Adventist Education URBAN in the SETTINGcircle.adventist.org/files/jae/JAE_v77n5.pdf · Photo and...

Websi te : h t tp : / / jae .advent is t .o rg Summer 2015T H E J O U R N A L O F

S P E C I A L I S S U E

URBAN SETTING

Adventist Education

in the

ADVENTIST EDUCATION

Demystifying Success Factorsfor Students inUrban Settings

12

Facing Realitiesand Overcoming

Challenges4

Transforming Urban

Communities One Child at

a Time18

Reaching the Cities With a

Message of Hopeand Wholeness

28

Called to Lead, Nurture, Engage,

and Servein the Cities

42

EDITORFaith-Ann McGarrell

EDITOR EMERITUSBeverly J. Robinson-Rumble

ASSOCIATE EDITOR(INTERNATIONAL EDITION)

Luis A. Schulz

SENIOR CONSULTANTSJohn Wesley Taylor V,

Lisa M. Beardsley-Hardy, Benjamin Schoun,Ella Smith Simmons

CONSULTANTSGENERAL CONFERENCE

Mike Mile Lekic, Hudson E. Kibuuka, Luis A. Schulz

EAST-CENTRAL AFRICAAndrew Mutero

EURO-ASIAVladimir Tkachuk

INTER-AMERICAGamaliel Flórez

INTER-EUROPEANBarna Magyarosi

NORTH AMERICALarry Blackmer

NORTHERN ASIA-PACIFICDavid Ripley (Interim)

SOUTH AMERICAEdgard Luz

SOUTH PACIFICKen Weslake

SOUTHERN AFRICA-INDIAN OCEANEllah Kamwendo

SOUTHERN ASIANageshwar Rao

SOUTHERN ASIA-PACIFICLawrence L. Domingo

TRANS-EUROPEANDaniel Duda

WEST-CENTRAL AFRICAChiemela Ikonne

COPY EDITORRandy Hall

ART DIRECTION/GRAPHIC DESIGNHarry Knox

ADVISORY BOARDJohn Wesley Taylor V, Chair; Lisa M. Beardsley-Hardy, Larry

Blackmer, Jeanette Bryson, Erline Burgess, Hamlet Canosa, KeithHallam, Hudson E. Kibuuka, Linda Mei Lin Koh, Mike Mile Lekic,Luis A. Schulz, Carole Smith, Tim Soper, Evelyn M. Sullivan,

Charles H. Tidwell Jr., David Trim

THE JOURNAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION publishes ar-ticles concerned with a variety of topics pertinent toAdventist education. Opinions expressed by our writers donot necessarily represent the views of the staff or the offi-cial position of the Department of Education of the GeneralConference of Seventh-day Adventists.

THE JOURNAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION (ISSN 0021-8480) is published bimonthly, October through May, plus asingle summer issue for June, July, August, and Septemberby the Department of Education, General Conference of Sev-enth-day Adventists, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring,MD 20904-6600, U.S.A. TELEPHONE: (301) 680-5071; FAX:(301) 622-9627; E-mail: mcgarrellf@ gc.ad ventist.org. Yearlysubscription price: U.S.$18.25. Add $3.00 for postage out-side the U.S. Single copy: U.S.$3.75. Periodical postage paidat Silver Spring, Maryland, and additional mailing office.Please send all changes of address to 3200 West FourthStreet, Buchanan, MI 49107, U.S.A., including both old andnew address. Address all editorial and advertising correspon-dence to the Editor. Copyright 2015 General Conference ofSDA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE JOUR-NAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION, 3200 West Fourth Street,Buchanan, MI 49107, U.S.A.

ADVENTIST EDUCATIONThe Journal of

C O N T E N T S

2 The Journal of Adventist Education • Summer 2015 http:// jae.adventist.org

3 Guest Editorial: Urban Education—A Living HopeBy Ella Smith Simmons and Davenia J. Lea

4 Christian Education in the Urban Setting: Facing Realitiesand Overcoming ChallengesBy Ella Smith Simmons

12 Demystifying Success Factors for Students in Urban SettingsBy Edwin Hernández

18 Transforming Urban Communities One Child at a TimeBy Des Cummings and Derek Cummings

28 Reaching the Cities With a Message of Hope and WholenessBy Gaspar Colon and Andrea Nagy

36 Missional Educational Leadership in Urban Settings By Prudence LaBeach Pollard

42 Called to Lead, Nurture, Engage, and Serve in the CitiesBy Davenia J. Lea

47 Call for Papers

Photo and art credits: Cover design and layout, Harry Knox; pp. 21-26, courtesy of Derek Cummings, Creation DevelopmentFoundation; p. 31, Thinkstock; p. 33, courtesy of Greater Sydney Conference; p. 35, courtesy of ADRA Somalia.

The Journal of Adventist Education®, Adventist®, and Seventh-day Adventist® are the registered trademarks of the GeneralConference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists®.

SUMMER 2 0 1 5 • VOLUME 7 7 , NO. 5

SPECIAL ISSUE: Adventist Education in the Urban Setting

We are pleased to announce that THE JOURNAL OF

ADVENTIST EDUCATION has won an award from the Asso-ciated Church Press (ACP) and two finalist designa-tions from the Association of American Publishers(AAP).

From the ACP: Honorable Mention Award for Fea-ture Article (“GMOsand the Great Con-troversy” by David A.Steen) in October/ November 2014, pp.4-15.

From the AAP:Finalist, REVEREAwards 2015 (for-

Correction: On page 28 of the April/May 2015 issue, the Korean Union Conference of the NorthernAsia-Pacific Division (NSD) was credited with too few junior high schools. The correct number is eight.

merly the Distinguished Achievement Awards) for thefollowing: (1) Cover Category, Professional Maga-zines subcategory: “GMOs and the Great Contro-versy” by Harry F. Knox, Art Director/Designer. (2) Feature Category, Professional Magazines subcat-egory: “Term Papers for Hire: How to Deter Academic

Dishonesty” bySusan M. Taylor inFebruary/March2014, pp. 34-41.

Read moreabout the JOURNAL’Sawards at http:// jae.adventist.org/ awards.

The Journal of Adventist EducationEarns Honorable Mention and Finalist Awards

Ella Smith Simmons

G U E S T E D I T O R I A L

Populations around the worldare now predominantly ur -ban, as migration into metro-politan areas continues to rise

dramatically. Up to 54 percent of allhuman beings, or nearly four billionpeople, now live in cities—a figurethat is projected to increase 1.84 per-cent per year between 2015 and 2020.1

This population shift creates uniqueand perplexing challenges for im-proving lives and communities inurban settings and preparing their populaces to receivethe gospel. While issues and processes vary from one partof the world and from one metropolitan area to another,typical urban centers urgently need sustainable systemsfor providing a range of basic human needs.2

Many of the world’s nations have committed to improv-ing education as a first-line approach to addressing theseneeds. They believe access to and positive outcomes fromhigh-quality education for all will ameliorate an array oflife’s inequities. Gains are evident, yet this ideal remains adream.3 Studies reveal educational disparities across socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, gender, and religion world-wide.4 Complicated issues frustrate any attempt to improveoutcomes for students in many urban schools.

Indeed, methods for addressing educational disparitiesremain some of the most contentious public policy issuesthroughout the world.5 Yet, change is possible. Most agreethat success in urban-education efforts must be tailoredto include components that transform the social, struc-tural, and cultural aspects of city life. The Seventh-dayAdventist Church’s response to God’s call of “mission tothe cities” is to give top priority for wholistic ministry inthe world’s large urban centers.6 Adventist education,along with the church’s health ministries, must be centralto that effort; and to that end, must adjust to meet thechallenging pressures and dynamics of urban life that mit-igate against educational success. While this will demandchanges to our perspectives on and processes of education,such change must not lead to a deconstruction of ouridentity. Our approach to education must adjust to meetthe full range of needs that exist in urban centers whilestill modeling Adventist beliefs, values, and standards.

This special theme issue of the JOURNAL is dedicatedto encouraging awareness of education as central to theAdventist Church’s mission in urban settings, and inspir-

ing action from stakeholders to helpachieve this goal. The article by Sim-mons introduces the topic and pro-vides a context for the issue. The ar-ticle by Lea summarizes the ideas andissues a call for action. The followingareas are also addressed:

• School success factors for urban set-tings: Ensuring that all children receivean adequate education is paramountto the future of any country, society,or community—including the church.

To positively impact the educational experiences of chil-dren and youth in urban settings, our schools must becomemore culturally responsive and must provide early child-hood learning opportunities that include educating par-ents about how to take care of their children’s needs. Schoolsuccess factors for urban settings will be addressed in thearticles by Hernández, and Colon and Nagy.

• Partnerships between parents, schools, churches, andcommunities: Too often, schools and teachers are inade-quately prepared to deal with the social, political, andeconomic conditions that affect the lives of urban stu-dents, families, and communities. Collaboration amongkey stakeholders for school reform is imperative to en-sure the success of urban schools. Change is always diffi-cult and largely dependent upon the success of criticalcommunity alliances. Partnerships between parents,schools, churches, and communities will be addressed inthe article by Cummings and Cummings.

• Spiritual principles for leadership: Studies show thateducators can learn much from methods of spiritual de-velopment, and that the spiritual perspective of educa-tional leaders is crucial for shaping school ethos and di-rection. Like schools in other settings, schools in urbanlocales need spiritual values and principles for educationand life. Spiritual principles for leadership will be ad-dressed in the article by Pollard.

