REACH
Redemptive Education
Association of Christian Schools
(REACH)
Benefits
Christian schools, CRE-affiliated homeschool learning communities and individuals and families across the country are implementing Redemptive Education principles as they seek to align with God's design for teaching and learning.
These schools, learning communities, individuals and families join together in REACH--a networking, resources and services ministry of the Center for Redemptive Education.
REACH membership is one of the many benefits of affiliating with the Center for Redemptive Education, which can also include:
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Redemptive education curriculum
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Teacher certification
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Professional development and mentoring
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Consultation with Redemptive Education experts
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Retreats and conferences.
Teachers at REACH member Joshua Academy in Arkansas engage in a CRE professional development session.
REACH Member Schools and Programs
Joshua Academy
Van Buren, AR
Joshua Academy is a ministry of Jubilee Church, a non-denominational church located in Van Buren, Arkansas. Jubilee’s mission is to Encourage with the Love of God, Equip with the Word of God, and Empower with the Fullness of God. Our school was born out of a love for children and a desire to provide families in our area a Christian alternative for their children’s education.
Trace Academy
Orlando, FL
"Trace Academy is a Christ-centered K-8 school in which each parent serves in a specific role with the goal of teaching, shepherding and supporting our students. We believe that God created each child and the family unit and want to partner with families in the education of the next generation."
River Farm Boots & Roots
Alexandria, VA
The Boots & Roots program at River Farm in Alexandria, Virginia is a Redemptive Education Initiative led by Anna Smith Lacey. Contact her at Anna@commonsensesociety.org.
REACH member Holden Christian Academy faculty and staff meeting with CRE President Amy Imbody.
Everything that we had envisioned
Kara Witzke, Ph.D.
Head of School, Joshua Academy, Van Buren, AR
"WOW. Just wow!
"What an awesome week I had getting to know you and getting to see these beautiful schools you’ve created!
"Your teachers are amazing and their passion for Redemptive Education is palpable. The kids seemed so natural in this environment and learning just seemed to happen.
"I heard them making connections, using the strategies they have been taught in phonics, working as a team, caring for the younger ones, supporting one another, problem solving, arguing and reaching resolution (sometimes with support!), having fun, and just being kids.
"It was everything that we had envisioned for Joshua Academy…I just didn’t know what it looked like as a working model yet.
"So, THANK YOU for sharing of your time and talents.
"My faith was deepened as a result of our two days together, and your willingness to be vulnerable and share how the Holy Spirit has been working in your life was awesome.
How the CRE vision aligns with our school
--Shari Hepner, Trace Academy [Orlando, FL], Head of School
We continue to renew our membership with the Center for Redemptive Education (CRE) for many reasons. The CRE vision aligns with who we want to be as a school. They come alongside us with genuine interest in our well-being as a school. They have resourced us with integral thematic unit curriculum, professional development and parent alignment.
Amy [Imbody] serves as a mentor to me as Head of School, and I look forward to getting to know the other school leaders more deeply so that we can sharpen and support one another. Their conferences/retreats have inspired and equipped me and my teachers. They provide us with accountability as a school that seeks to be redemptive in mission and practice. Amy and her team are available and responsive. They value in-person collaboration, coaching and resourcing that is geared for the uniqueness of our particular school.
The CRE core principles are practical and simple for teachers and students but also offer depth of thinking and aspiration to God's redemptive work in us personally and corporately. God continues to use CRE in refining us as a school.
For several years we have been teaching integral thematic units written by the Center for Redemptive Education. The curriculum developed by them has helped our parent teachers lead the children of Trace to ponder essential questions, understand enduring truths, explore and evaluate the world around us through a biblical lens, and engage in activities that develop their intellect, creativity and imagination. The lessons within are written in a way that our parent teachers can digest, pace and use as guides of exploration. The books seem to be divinely chosen in their beautiful approach to timeless themes, universal topics, and student interest.
Lastly, the scope and sequence of the units has flowed from one year to another in a way that has brought our school cohesiveness that did not exist before.
Without a doubt, our partnership with the Center for Redemptive Education and employment of their curriculum and tools has propelled our school forward in depth and richness of biblical instruction and learning. We would not want to continue without their thumbprint.
"We cannot escape the escalation of pressure and the demand for increasing involvements … for our children unless we purposefully and prayerfully determine to swim against that tide in our homes and in our schools."
-- Amy Imbody, MEd, Founder and President of the Center for Redemptive Education, from her book, Wind from the Sea: Essays in Redemptive Education.
Contact
To explore:
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how to join and network with other like-minded educators;
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how you can take advantage of professional development and mentoring;
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how you can start up a Redemptive Education program for your own family or community,
please use the form below: