discuss the partnership between ACSI and Archangel, emphasizing community development through technology training programs.
We must be aware of the factors affecting our students today and common values in this generation in order to most effectively engage them and make an enduring impact. Tune in for Emily Pigott's encouragement and reflections.
Dr. Edward Bunn sits down with William Vanderbloemen, CEO & Founder of Vanderbloemen, to discuss strategies for a healthy workplace culture.
Grace Turyakira, Executive Director of ACSI Uganda, shares her advice for following Christ fruitfully and wholeheartedly in Christian education.
.jpg?sfvrsn=c2340d06_1)
President's Office
“I can think of no greater cause than to partner with you to advance Christ-centered education.” Dr. Larry Taylor, ACSI President & CEO
Dr. Taylor has been serving in education for over 30 years. He is passionate about training up this generation of disciples for Jesus Christ through Christian education.
Prior to accepting the President position at ACSI, Dr. Larry Taylor served twenty years as the Head of School at Prestonwood Christian Academy (PCA) in Plano, Texas. Prestonwood Christian Academy serves more than 1,600 students enrolled at four campuses as part of its school system.
Click the link below to read more.
ACSI's Mission
ACSI exists to strengthen Christian schools and equip Christian educators worldwide as they prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
ACSI's Foundational 3 Pillars
Advancing
Leading Christ-centered education toward excellence and flourishing
We want all schools to aspire to, achieve, and remain committed to a biblically-based philosophy of education, standards that are measurable, and flourishing-related criteria. ACSI strives to lead, support, and serve Christian schools, and educators, by placing them on a path of growth and flourishing using the research-based Flourishing Schools Initiative. This model should link leadership and faculty professional development accreditation, and every culture-driving component of a school. A common philosophy, and a flourishing-based metric, would unify our efforts of advancing Christian schools and educators.
Access
Making Christ-centered education available and obtainable
ACSI is committed to making Kingdom education available to as many children and families as desire it, believing that such an education offers students an opportunity to grow in a loving relationship with their Creator, come to know His saving work through Jesus, and flourish in His Ephesians 2:10 calling for their lives. This commitment requires removing barriers to access for those who traditionally have not benefited from Christian school, as well as seeking out new ways to create access points to Kingdom education and the ability to thrive and be successful in that education—for all those who desire it.
Advocacy
Promoting and protecting Christ-centered education for today and tomorrow
As the largest evangelical Christian school association in the world, ACSI is by default viewed as the spokesperson for Christian schooling in the public square. In order to discharge this responsibility with excellence and seasoned speech (Colossians 4:6), and to equip our member schools to do the same, ACSI must invest in developing public-facing resources and forming strategic relationships with those working in the area of advocacy for Christian Education and for religious liberty.
Stay Connected to ACSI
The ACSI Community online forum exists to provide connection, collaboration, and networking with Christ-centered education advocates, educators, and influencers in a protected online environment.
ACSI Community offers Christian educators opportunities to Connect, Collaborate, Compel, Captivate, and Comprehend. Join thousands of like-minded education professionals around to globe to grow in knowledge, sharpen skills, and deepen your faith, in a safe, authentic virtual environment.
ACSI provide helpful tools for you to find the next position God has for you through a resume review search and career planning portal. You can also discover ACSI positions.
Thinking about serving internationally? PFO2Go will provide the confidence to enter a new culture in which to both work and live outside the United States. Also, don’t miss the International Schools Job Fair.
ACSI Releases New Tool to Measure Spiritual Formation in Students
Colorado Springs, CO- The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) is glad to announce a new, research-validated tool, the Flourishing Faith Index (FFI), which measures the biblical worldview and spiritual formation in Christian schools and their communities.
ACSI Director of Research Rian Djita explained how this new research tool functions and why it is beneficial.
“The Flourishing Faith Index is ACSI’s new, rigorously developed research instrument. The research model identifies an inner core and an outer core. The inner core, ‘The Flourishing Faith Core,’ organizes measures of flourishing faith into the three domains of Head, Heart, and Hands. The outer core, 'The Biblical Worldview & Spiritual Formation Ring,’ measures the Christian school community’s impact on faith formation in three further domains— Intellectual, Nurture, and Practical."
ACSI began researching how to measure these indicators in 2022. The domains provide a picture of the areas in which Christian schools can focus their efforts and resources to support spiritual formation in their students. In an increasingly secular world, the challenge of preparing students to develop a strong foundation of faith is perhaps more critical than ever. The FFI complements ACSI’s Flourishing School Culture Instrument (FSCI). The FSCI is a more comprehensive roadmap that measures five domains and 35 research-based constructs. The FFI focuses on one of the five domains— the Purpose Domain—as a deeper concentration of a school’s spiritual formation indicators.
In total, there are approximately 60 questions in FFI. About 20 questions are related to Flourishing constructs, 25 questions are related to Propositional Faith, and about 15-20 are related to demographic information.
Cindy Dodds, ACSI Chief of Flourishing Initiatives, shared how the FFI will aid in strengthening Christian schools and communities.
“Christian schools are not just great places to get an excellent education, they are places where faith is often birthed and should always be nurtured,” she said. “Most Christian schools clearly define elements of faith formation in their expected student outcomes. When leaders administer the Flourishing Faith Index, they will be able to identify growth opportunities and highlight their strengths as they engage their community in collectively nurturing the faith of their students.”
ACSI’s leaders believe that the FFI will reinforce faithfulness, efficacy, and school improvement as Christian schools carry out their mission.
Learn more about the FFI at acsi.org/ffi.
About ACSI:
Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, ACSI exists to strengthen Christian schools and equip Christian educators worldwide as they prepare students academically and inspire them to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ. ACSI advances excellence in Christian schools by enhancing the professional and personal development of Christian educators and providing vital support functions for Christian schools through multiple services, including teacher and administrator certification, school accreditation, legal/legislative assistance, and curriculum publishing. Serving more than 25,000 schools in 108 countries, ACSI helps more than 5.5 million students worldwide connect to Christian education.
Follow ACSI on our social channels: Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin | Instagram
Strategic Partners
ACSI proudly presents the Strategic Partnership Program, which includes companies, organizations, and ministries who have been carefully chosen to benefit you—our member schools—and to assist you in accomplishing your life-changing mission.