The articles selected for this issue address some of thecritical points of discussion on this topic, and will en-hance awareness and spark conversation; however, muchmore could be shared. This is just a start. Today, educa-tion remains inaccessible for millions, worldwide. Socie-tal inequality and marginalization are persistent acrosstime and place for many groups. Many of the barriersthat undermine educational access and outcomes relateto gender, social class, economic status, health, race, eth-

3http:// jae.adventist.org The Journal of Adventist Education • Summer 2015 3

Continued on page 47

Davenia J. Lea

HOPE“The work in

the cities is the essentialwork for this time.”

Ellen G. White(Ministry to the Cities, p. 28)

Urban EducationA Living

Despite its unassuming begin-nings, Seventh-day Adventisteducation has been one of thechurch’s most successful min-istries.1 The quinquennial

world division education reports revealthat the Adventist Church serves nearlytwo million students worldwide in7,946 schools from primary throughpostgraduate levels with 96,388 teach-ers.2 Adventist schools reported 264,579baptisms in the past quinquennium(2010-2014) and have been celebratedby more than one study and anecdotalstory as dem onstrating higher qualitythan their public education counter-

parts.3 In some places in the world,national leaders and local employersexpress preference for graduates ofAdventist schools, citing their academicand professional prowess—and mostsignificantly—their honesty and relia-bility.4

Yet, throughout its history, theAdventist Church has faced great chal-lenges in educational endeavors. Fromthe early years, church leaders havecalled for reforms to align Adventistschools and their programs of studymore closely with the church’s educa-tional philosophy in its mission ofpreparing workers for the denomina-tion. Over time, and in various loca-tions as Adventism has spread world-

wide, the church’s educational institu-tions have been called beyond theiroriginal bounds to address the currentneeds of the general public in variousdeveloping nations.

Interestingly, critiques have made twoseemingly conflicting demands: thatAdventist education itself be trans-formed, and that it become an agent oftransformation in the church and societyat large.5 Adventist leaders and educatorswere more involved in societal issuesand secular education in the church’searly history at a time when Adventismwas making a commitment to educationas a key ministry. In more recent years,the intersections of secular society and

4

B Y E L L A S M I T H S I M M O N S

OVERCOMINGCHALLENGES

Christian Educationin the Urban

Setting: Facing Realities and

The Journal of Adventist Education • Summer 2015 http:// jae.adventist.org

Adventist education have been less evi-dent, though needs through out theworld are at least as great as those of for-mer years (perhaps even greater), and ina number of places, governments arecalling on Adventist education to addresssocietal challenges.

Moreover, today, the world wrestleswith a range of long-established andmounting inequities associated withboth access and outcomes of educa-tion, which are grounded in economicand social disparities.6 This is particu-larly true in major cities. Yet, while dev-astating to individuals and society, thechallenges associated with poverty,marginalization, and other detrimentalcircumstances in life are neither in-evitable nor irreversible, and educationcan make a positive difference.

An International DilemmaThroughout history, education has

been both credited with enlighteningand liberating major populations andcriticized for deceiving and subjugatingvarious people groups. Education hasbeen promoted as fundamental to en-suring equality, peace, health, prosper-ity, and liberty. Where societies haveembraced noble aims for education, theresult has been principled and effectiveactions, yielding social transformationand development. In contrast, when so-cieties have used education as a tool ofdeception, oppression, or intellectualsubjugation, the results have been dev-astating: poor-quality education for themasses that produces substandard aca-demic outcomes, weak national andregional economies, perpetuation ofnational and individual poverty, andsocio-political suppression.

The Ongoing Quest for PositiveOutcomes

Almost three decades ago, LisbethSchorr7 shared her confidence that byworking together, those with the meanscould prevent damaging outcomes foryoung people and break the cycle ofdisadvantage. Speaking broadly, she is-sued a challenge for better performanceand outcomes from urban education.

Schorr declared that all citizens, even ifnot acting from altruistic motives, havea vested interest in improving the livesof those around them: “We all pay tosupport the unproductive and incarcer-ate the violent. We are all economicallyweakened by lost productivity. We areall diminished when large numbers ofparents are incapable of nurturingtheir dependent young and when per-vasive alienation erodes the nationalsense of community.”8 Schorr’s researchdemonstrated that high-risk familiesneed intensive assistance in health care,social services, family support, and ed-ucation, which holds true today.

James White, co-founder of the Sev-enth-day Adventist Church, saw educa-tion as a means to mission, observingthat “a well-disciplined and informedmind can best receive and cherish thesublime truths of the Second Advent.”9

God is calling us to move forward nowto put Adventist education at the heartof our mission to the big cities.

Mission to the CitiesFor the first time in Earth’s history,

more than half of the population live incities. Millions of people have flocked tolarge urban settings in search ofadequate food supplies, potable water,professional health care, sustainableemployment, permanent shelter, andsafety.10 This often overwhelming influxof diverse populations increases eco -nomic, academic, cultural, political,and social demands on cities alreadystruggling to meet the needs of theircurrent inhabitants.11 In response, theSeventh-day Adventist Church hasdeclared a bold emphasis on mission tothe cities that calls for every entity ofthe church to set this mission as a toppriority. To this end, mission to thecities demands the widespread, compre-hensive involvement of Adventist edu-cation as a key element in bringing hopeand relief to urban centers.

Against this backdrop of adversitiesand prospects, what can our schools doto address these realities and overcome

the challenges faced by the world’surban population? This issue of THEJOURNAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION willfocus on how we can structure our edu-cational efforts in urban contexts inorder to provide high-quality educationto our constituencies and support thechurch’s mission to the cities. The au-thors in this special issue have sought toidentify and clarify the essential con-cerns, and to provide recommendationsto church leaders and Adventist educa-tors who have accepted the call to navi-gate the challenges and opportunities inthe world’s great metropolises.

Education, along with health care, isone of the primary means for reachingthe cities and helping to improve livesand communities. To achieve these ob-jectives, however, Adventist educationalprograms must be designed differentlyfrom traditional models. Studies haveshown that programs designed to helpfamilies and children living in concen-trated poverty and social dislocationdiffer in fundamental ways from tradi-tional programs that work for people inless-devastating circumstances.12 Edu-cation in urban centers most often de-mands a range of services beyond theusual classroom experiences. Adventismcan build on its foundational principlesof applying wholistic approaches to ed-ucation, health care, and ministries foraddressing needs in urban centers.

To be fully successful, urban educa-tion, indeed all education, must con-form to the principles presented inScripture and explicated in EllenWhite’s writings. It must be foundedon and aligned with God’s originalpurpose for restoring humanity. Yet,while the church’s models for urbaneducation must remain uniquelyAdventist in principle and philosophy,they must change significantly in scopeand application.

Unique Challenges for UrbanEducation

Schools in urban areas often havelarge, diverse populations, many poorand/or academically unprepared stu-dents, budget shortfalls, bureaucratic

5http:// jae.adventist.org The Journal of Adventist Education • Summer 2015

administrations, social and politicalcomplexities, and challenges created bygrowing enrollments combined withshrinking resources.13 Despite the suc-cess stories of some urban schools, bothnews reports and research indicate thatquality education is generally inaccessi-ble to most students from underprivi-leged and marginalized groups in urbancenters. Studies show a correlation be-tween educational underachievementand the challenges of urban environ-ments, such as poverty, destabilizedhomes and neighborhoods, gang activ-ity, insufficient school funding, and frac-tious social and political relationships.14

A wide range of international re-searchers, including those at TheGlobal Cities Education Network(GCEN) and The National Center forLearning Disabilities (NCLD), haveidentified commonly experienced chal-lenges to educational success in urbansettings. The GCEN discovered andarticulated commonalities amongchallenges and strategies used toaddress them in urban systems, whichtranscend borders and cultures aroundthe world.15 Consistent with otherliterature, the NCLD’s summary of itsfindings is subdivided into structuraland cultural challenges.16

1. Structural challenges are physicaland operational elements that collec-tively create internal and external bar-riers to school success. These include:

• Limiting stereotypes: The tendencyof educators to place urban familiesand their children’s likelihood of suc-ceeding academically in a negativeframework.17

• Lack of instructional coherence:Often, remedies to educational obsta-cles fail to focus on the real issues or toalign with specific needs for studentsuccess.18

• Inexperienced and/or uncommittedteaching staff: New teachers are oftenassigned to urban schools, while moreexperienced teachers seek out morecomfortable conditions in suburbanschools.19

• Dysfunctional or non-existent data-

management systems: Many urbanschools either do not have a system ofdata collection or underuse data and in-formation that would enable them toidentify student needs, monitor theirprogress, and evaluate school practices.20

• Low expectations: Urban schoolcultures often do not promote high ac-ademic expectations among all stu-dents,21 and use tracking constructsthat direct disadvantaged studentsto less-challenging instruction. Fre-quently, a lack of readiness for schoolor for particular learning tasks is inter-preted as a lack of intellectual abilityand academic potential.22

2. Cultural challenges include thosebeliefs identified “generally as culturaldissonance that manifests itself in poli-cies, practices, beliefs, and outcomes inmyriad interconnected ways.”23 Thesecreate barriers to student success, in-cluding:

• Perceptions that race, nationality,class, and language predict limited schoolsuccess: Research provides compellingevidence that in most urban centers,race, ethnicity, nationality, and classstill influence educational and other in-equities. Socio-economic status alsoremains a powerful influence on schooloutcomes24;

• Perceptions of certain learning stylesas intellectual deficiencies; and

• Policies and practices that demon-strate a lack of cultural awareness and/orresponsiveness to diverse cultures andneeds.

Facing the ChallengesRandy White, in his book Encounter

God in the City, recalls a bumper stickerwith the succinct message: “If you’renot outraged, you’re not paying atten-tion.”25 Not only are many Christiansnot outraged at these distressing socie-tal realities, we have so individualizedand internalized our faith that it hasbecome disengaged from social systemsaltogether, in effect becoming “pri-vately engaging but socially irrele-vant.”26 White further charges that “wecan’t imagine allowing anything to dis-rupt our lives, certainly not involve-

ment in the complexities of commu-nity transformation.”27

We must remember that “Jesus’ spe-cial concern for the poor extended to allthe marginalized, weak, and socially os-tracized. In sharp contrast to His con-temporaries, Jesus demonstrated a spe-cial interest in the disabled, children,drunkards, prostitutes, and lepers [cf.Luke 7:32-50; 19:1-10].”28 Ellen Whitespeaks of the Adventist Church’s insti-tutions as giving “character to thework” so that in them the gospel shouldbe the “great leading power.”29 Taking abroad view of the gospel, she wrote:“The character of God, whose likenesswe are to receive, is benevolence andlove. Every faculty, every attribute, withwhich the Creator has endowed us is tobe employed for His glory and for theuplifting of our fellow men.”30

God has set us in the world and es-tablished our institutions to be blessingsto those in need. “The most importantwork of our educational institutions atthis time is to set before the world anexample that will honor God.”31

To achieve a broader range of suc-cess, educators must seek to contextu-alize teaching and learning endeavorsthrough the application of culturallyresponsive practices.32 In order for edu-cators to understand those they serve,they must draw close to them throughpersonal association in daily life. Theymust participate in the communitiesthey serve, functioning in the world assalt and light.33 As Freire asserted, “tobecome soaked in the cultural and his-torical water is very insightful.”34

Ellen White’s charge to the firstAdventist educators in 1872 is still rele-vant today. She emphasized the church’sexpectation for these teachers to bereformers, combining practical and ac-ademic education.35 She called for ed -ucational practices that would “be of analtogether higher order than the tradi-tional education” of their time. Shecharged them to teach practical Christi-anity, to make the Bible the highest,most important textbook.36 This guid-


ance implies biblical principles for liv-ing and loving service that bring hopeand healing to those around us. Shecalled for transformation even beforethe Adventist system took shape.

Quinn asserts that “Transforming ahuman system usually requires that wetransform ourselves.”37 Adventists rec-ognize that our organizations and in-stitutions are more than human sys-tems. Although our education systemwas established by and continues to bemanaged by faithful individuals, itsfoundation is based on biblical princi-ples of redemption. Adventist organi-zations and institutions belong to God.Thus, they can be transformed onlythrough the power of God. The impli-cation is that we must examine ourworldview and understand ourselvesand our mission in view of this monu-mental task set before us. Indeed, per-sonal reformation is the goal of educa-tion for teachers and students alike.

An Urgent Call to ActionAs we model godly transformation

and lead others in this direction, we co-operate with God in outreach to theworld; in this case, a ministry to the bigcities. The Adventist Church has finallycommitted to ensure that all its organi-zations and ministries give priority tothe growing challenge of urban mis -sion.38 As populations shift to urbancenters and societies struggle to relate toand assimilate individuals from diversebackgrounds, the Adventist Church candraw on its biblical roots and historicalsuccesses to identify and adapt educa-tional practices that will be effective forthe range of challenges and opportuni-ties. It is apparent, even to a casual ob-server, that there are global needs fortransformation in education, particu-larly for urban settings. We must actwith urgency and continue to cultivatethe commitment to the cities.

Responsibility and ResponseWhile we continue to educate

Adventist young people in traditionalrural and suburban settings, we mustalso expand our efforts to meet thechallenges of our members who forvarious reasons reside in the big cities.Further, we must do more, as ourchurch’s working policy prescribes, tomeet the needs of “other children andyouth of the community who sharesimilar values and ideals.”39

Ellen White warned that “as achurch, as individuals, if we wouldstand clear in the judgment, we mustmake more liberal efforts for the train-ing of our young people, that they maybe better fitted for the various branchesof the great work committed to ourhands.”40 Historically, we have appliedthis injunction solely to the educationof Adventists. Could it be that this callincludes reaching out to “young peo-ple” outside our faith and geographicalcommunities who also need the bless-ings of true education?

Our Adventist pioneers recognizedthe dilemma of operating institutionsin the world while not becoming onewith the world. Though they strove todistinguish themselves from the worldin perspective, purpose, and pursuits,they did not retreat from society or op-erate in a vacuum as they developed thechurch’s educational philosophy andstandards. They understood that Godexpected them to make a difference inthe world through service to others,and they participated in the publicarena by standing for right, serving forchange, and sharing hope.41 But today,Adventists often hesitate to get involvedin public affairs, except perhaps in theareas of health care and guarding Sab-bath-keeping rights. Is this due to reti-cence or just a lack of clarity about theresponsibility for the education andneeds of those outside our faith group?

Many other Christians also puzzleover their responsibilities for educatingthe masses. A 2012-2013 Barna Groupstudy found that while most Christiansand pastors of various faith groups inthe United States recognized and ac-


It is apparent, even to a casual observer, that thereare global needs for trans -

formation in education, partic-ularly for urban settings.

We must act with urgency and continue to cultivate

the commitment to mission to the cities.

cepted a responsibility for the educa-tion of all people, they were confusedregarding the means, methods, and de-gree to which they should become in-volved.42 The Adventist Church alsograpples with these questions when itcomes to (1) expressing opinions onpublic education and (2) providingAdventist education for non-members.

Then further, the Adventist Churchstruggles with a dilemma associatedwith ministry to and in the cities re-sulting from Ellen White’s advice tomove to the country—to flee the cities.Some among us—both members andleaders—seem to have taken this ad-monition to heart with little regard forher equally commanding call for min-istry to and in the cities. She appealsfor all to awaken to the needs and as-serts: “A beginning is now to be made,and means must be raised that thework may go forward.”43

To fully embrace mission commit-ments to the world’s cities, churchleaders must agree that education is in-dispensable in accomplishing thiswork. The goal of having in every cityan influential Adventist presence ac-tively engaged in a comprehensivemission, using Christ’s method of min-istry,44 will not achieve its full potentialunless Adventist education is an inte-gral component in its implementation.So then, what can Adventists do tobring hope and advancement througheducation for the billions in urban set-tings?

As a church, we must take the initialsteps. First, we must acknowledge,draw from, and build upon the success-ful structures and methods of Adven t -ist schools already serving in urban set-tings. Next, we must create and set inmotion an operational plan. A success-ful contemporary model for initiatingaction that aligns with Adventist opera-tional philosophy is Kotter’s “8-StepProcess for Leading Change,”45 whichprovides an inspirational guide formoving forward in ministry to the bigcities.46 Kotter refers to this process as

“The Big Opportunity,” which accu-rately characterizes the occasion wenow have in Adventist education. Thismodel, adapted here for our context,suggests that leaders and other changeagents do the following:

1. Create: Begin with the opportu-nity and its urgency to inspire workersto embrace the mission.

2. Build: Assemble a small group ofcapable, willing workers to lead andsupport the mission.

3. Form: Craft a vision for steeringthe mission, then develop strategic ac-tions to achieve the vision.

4. Enlist: Raise a large force of readyand willing workers who sense the ur-gency of the mission.

5. Enable: Eliminate obstacles,change systems, and revamp structuresto ensure support for the mission.

6. Generate: Track, evaluate, and cel-ebrate mission accomplishments onboth small and grand scales.

7. Sustain: Build on successes, cullimpediments to mission, and reviveworkers through development.

8. Institute: Make clear the align-ment between new behaviors and suc-cesses, and ensure leadership develop-ment to maintain the mission.

RecommendationsTransforming schools, according to

Freire,47 will involve serious work in re-training educators, clarifying world-view and ideology, calling for commit-ments specific to urban work, anddeveloping teachers’ professional andmissional capacities. While Freire ad-dressed public education, we can read-ily apply these insights to urban Ad -ventist education as we attempt totackle the current challenges of the bigcities. Analyses of current population


Transforming schools will involve serious work in

retraining educators, clarifying worldview and

ideology, calling for commitments specific to

urban work, and developingteachers’ professional and

missional capacities.

and educational statistics—both publicand Adventist—indicate possibilitiesfor the following actions:

1. Revisiting Ellen White’s counsel:Church leaders must continue to re study,apply, and teach Ellen White’s ad mon -ition and urgency regarding ministry forand in the cities: “Our cities are to beworked. To devote our efforts to otherworthy enterprises, and leave unworkedour cities, in which are large numbers ofall nationalities, is not wise.”48

2. Collaborating: Church leaders, in-stitutional leaders, and pastors mustwork with members to achieve greaterclarity on institutional mission withinurban contexts in relation to the cities’wide range of diversity in cultural per-spectives and needs for institutionalservices, in order to select or create ap-propriate models for ministry andservice.

3. Strengthening existing schools andbuilding/purchasing new ones: Churchleaders must identify specific opportu-nities to strengthen existing Adventistschools located in urban settings, andact upon opportunities to addressunmet needs by establishing in largeurban centers mission-focused schoolsspecifically designed to address sys-temic problems.

4. Establishing schools as centers ofhope: Education leaders and pastors intandem with missions and communityservice leaders, with support from theworld church, must seek to establishschools as centers of life, hope, andhealing in urban communities. Thesemust be resourced to address the needsof families beyond the scope of typicaleducational services and will needto extend beyond the regular schoolschedule and calendar.

5. Initiating conferences: Educationleaders, in collaboration with classroomteachers, should schedule annual inter-national conferences on urban educa-tion that address specific needs that areshared worldwide in educating childrenand youth in urban environments. Withsupport from the world church, suchconferences would bring together edu-cators, pastors, com munity-service

leaders, health-care professionals andother key stakeholders with an interestin urban education and its challengesand opportunities.

6. Establishing partnerships: Churchand institutional leaders must formpartnerships to study the needs withinlarge urban centers, and act on thefindings with support from worldchurch and division education leaders,missions and community-service lead-ers, and agencies such as the Advent- ist Development and Relief Agency(ADRA) to formalize and implementplans for increasing formal educationand providing supplemental educa-tional services for the general popula-tions of the big cities.

7. Redesigning teacher-education pro-grams:With support from worldchurch education leaders from all lev-els, educational administrators mustdesign and implement teacher-educa-tion programs (and other courses ofstudy) at selected Adventist collegesand universities that emphasize mis-sion service and provide comprehen-sive education on how to serve urbanpopulations.

8. Launching mission-focused degreeprograms: Education administratorsand church leaders must increase at-tention to education and health min-istries in missions degrees, pastoral-de-velopment programs, and in-serviceeducation. When teachers and leadershave been trained specifically for min-istry to the cities, the local and worldchurch must sponsor them as “mis-sionaries” in Adventist urban schoolsand communities.

9. Building community: Churchleaders must encourage educators andpastors to participate more directly andmore often in the affairs of commu-nity/public education and family-ser-vices endeavors in the cities. This willrequire developing or strengtheningpartnerships with urban organizationsto meet the full range of family needsand to provide greater educational op-portunities for urban students that ex-

tend beyond the regular school sched-ule and calendar.

10. Meeting community needs:Church leaders, pastors, and educatorsmust inspire and prepare local churchmembers to better support Adventisteducation in all its forms (traditionalchurch schools as well as mission-focused urban schools) through finan-cial and organizational means andhands-on participation (volunteerism)in order to meet the general needs offamilies and communities—for exam-ple, by providing marriage-enrichmentseminars, parenting education andtraining, healthful-living programs, andso forth.

ConclusionGary Krause, director of Adventist

Mission for the Seventh-day AdventistChurch, sounded an urgent alert to thechurch in his 2012-2013 message,Embracing the Cities. Quoting fromStone and Wolfteich, he recalled,“Wednesday, May 23, 2007, should havebeen a wake-up call to Adventists seriousabout Christ’s commission to go into allthe world. Researchers estimate that onthat day, the world’s demographic centerof gravity changed. For the first time inhistory, a majority of the world’s popu-lation were now living in urban areas.”49

But, Krause pointed out, most Adventistchurches, institutions, services, agencies,and members remain outside the cities.50

This must change.Now is an opportune time for Sev-

enth-day Adventists to act decisively forand in large urban settings. Just as Ad-ventists recognize that the conditionsin the world are consistent with our es-chatological view and believe that weare called to urgently proclaim thegospel, so should church leaders andeducators recognize that these con -ditions also provide the impetus andopportunity for us to bring hope andbetterment to the world through edu-cation in urban settings. If we followthe guidance we have received and re-main open to the Spirit’s leading, wecan improve the lives of people inurban settings through our ministry of


education in alignment with healthministries and evangelism.

It is time that Seventh-day Advent -ists become more visible and active inurban affairs. Although Ellen White ac-knowledged and warned against theperils of city life,51 she also pointed outthat we have neglected God’s commandto go to the cities for far too long andmust now act in decisive ways.52 Shedeclared that human beings “were notcreated to be subject to poverty, dis -ease, and suffering, not for thought -less inattention to their physical andspiritual wants, but for dignity, purity,and elevation of character in this life,and for joy unspeakable and full ofglory in the future immortal life.”53 Shealso recognized that the task would notbe an easy one, but added reassurancethat: “We have nothing to fear for thefuture, except as we shall forget the waythe Lord has led us, and His teaching inour past history.”54 The world is cryingout for successful wholistic educationalmodels that address the myriad needsin metropolises around the globe. Godhas provided us with a model of coreprinciples as the guiding charter. Ourtask is to take united, effective action toaddress the ever-increasing needs ofurban settings and expand the scope ofAdventist education in the big cities. �

Ella Smith Sim-mons, Ed.D., servesas a General VicePresident of theGeneral Conferenceof Seventh-day Ad-ventists in SilverSpring, Maryland.

She earned her doctorate from the Uni-versity of Louisville (Kentucky) withconcentrations in administration andthe sociology and politics of education.Dr. Simmons serves as Chairperson ofthe Seventh-day Adventist InternationalBoard of Education and Vice Chairper-son of the International Board of Minis-terial and Theological Education and

provides professional and spiritual ad-visement to the Education Department,Women’s Ministries Department, and inan associate capacity the Sabbath Schooland Personal Ministries departments.Previously, she served as Provost at LaSierra University in Riverside, Califor-nia; Vice President for Academic Affairsat Oakwood College (now University) inHuntsville, Alabama; Associate Dean atthe University of Louisville School of Ed-ucation, where she was tenured; andChairperson of the Department of Edu-cation at Kentucky State University. Hercity upbringing, academic preparation,and professional experiences have honedin her a solid commitment to urban edu-cation and ministry.

NOTES AND REFERENCES1. The Blueprint: The Story of Adventist

Education, directed by Martin Doblmeier(Alexandria, Va.: Journey Films, 2013), DVD:http://the-blueprint-file.com. Unless otherwisenoted, Websites in the references were accessed inJune and July 2015.

2. Quinquennial Reports from the divisionsof the General Conference of Seventh-day Ad-ventists (2014).

3. Ibid.4. Conclusion drawn from observations and

interviews with church and educational institu-tional leaders.

5. Floyd Greenleaf, In Passion for the World:A History of Seventh-day Adventist Education(Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 2005);George R. Knight, Early Adventist Educators(Berrien Springs, Mich.: Andrews UniversityPress, 1983).

6. Brian Spitzer and Joshua Aronson, “Mind -ing and Mending the Gap: Social Psycho logicalInterventions to Reduce Educational Disparities,”British Journal of Educational Psychology 85:1(March 2015):1–18; H. Richard Milner IV, “Re -thinking Achievement Gap Talk in Urban Edu -cation,” Urban Education 48 (January 2013):3–8;“The Central Role of Education in the Millen-nium Development Goals” (New York: UNESCO,United Nations Report of the 2010 MDG Sum-mit High-Level Round-Table, September 22,2010).

7. Lisbeth B. Schorr, Within Our Reach:Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage (New York:Doubleday, 1988).

8. Ibid., p. xvii–xix.9. James White, “Questions and Answers,”

Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 21:4 (Decem-ber 23, 1862):29.

10. Ben Levin, “Urban Education Challenges

Around the Globe,” Phi Delta Kappan 97:7 (April2013):74, 75.

11. William F. Tate IV, et al., “Serving Vul -nerable Children and Youth in the UrbanContext.” In H. Richard Milner IV and KofiLomotey, eds., Handbook of Urban Education(New York: Routledge, 2014), pp. 3–23.

12. Milner and Lomotey, Handbook of UrbanEducation, ibid.; Jonathan Kozol, Savage Inequali-ties: Children in America’s Schools (New York:Broadway Books, 1991); Schorr, Within OurReach: Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage, op. cit.

13. Milner, “Rethinking Achievement GapTalk,” op. cit.

14. Spitzer and Aronson, “Minding andMending the Gap: Social Psychological Inter -ventions to Reduce Educational Disparities,” op.cit.; Ben Levin, “Urban Education ChallengesAround the Globe,” op. cit.; Paulo Freire, Peda-gogy of the Oppressed (30th Anniversary Edition),Myra Bergman Ramos, trans. (New York: Blooms -bury Academic, 2000).

15. Levin, “Urban Education ChallengesAround the Globe,” op. cit.

16. Spitzer and Aronson, “Minding andMending the Gap: Social Psychological Inter -ventions to Reduce Educational Disparities,” op.cit.; Nicole Fulgham, Schools in Crisis: They NeedYour Help (Whether You Have Kids or Not),FRAMES Barna Group (Grand Rapids, Mich.:Zondervan, 2013); Milner, “RethinkingAchievement Gap Talk in Urban Education,” op.cit., pp. 3–8; Jane Read, “Gutter to Garden:Historical Discourses of Risk in Interventions inWorking Class Children’s Street Play,” Children &Society 25:6 (November 2011):421–434; RoeyAhram, et al., Framing Urban School Challenges:The Problems to Examine When Implementing Re-sponse to Intervention, 1999–2015, National Cen-ter for Learning Disabilities, Inc.: http://www.rti network.org/learn/diversity/urban-school-challenges; Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, op. cit.

17. Stephen K. Miller and Juanita HooverLynes, “Institutionalized Legacies, Legitimation,and the Enduring Link Between Racism andTracking,” International Journal of Humanitiesand Social Science 2:3 (February 2012):165–175;Read, “Gutter to Garden: Historical Discourses ofRisk in Interventions in Working Class Children’sStreet Play,” op. cit.; Beth Harry and Janette K.Klingner, Why Are So Many Minorities in SpecialEducation? Understanding Race and Disability inSchools (New York: Teachers College Press, 2006).In Roey Ahram, et al., Framing Urban SchoolChallenges: The Problems to Examine When Im-plementing Response to Intervention (The Na-tional Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc.,2015): http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/diversity/urban-school-challenges; John U. Ogbu and


Herbert D. Simons, “Voluntary and InvoluntaryMinorities: A Cultural-Ecological Theory ofSchool Performance With Some Implications forEducation,” Anthropology & Education Quarterly29:2 (June 1998):155–188.

18. Spitzer and Aronson, “Minding andMending the Gap: Social Psychological Interven-tions to Reduce Educational Disparities,” op. cit.;Jane Vella, On Teaching and Learning: Putting thePrinciples and Practices of Dialogue EducationInto Action (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008);Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democ-racy, and Civic Courage (Lanham, Md.: Rowman& Littlefield, 2003); G. Alfred Hess, Jr., “Restruc-turing Urban Schools. A Chicago Perspective,”The Series on School Reform (New York: TeachersCollege Press, 1995).

19. Rebecca M. McHugh, et al., “Bridges andBarriers: Adolescent Perceptions of Student-Teacher Relationships,” Urban Education 48:1(2013):9–43; Jane Vella, On Teaching and Learn-ing: Putting the Principles and Practices of Dia-logue Education Into Action (San Francisco:Jossey-Bass, 2008); Paulo Freire, Teachers as Cul-tural Workers: Letters to Those Who Dare Teach,With New Commentary by Peter McLaren, Joe L.Kincheloe, and Shirley Steinberg, Expanded Edi-tion (Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, April 11,2005); Robert Gordon, Thomas J. Kane, andDouglas O. Staiger, Identifying Effective TeachersUsing Performance on the Job (Washington, D.C.:Brookings Institution, 2006); Steven G. Rivkin, etal., “Teachers, Schools, and Academic Achieve-ment,” Econometrica 73:2 (March 2005):417–458;Jonah E. Rockoff, “The Impact of IndividualTeachers on Student Achievement: EvidenceFrom Panel Data.” American Economic Review94:2 (2004):247–252.

20. Douglas B. Reeves, “The Learning Leader:Looking Deeper Into the Data,” EducationalLeadership 66:4 (December 2007/January 2008):89, 90.

21. Milner, “Rethinking Achievement GapTalk in Urban Education,” op. cit., pp. 3–8; MariaE. Matute-Bianchi, “Situational Ethnicity andPatterns of School Performance Among Immi-grant and Nonimmigrant Mexican-descent Stu-dents.” In M. A. Gibson and J. U. Ogbu, eds., Mi-nority Status and Schooling: A Comparative Studyof Immigrant and Involuntary Minorities (NewYork: Garland Press, 1991), pp. 205–247; RichardR. Valencia, “Inequalities and the Schooling ofMinority Students in Texas,” Hispanic Journal ofBehavioral Sciences 22:4 (November 2000):445–459; Jonathan Kozol, Savage Inequalities, op. cit.

22. Susan Hallam and Samantha Parsons,“Prevalence of Streaming in UK PrimarySchools: Evidence From the Millennium CohortStudy,” British Educational Research Journal 39:3(June 2013):514–544; Takako Nomi, “The Effectsof Within-class Ability Grouping on AcademicAchievement in Early Elementary Years,” Journal

of Research on Educational Effectiveness 3:1(2010):56–92; Jo Worthy, “Tracking and AbilityGrouping.” In L. Christenbury, Randy Bomer,and Peter Smagorinsky, eds., Handbook ofAdolescent Literacy Research (New York: Guilford,2009); John O’Neil, “On Tracking and IndividualDifferences: A Conversation With JeannieOakes,” Educational Leadership 50:2 (1992):18–21; Jeannie Oakes, Keeping Track: How SchoolsStructure Inequality (New Haven: Yale UniversityPress, 1985).

23. Ahram, et al., Framing Urban School Chal-lenges, op. cit.

24. Ben Levin, “Urban Education ChallengesAround the Globe,” op. cit.; Milner, “RethinkingAchievement Gap Talk in Urban Education,” op.cit., pp. 3–8; Read, “Gutter to Garden: HistoricalDiscourses of Risk in Interventions in WorkingClass Children’s Street Play,” op. cit.

25. Author Unknown. Cited in Randy White,Encounter God in the City: Onramps to Personaland Community Transformation (DownersGrove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2006), p. 117.

26. Ibid. 27. Ibid. 28. Ronald J. Sider, Good News and Good

Works: A Theology for the Whole Gospel (GrandRapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 1999), p. 63.

29. Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington,D.C.: Review and Herald Publ. Assn., 1946), p.407; __________, Testimonies for the Church(Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn.,1948), vol. 6, pp. 235–241.

30. __________, Patriarchs and Prophets(Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn.,1890), p. 595.

31. __________, Counsels to Parents, Teach -ers, and Students Regarding Christian Education(Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn.,1943), pp. 57, 58.

32. Geneva Gay, “Culturally ResponsiveTeaching Principles, Practices, and Effects.” InMilner and Lomotey, Handbook of Urban Educa-tion, op. cit.; Brian Lewthwaite, Thomas Owen,and Ashley Doiron, “Culturally ResponsiveTeaching in Yukon First Nation Settings: WhatDoes It Look Like and What Is Its Influence?” InRobert Renaud and Barbara McMillan, First Na-tion, Canadian Journal of Educational Adminis-tration and Policy, Issue 155 (April 10, 2014).

33. D. A. Carson and Timothy Keller, eds.,The Gospel as Center: Renewing Our Faith andReforming Our Ministry Practices (Wheaton, Ill.:Crossway, 2012).

34. Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the City (NewYork: Continuum, 1993), p. 6.

35. Knight, Early Adventist Educators, op. cit.36. Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian

Education (Nashville: Southern Publ. Assn.,1923), p. 231.

37. Robert E. Quinn, Change the World: HowOrdinary People Can Accomplish ExtraordinaryResults (San Francisco: Wiley and Sons, Inc.,2000), p. 4.

38. General Conference of Seventh-day Ad-ventists, Seventh-day Adventist Church Mission tothe Cities: http://www.adventistmission.org.

39. Seventh-day Adventist Church, GeneralConference Working Policy (2013-2014), FE 10 10,p. 255.

40. Ellen G. White, Counsels for the Church(Silver Spring, Md.: Ellen G. White Estate, 1990),p. 204.

41. George R. Knight, “Education for What?Thoughts on the Purpose and Identity of Ad -ventist Education.” Unpublished paper presentedat the International Conference for Seventh-dayAdventist College and University Presidents (Sil-ver Spring, Md., March 25, 2014); Greenleaf, InPassion for the World: A History of Seventh-dayAdventist Education, op. cit.; Knight, EarlyAdventist Educators, op. cit.; White, Fundamentalsof Christian Education, op. cit.

42. Nicole Fulgham, Schools in Crisis: TheyNeed Your Help (Whether You Have Kids or Not),op. cit.

43. Ellen G. White, Ministry to the Cities(Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Publ.Assn., 2012), p. 47.

44. http://adventistmission.org.45. Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change:

http://www.kotterinternational.com/the-8-step-process-for-leading-change/.

46. John P. Kotter, A Sense of Urgency(Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2008), pp. 14,15; __________, “Leading Change: Why Trans-formation Efforts Fail,” Harvard Business Review(January 2007): https://hbr.org/2007/01/leading-change-why-transformation-efforts-fail.

47. Freire, Pedagogy of the City, op. cit.48. __________, Ministry to the Cities, op. cit.49. Bryan P. Stone and Claire E. Wolfteich,

Sabbath in the City: Sustaining Urban Pastoral Ex-cellence (Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John KnoxPress, 2008), p. 1. Cited in Gary Krause, Embrac-ing the Cities (Silver Spring, Md.: General Con-ference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2012-2013):http://www.adventistmission.org.

50. http://www.adventistmission.org.51. Ellen G. White, Country Living (Washing-

ton, D.C.: Review and Herald Publ. Assn., 1946). 52. __________, Ministry to the Cities, op. cit.53. Ibid., p. 34. 54. __________, Life Sketches of Ellen G.

White (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ.Assn., 1915), p. 196.


ired magazine’s October 2013 cover shows a 12-year-old girl named Paloma Noyola Bueno fromMatamoros, Mexico. She is holding her school-books and looking straight ahead with a seriousbut serene countenance. Over her in large, bold let-

ters is the audacious title “The Next Steve Jobs,” and the subtitle“Genius is everywhere—but we’re wasting it. How to unleashthe great minds of tomorrow.” Paloma’s school stands next toa city waste dump and struggles with challenges such as “inter-mittent electricity, few computers, limited Internet, and some-times not enough [for the children] to eat.”1

How did the story of Paloma Noyola Bueno capture the at-tention of a major technology publication? Paloma received ascore of 921 on the math section of Mexico’s version of the SATtest, the highest score in her country that year. Nine of her class-mates scored above 900 on the same test. How could childrenfrom desperately poor families, attending an urban school indisrepair, achieve such high scores?

Paloma’s story shows what is possible to achieve among theurban poor worldwide. Children from disadvantaged back-grounds who suffer from the structural and cultural conditionsthat perpetuate inequality can still reach high levels of attain-ment. Replicating Paloma’s story is what Seventh-day Adventisteducation should be about, worldwide.

Context and ChallengesA recent UNICEF report predicts that “by 2050, 70 percent

of all people will live in urban areas. Already, 1 in 3 urbandwellers lives in slum conditions. . . . Children living in slumsare among the least likely to attend school.”2 Around the world,about 100 million children are not in school.3 The UNICEF re-port asserts that “every excluded child represents a missed op-portunity—because when society fails to extend to urban chil-dren the services and protection that would enable them todevelop as productive and creative individuals, it loses the social,cultural and economic contributions they could have made.”4


B Y E D W I N H E R N Á N D E Z

W

URBAN SETTINGS

Demystifying Success Factors for

Students in

How can Adventist schools contribute to increasing theachievement and educational levels of disadvantaged children?What can we do to improve the quality of education in urbansettings? These are critical questions facing the AdventistChurch. The purpose of this article is to summarize the currentthinking and research on these fundamental questions.

Barriers to Educational SuccessPoverty brings many challenges to the educational task of

which Christian educators must become more aware. Povertyis generally understood as economic scarcity, but here we willuse Eric Jensen’s definition: “A chronic and debilitating condi-tion that results from multiple adverse synergistic risk factorsand affects the mind, body, and soul.”5 Poverty limits a child’slearning potential because his or her family is burdened withmultiple risk factors such as emotional and social challenges;acute and chronic stressors; cognitive lags; and health andsafety issues.6 Poor families tend to be impacted by more thanthree major risk factors at any one time.

Scholars talk about the cumulative effects of the poverty-re-lated risk factors that make life a continuous struggle.7 For ex-ample, a child’s illness or injury in a family without access tohealth care can easily cascade into a major crisis, contributingto emotional and cognitive impairment of the child and evenpremature death, as well as financial disaster for the family. Thecumulative effects of poverty will damage a child’s physical,socio-emotional, and cognitive well-being.8

Poverty affects cognitive learning capacity. Children raisedin a single-parent household generally experience less cognitiveand emotional stimulation, resulting in significant cognitivedeficiencies.9 Risk factors for children living in poverty includepoor nutrition/food scarcity, parental unemployment, lowparental education, poor prenatal care, and unsupportive homelife, factors that collectively correlate highly with decreased ac-ademic performance.10 In addition, poverty contributes to “act-ing out” and other disruptive behaviors that hamper learningenvironments and classroom control.11

Children from poor economic backgrounds start school ata disadvantage in all subject areas, and the achievement gap be-tween them and their wealthier peers increases over time.12 Inthe United States, in addition to economic background, thepersistence of the achievement gap has also been attributed torace. This is so well established that it recently led two eminentscholars to declare: “The racial achievement gap is an empiricalfact that manifests itself in every American school district, atevery level of schooling, and on nearly every academic assess-ment.”13 The aforementioned risk factors of economics andrace keep the gap firmly in place.

Possibly the most important barrier to academic success isschool absenteeism. Trailblazing research conducted by RobertBalfanz and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins University hasrevealed that regular school attendance is a foundationalacademic success indicator, especially for children living inpoverty.14 Defined as missing 10 percent or more of a school

year, chronic absenteeism is a serious problem in high-povertyareas, reaching levels that these leading scholars described as“staggering: on the order of six months to over a year, over afive-year period.”15

Chronic absenteeism is more prevalent among poor stu-dents for three major reasons: (1) they cannot attend due to ill-ness, family responsibilities, housing instability, the need towork, or involvement with the juvenile justice system; (2) theywill not attend to avoid bullying, unsafe conditions, harassment,and embarrassment; (3) they do not attend because they, ortheir parents, do not see the value of being in school, they havesomething else they would rather do, or nothing stops themfrom skipping school.16

International ComparisonsThe Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)

allows countries like Argentina, Peru, Canada, Poland, Korea,and the United States to compare educational outcomes on astandardized achievement test. Every three years, PISA exam-ines how well 15-year-old students understand and applyknowledge in three core content areas—mathematics, science,and reading literacy—to real-life situations.17

Findings from the 2012 PISA show that in all three core sub-jects, American students have performed at the same level since2003, with lower average scores than 18 other education sys-tems, in both developed and developing countries.18 The con-ventional explanation for the poor scores of U.S. students isAmerica’s high levels of poverty and cultural diversity. How-ever, students in Norway, with a low six percent child povertyrate, scored no better than U.S. students in 2009 and 2012.19 Bycontrast, Poland’s results have been called “the Polish miracle.”Despite a poverty rate similar to the United States, “Poland’spoorest kids outscored the poorest kids in the United States.That was a remarkable feat, given that they were worse off,socio-economically, than the poorest American kids.”20 And,while white American students outperformed African-Ameri-can and Latino students, they scored lower than students from16 other countries, including Japan, Germany, Belgium, andCanada.21 Neither poverty nor cultural diversity seem to be in-surmountable barriers to achieving educational success forunder-resourced children.22

Demystifying Seven Success FactorsGrowing evidence suggests that a number of highly efficient

educational practices and cultural characteristics of schools canhelp minority children from disadvantaged backgrounds toachieve at high levels.23 Here are seven research-based factorsor practices that together promise to create high-quality edu-cation for urban children:

1. Caring for the Whole ChildWhere access to adequate preschool education, health in-

surance, and other basic social services is lacking, a growingnumber of innovative schools have embraced a community-


schools model of educational reform to address the many eco-nomic, social, and emotional needs of underserved families.For example, the Harlem Children’s Zone schools provide freemedical and dental care and mental-health services. They alsoprovide nutritious meals for students and support for parents.24

Parental support includes teaching them to become more in-volved in their children’s lives, and reinforcing key values andeducation-related behaviors, such as encouraging children toattend school and read every day (especially during the elemen-tary and middle-school years), and understanding and prac-ticing a “growth mindset.”25

Children living in poverty often lack stable environmentsand secure relationships with parents and other adults. Grow-ing up as a child of divorce or in single-parent homes oftencontributes greatly to young people’s poverty and social isola-tion.26 Creating caring school environments where every childis valued, respected, and nurtured is fundamental for all chil-dren to achieve success. Schools that serve high-poverty stu-dents must adopt a “whatever it takes”27 attitude and refuse tolet children fail. Adventist schools should be good at imple-menting a “whole student care” framework, which is consistentwith our wholistic understanding of the human person.

2. Data-driven InstructionUnderstanding the needs and progress of students can only

be done using rigorous, data-driven educational practices. Forschools to become data friendly, teachers must agree on thevalue of statistical information to help them teach smarter, cre-ating a culture of continual learning through collecting, ana-lyzing, and applying data.28 Successfully embracing a data-driven culture within a school depends on the quality, accuracy,and timeliness of the data, and whether teachers and principalconverse as part of a continuous-improvement process.29

The historic and unprecedented research study called Cog-nitiveGenesis has clearly shown the academic value of anAdventist education.30 Yet, as I have argued elsewhere,31 muchresearch remains to be done. And relevant to this topic is thequestion, Does Adventist education help to close the achieve-ment gap across racial/ethnic groups and among the most dis-advantaged families? Answering this and other relevant ques-tions will require a thorough commitment to data-drivenresearch like CognitiveGenesis, not just in North America butthroughout the world. And this could be done by implement-ing PISA across the Adventist K-12 system worldwide.32

3. AccountabilityPrincipals and teachers at schools filled predominantly with

poor children also have to accept responsibility for the learningof those children. Since the evidence says that poor childrencan learn at the highest levels, educators cannot blame the chil-dren for poor performance or for their family’s situation. Theyare accountable for their students’ learning losses or gains.33

The movement toward greater accountability has led to thedevelopment of teacher-evaluation systems.34 A new analytical

technique called “value-added analysis” measures academicprogress by examining individual scores over time. If the stu-dents’ scores grow more than the predicted level of their peers,then the teacher has added to the students’ growth. The tech-nique controls for a student’s background and socio-economicstatus, and by looking at growth over time, shows the teacher’sinfluence on learning outcomes.35 Good accountability is theproduct of a fair, objective, and well-developed evaluation sys-tem.36 Teachers in this environment continuously seek oppor-tunities for growth, and principals focus on helping their teach-ers improve their practices.37

The Adventist moral imperative to educate all children atthe highest levels, especially those from poor, urban back-grounds, requires that evaluation systems for Adventist educa-tors be assessed and, if necessary, modified or replaced. Teacherevaluation in Adventist schools should reflect the best practicesin the field.

4. Establishing a Culture of High ExpectationsTeachers and educational leaders who embrace a view of in-

nate human intelligence may contribute to inequities throughwhat former President George W. Bush called the “soft bigotryof low expectations.”38 This view argues that children are bornwith certain innate capacities—intelligence, natural aptitudes,


The Adventist moral imperative to educate all children

at the highest levels, es-pecially those from poor, urban back-

grounds, requires thatevaluation systems

for Adventist educatorsbe assessed and, if

necessary, modified or replaced.

etc.—and they either have them or they don’t. Research onhuman intelligence over the past few decades has debunked thisview,39 which creates the mindset among teachers that poorchildren need remedial learning or cannot achieve high stan-dards. This mentality often leads to a culture of low expecta-tions where some teachers prematurely give up on studentswho, with effective instruction, might succeed. By contrast, agrowth or enrichment mindset views all children as gifted, sothat teachers, staff, and educational leaders are eager to do“whatever it takes” to ensure that learners succeed.40

Schools that serve poor children need to relentlessly focuson achievement for all students regardless of their background,skin color, or language abilities. If teachers and administratorshold high expectations and provide all the needed supports,this will enable their students to succeed. They must not acceptexcuses that would lower expectations.

