Thought Leadership
ACSI Thought Leadership engages leaders and schools in innovative dialogue and research on matters of educational, spiritual, and cultural importance for Christian education. Access to all Thought Leadership and Research reports is a core benefit for ACSI members. For questions, please contact research@acsi.org.
ACSI's weekly blog and the ACSI Podcasts feature Christian education leaders and educational experts who share forward-thinking, innovational approaches to current issues and topics in Christian schools. View this week's blog, search past posts, watch or listen to the four shows of the ACSI Podcasts, and subscribe to receive posts in your inbox once a week.
ACSI is honored to continue working with Cardus, a think tank dedicated to clarifying and strengthening institutions such as education for the common good. Together, ACSI and Cardus are producing dynamic research regarding AI usage and perspective in ACSI member schools that will be provided is survey results this spring and a monograph this fall along with a panel discussion at FSi Houston.
The Flourishing School Culture Model (FSCM) provides a research-validated path to flourishing for Christian schools in the domains of Purpose, Relationships, Teaching & Learning, Expertise & Resources, and Well-Being. The Flourishing School Culture Instrument (FSCI) continues to benefit Christian schools by measuring the core components of flourishing for their unique school cultures. To learn more about the research, select a report below.
Learn More & Register Your School For The Flourishing School Culture Instrument
Flourishing Faith
ACSI’s Flourishing Faith Initiative, featuring groundbreaking research on biblical worldview and spiritual formation development in Christian schools, has culminated in the development and validation of a new research tool—the Flourishing Faith Index (FFI). The Flourishing Faith Index report below (free download) provides an overview of the research, including literature review, methodology, validation process, and initial findings. See the additional Flourishing Faith research reports for insights on teacher and administrator pipelines.
The FFI is available for schools’ use now. Begin the journey to Flourishing Faith in your school today!
The Flourishing Faith Index (FFI Research Report)
Tending the Teacher Pipeline (Teacher Pipeline Report)
Learning to Lead (Administrator Pipeline Report)
ACSI’s new Sustainability Initiative, fielding grant-funded research in 2020-2021 in conjunction with Cardus, will study the question of how schools move toward innovative models that lend themselves to missional sustainability, both during the uncertainty of COVID-19 and beyond. Stay tuned for future reports.
Sustainability Initiative Overview
Additional Resources:
Innovative structural and financial models in U.S. Christian education
ACSI conducted three surveys in 2020 regarding Christian schools’ responses to COVID-19, with over 2,000 responses from schools combined. These reports share key data on enrollment trends, COVID disruption, distance learning plans/discounts, modifications to sports/activities, special education, teacher well-being, innovation and future plans, and more.
Summer 2020 COVID Survey Report
Spring 2020 COVID Survey Report
Additional Resources:
On an annual basis, ACSI collects and reports data from member schools on tuition, salary and staffing, school demographics, budgets, and admissions and retention.
2020-2021 Tuition & Salary Survey Results
Additional Research
Working Papers:
Christian School Leaders' Perspectives on Identifying and Hiring High-Quality Teachers (WP 2024-01)
Sabbath-Keeping in Private Christian Schools (WP 2024-02)
Working Papers (previous years):
Additional Research:
Selected Bibliography: Christian School Outcomes
ACSI has developed a protocol for external researchers seeking assistance from ACSI in their sampling procedures, which includes doctoral students working on their dissertation proposals. Please review the protocol (link below) and direct any questions to research@acsi.org.
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