A key characteristic of high-achieving schools for childrenfrom lower socio-economic groups is that every teacher, staffmember, volunteer, and parent works to achieve milestones inthe educational journey.41 Some examples are (1) requiringkindergartners to be readers before they enter 1st grade, (2)making sure 3rd graders are performing at grade level in theareas of literacy and numeracy, and (3) ensuring that 8th-gradestudents study and pass algebra. Another critical task forschools is ensuring that students—and parents—understandthe damaging effects of chronic absenteeism, since accumulatedabsences can cause significant learning losses and gaps in vitalareas. Although the dropout process tends to accelerate in the9th-grade transition year, schools have a great opportunity atthis level to reverse trends that lead to dropouts.42

To track progress over time, Adventist schools could obtainkey performance indicator dashboards that allow their staff toview at a glance how well individual students (and the entireschool) are doing, to ensure that each student stays on track tograduate, and is adequately prepared for college and work.

5. Increased Instructional TimeSuccessful schools enrolling predominantly underserved

children have found that extending instructional time, both inschool and out of school, is key to the children’s success.43 Thiswas Fryer’s finding44 in his “best practice” research on charterschools. Within a high-expectation school culture, providingadditional time for learning, support, and enrichment is criti-cally important.

Some schools open on weekends for additional instructionand tutoring, while others extend the school day. Enrichmentactivities may include arts, drama, music, sports, and field tripsto museums, the zoo, and other cultural centers. One benefitof having a school in most urban contexts is the number of cul-tural and artistic resources available.

Perhaps the greatest opportunity to serve the academic needsof disadvantaged children is in the summer. Learning loss hap-pens to all children, regardless of their family background, butit is more severe and longer lasting for poor children.45

6.Human CapitalAmerican education’s declining standing in the world has

occurred in large part because of a lack of consistently high-quality teaching for all children.46 In America, some schoolshave low entry standards and don’t draw teachers from the top-performing students.47 Of particular concern: The majority ofthe worst teachers end up in poor urban schools.48 Thoseschools cannot attract or retain effective teachers49 because ofharsh environments, undesirable neighborhoods, and ineffec-tive colleagues and administration.

High-quality teaching should concern Christian educatorsbecause research has shown its consistent influence on learninggains, especially for children living in poverty.50 Adventist col-leges and universities need to consider how teacher-educationprograms train instructors for its system, as well as for urbanpublic schools. What quality standards are being used? Areteachers being adequately prepared to serve culturally and eco-nomically diverse populations? Can anything be learned fromrecent critiques of teacher-education programs?51

Critical to raising the academic performance of schoolsserving predominantly children in the lower socio-economicgroups is the quality of the school principal. In particular, lead-ership that is empowered to make decisions, to hire the bestteachers, to support instructional learning, coach teachers, andcreate a culture of high expectations is of utmost importance.52

An organization called New Leaders estimates that 25 percentof a student’s success depends on the quality of the principal.53

A key multiplying effect of good leadership is the ability to at-tract and retain great teachers.

The Adventist Church runs an impressive array of educa-tional institutions around the world. But does the system pro-duce effective teachers and leaders to serve urban poor popu-lations? Do we hold principals accountable for the results intheir schools? Do we apply the best practices in the selection,training, and support of high-performing school leaders?54

7. Character DevelopmentCharacter formation is the factor with the greatest transfor-

mative power to influence academic achievement and life suc-cess. It is the hallmark of a Christian education, and morespecifically, an Adventist education. Within this category fall allof the assets, virtues, and attributes that make an Adventistschool a place where characters are nurtured. A growing bodyof research is showing that religious engagement contributespositively to educational achievement.55

We include the spiritual dimension as part of the task ofcharacter formation, but the social scientific literature has re-cently uncovered additional aspects related to character forma-tion. For example, How Children Succeed by Paul Tough56 ar-gues that the qualities that matter most to academic and lifesuccess are character traits such as self-control, perseverance,tenacity, and self-affirmation. These traits are typically culti-vated in what some consider to be the strongholds of charactereducation: the church and the family. Unfortunately, some dis-


advantaged children live in homes where there is no affiliationto a church community, and in households where the familystructure is dysfunctional. As a result, neither entity exercisesan active role in the child’s development, and these childrenmay not be exposed to important character traits such as hardwork, honesty, conscientiousness, persistence or grit, creativ -ity, curiosity, self-control, and a love of learning.57 Adventistschools serving the most disadvantaged children must ensurethat the character traits that predict academic success are partof the formal and informal curricular offerings and enrichmentexperiences.

ConclusionThe story of 12-year-old Paloma Noyola Bueno exemplifies

the extraordinary results that children living in poverty canachieve. Her teacher, Sergio Juárez Correa, had high expecta-tions of his students, taught them lessons in persistence and ef-fort, and didn’t allow their family background and circum-stances to define them as anything but “gifted” children. Andthat is what they became—gifted.

This story validates the vision of Adventist education tocombine salvation and wholeness with excellent education forall children, especially those who need it most.58 In the end,what is required to overcome the barriers is a “mega dose” ofhope. Hopeful kids try harder and persist longer. The goodnews, supported by empirical evidence: It is possible to educatethe poorest and most disadvantaged children to high levels. Todo so takes courage, persistence, and total commitment to pur-suing educational excellence with equity at all costs. This re-sponsibility should be embraced by all Christian educators be-cause it is an issue of justice and the development of humanpotential—restoring God’s image in humankind. �

This article has been peer reviewed.

Edwin Hernández, Ph.D., serves as Provostof Adventist University of Health Sciences inOrlando, Florida. He earned his doctoratein sociology from the University of NotreDame, South Bend, Indiana. He also holdsan M.Div. degree from the Seventh-dayAdventist Theological Seminary at AndrewsUniversity in Berrien Springs, Michigan,

and is an ordained minister of the Adventist Church. Dr. Hernán-dez has authored several books and papers. He formerly served asVice President of Academic Affairs for Antillean Adventist Uni-versity in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico; helped found and direct theCenter for the Study of Latino Religions at Notre Dame’s Instituteof Latino Studies; and served as the program director for the PewCharitable Trust in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most recently,Dr. Hernández directed philanthropy initiatives on behalf of theDoug and Maria DeVos Foundation in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

1. Joshua Davis, “How a Radical New Teaching Method Could Unleash a

Generation of Geniuses,” Wired (October 2013): http://www.wired.com/

2013/10/free-thinkers/all/. Websites in the references were accessed June 8, 2015.

2. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The State of the World’s Chil-

dren: Children in an Urban World (New York, UNICEF, 2012):v: http://

www.unicef.org/sowc2012/pdfs/SOWC%202012Main%20Report_ EN _ 13Mar

2012.pdf.

3. Michael Kremer and Alaka Holla, “Improving Education in the Devel-

oping World: What Have We Learned From Randomized Evaluations?” Annual

Review of Economics 1 (2009):513.

4. UNICEF, The State of the World’s Children, op. cit.

5. Robert Jensen, “The (Perceived) Returns to Education and the Demand

for Schooling,” The Quarterly Journal of Economics 125:2 (2010):521.

6. Ibid.

7. Naama Atzaba-Poria, Alison Pike, and Kirby Deater-Deckard, “Do Risk

Factors for Problem Behaviour Act in a Cumulative Manner? An Examination

of Ethnic Minority and Majority Children Through an Ecological Perspective,”

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 45:4 (May 1, 2004):707–718, doi:

10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00265.x.

8. Jensen, “The (Perceived) Returns to Education and the Demand for

Schooling,” op. cit.; Pamela Klebanov and JeAnne Brooks-Gunn, “Cumulative,

Human Capital, and Psychological Risk in the Context of Early Intervention:

Links With IQ at Ages 3, 5, and 8,” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

1094:1 (2006):63–82; Robert Sapolsky, “Sick of Poverty,” Scientific American

293:6 (2005):92–99.

9. Flavio Cunha and James J. Heckman, “The Economics and Psychology

of Inequality and Human Development,” Journal of the European Economic As-

sociation 7:2/3 (April 1, 2009):320–364, doi:10.3386/w14695.

10. Susan M. Koger, Ted Schettler, and Bernard Weiss, “Environmental Tox-

icants and Developmental Disabilities: A Challenge for Psychologists,” Ameri-

can Psychologist 60:3 (April 2005):243–255, doi:10.1037/0003-066X.60.3.243.


Schooling,” op. cit.

12. Greg J. Duncan and Richard J. Murnane, Restoring Opportunity: The

Crisis of Inequality and the Challenge for American Education (Cambridge,

Mass.: Harvard Education Press, 2013); Will Dobbie and Roland G. Fryer, Jr.,

“Are High Quality Schools Enough to Close the Achievement Gap? Evidence

From a Social Experiment in Harlem,” American Economic Journal: Applied

Economics 3:3 (2009):158-187, doi:10.1257/app.3.3.158.

13. Vilsa E. Curto and Roland G. Fryer, Jr., “The Potential of Urban Board-

ing Schools for the Poor: Evidence From SEED,” Journal of Labor Economics

32:1 (July 16, 2012):2: http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/fryer/files/seed23.pdf.

14. Robert Balfanz and Vaughan Byrnes, Chronic Absenteeism: Summarizing

What We Know From Nationally Available Data (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins

University Center for Social Organization of Schools, 2012).

15. Ibid., pp. 4, 5.

16. Ibid.

17. Ibid.

18. Ibid.

19. Ibid.; Amanda Ripley, The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They

Got That Way (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2013).

20. Ibid., p. 136.

21. Eric A. Hanushek, Paul E. Peterson, and Ludger Woessmann, Endan-

gering Prosperity: A Global View of the American School (Washington, D.C.:

Brookings Institution Press, 2013).

22. Karin Chenoweth, “It’s Being Done”: Academic Success in Unexpected

Schools (Cambridge: Harvard Education Press, 2007); __________, How It’s

Being Done: Urgent Lessons From Unexpected Schools (Cambridge: Harvard Ed-

ucation Press, 2009).


NOTES AND REFERENCES

23. Joshua D. Angrist, et al., “Stand and Deliver: Effects of Boston’s Charter

High Schools on College Preparation, Entry, and Choice” (Working Paper No.

19275, National Bureau of Economic Research, July 2013); Atila Abdulka-

diroglu, et al., “Accountability and Flexibility in Public Schools: Evidence From

Boston’s Charters and Pilots,” The Quarterly Journal of Economics 126:2

(2011):699-748; Will Dobbie and Roland G. Fryer, Jr., “Are High-Quality

Schools Enough to Increase Achievement Among the Poor? Evidence From the

Harlem Children’s Zone,” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 3:3

(July 1, 2011):158-187; Curto and Fryer, “The Potential of Urban Boarding

Schools for the Poor,” op. cit.

24. Dobbie and Fryer, “Are High-Quality Schools Enough to Increase

Achievement Among the Poor?” ibid.; Paul Tough, Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey

Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America (New York: Houghton Mifflin

Harcourt, 2008).

25. Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (New York: Ran-

dom House, 2006).

26. Carey E. Cooper, et al., “Partnership Instability, School Readiness, and

Gender Disparities,” Sociology of Education 84:3 (July 2011):246-259; Sara

McLanahan and Jane Waldfogel, “Work and Family: Introducing the Issue,”

The Future of Children 21:2 (Fall 2011):3-14.

27. Tough, Whatever It Takes, op. cit.



29. Mary Ann Lachat and Stephen Smith, “Practices That Support Data Use

in Urban High Schools,” Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 10:3

(2005):333-349.

30. CognitiveGenesis assessed the performance of students within the

North American Division. See http://www.cognitivegenesis.org to learn more.

31. Edwin Hernández, “Thinking Outside the Bun: Making Adventist Ed-

ucation Accessible to Those Who Need It Most,” in Peril and Promise: Adventist

Education at the Crossroads, Clinton Valley, et al., eds. (Riverside, Calif.: Center

for Research on Adventist Education, 2012), pp. 215-247.

32. See the 2012 PISA results at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/ pisa2012/

index.asp.


Schooling,” op. cit.; Chenoweth, It’s Being Done, op. cit.; __________, How It’s

Being Done, op. cit.

34. See the Measures of Effective Teaching site at http://www. met project. org.

35. See the Value-Added Research Center at http://varc.wceruw.org.

36. See Teacher Evaluation 2.0 (Brooklyn, N.Y.: The New Teacher Project,

2010): http://tntp.org/assets/documents/Teacher-Evaluation-Oct10F.pdf?files/

Teacher-Evaluation-Oct10F.pdf.

37. Jay Mathews, Work Hard. Be Nice. How Two Inspired Teachers Created

the Most Promising Schools in America (Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books,

2009); Chenoweth, It’s Being Done, op. cit.; __________, How It’s Being Done,

op. cit.

38. President George W. Bush and speechwriter Michael Gerson first used

the phrase in a speech presented at the 91st NAACP Convention (July 2000):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/elections/ bushtext 071000.

htm.

39. David Shenk, The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You’ve Been Told

About Genetics, Talent and Intelligence Is Wrong (New York: Doubleday, 2010);

Richard E. Nisbett, Intelligence and How to Get It: Why Schools and Cultures

Count (New York: W. W. Norton, 2010).



41. Ibid.

42. Kerman Ali, et al., Freshmen On-Track: A Guide to Help You Keep Your

Freshmen On-Track to Graduate (Chicago: Chicago Public Schools, Department

of Graduation Pathways, 2010): http://www.chooseyourfuture.org/sites/de

fault/files/fot-freshmen-on-track-handbook.pdf; Elaine Marie Allensworth and

John Q. Easton, The On-Track Indicator as a Predictor of High School Graduation

(Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research, University of Chicago,

2005); __________, What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in

Chicago Public High Schools: A Close Look at Course Grades, Failures, and At-

tendance in the Freshman Year (Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Re-

search at the University of Chicago, 2007).

43. Chenoweth, It’s Being Done, op. cit.; __________, How It’s Being Done,

op. cit.; Mathews, Work Hard. Be Nice, op. cit..; Eva Moskowitz and Arin

Lavinia, Mission Possible: How the Secrets of the Success Academies Can Work in

Any School (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012).

44. Roland G. Fryer, “Injecting Charter School Best Practices Into Tradi-

tional Public Schools: Evidence From Field Experiments,” The Quarterly Journal

of Economics (2014), doi:10.1093/qje/qju011.

45. Doris R. Entwisle and Karl L. Alexander, “Summer Setback: Race,

Poverty, School Composition, and Mathematics Achievement in the First Two

Years of School,” American Sociological Review 57:1 (February 1, 1992):72-84,

doi:10.2307/2096145; Douglas B. Downey, Paul T. von Hippel, and Beckett A.

Broh, “Are Schools the Great Equalizer? Cognitive Inequality During the Sum-

mer Months and the School Year,” American Sociological Review 69:5 (October

2004):613-635, doi:10.1177/000312240406900501.

46. Ripley, The Smartest Kids in the World, op. cit.

47. Michael Barber and Mona Mourshed, How the World’s Best-Performing

Schools Systems Come Out on Top (Washington, D.C.: McKinsey & Company,

2007).

48. Geoffrey D. Borman and N. Maritza Dowling, “Teacher Attrition and

Retention: A Meta-Analytic and Narrative Review of the Research,” Review of

Educational Research 78:3 (September 2008):367-409, doi: 10.3102/00346543

08321455.

49. Eric A. Hanushek, John F. Kain, and Steven G. Rivkin, “Why Public

Schools Lose Teachers,” The Journal of Human Resources 39:2 (April 2004):326-

354, doi:10.2307/3559017.

50. Raj Chetty, John N. Friedman, and Jonah E. Rockoff, The Long-Term

Impacts of Teachers: Teacher Value-Added and Student Outcomes in Adulthood,

Working Paper No. 17699, National Bureau of Economic Research (December

2011), doi:10.3386/w17699.

51. See, for example, NCTQ’s “Teacher Prep” reports at http://www.nctq.

org/teacherPrep/review2014.do.

52. Marc S. Tucker and Judy B. Codding, The Principal Challenge: Leading

and Managing Schools in an Era of Accountability (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,

2002).

53. See “Leadership Matters,” video at http://www.newleaders.org/ impact/

leadership-matters/.

54. See Prioritizing Leadership: New Leaders’ Federal Policy Platform, New

Leaders: http://www.newleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/PrioritizingLeader

ship.pdf; and Lacking Leaders: The Challenges of Principal Recruitment, Selection,

and Placement, Thomas B. Fordham Institute (June 2014): http://edex.s3-us-west-

2.amazonaws.com/publication/pdfs/Lacking-Leaders-the-Challenges-of-Princi

pal-Recruitment-Selection-and-Placement-Final.pdf.

55. David Sikkink and Edwin I. Hernández, “Religion Matters: Predicting

Schooling Success Among Latino Youth. Interim Reports” (Institute for Latino

Studies, University of Notre Dame, January 2003): http://eric.ed.gov/ ?id=

ED476003; David Sikkink, “Religion and Academic Achievement,” in Praeger

Handbook of Faith-based Schooling in the United States, James C. Carper and

Tom Cook, eds. (Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, 2009), pp. 363-368;

David Sikkink, “Academic and Social Effects of Protestant and Catholic

Schools,” in Praeger Handbook of Faith-based Schooling, ibid., pp. 375–379.

56. Tough, Whatever It Takes. op. cit.

57. Ibid.

58. Hernández, “Thinking Outside the Bun,” op. cit.


The following article provides adescription of Creation KidsVillage (CKV), an outreachministry of the CelebrationSeventh-day Adventist Church

to urban southwest Orlando, Florida.The description will focus on the pro-gram’s mission to reach urban familiesthrough wholistic lifestyle-based min-istries. This article describes an innova-tive approach to early-childhood edu-cation that may be replicated in otherurban areas, and seeks to stimulatereaders to find creative ways of reach-ing urban children and families.

The Mission of Early-childhoodDevelopment

Scripture makes it clear that early-childhood development (birth to age 7)encompasses the whole person—body,mind, and spirit. Luke’s description ofthe early development of John andJesus follow a similar pattern. Luke 2:40says, “And the Child grew and becamestrong in spirit, filled with wisdom;and the grace of God was upon Him”(NKJV).1 This developmental pattern isalso clearly seen in the early childhoodof Moses, Samuel, Josiah, and Joashand continues as God’s desire for everychild today.

The biblical model for child devel-opment was important to the co-

founder of the Adventist Church. EllenWhite articulated this commitment:“The lessons learned, the habitsformed, during the years of infancy andchildhood, have more to do with theformation of the character and the di-rection of the life than have all the in-structions and training of after years.”2

From their first breath to their firstday in formal schooling, children growat a rate never again experienced in lifeas the brain, body, and spirit expand.In the first year, a child’s brain doublesin size; and by age 3, it reaches 75 per-cent of its adult volume.3 Fueling this


B Y D E S C U M M I N G S a n d D E R E K C U M M I N G S

ONE CHILDAT A TIME

TransformingUrban

Communities

growth are the neurons, which pass theinformation being absorbed by thechild along an information superhigh-way via neural connection pathwaysknown as synapses, which are devel-oped at an astounding 700 connectionseach second during the first five years.4

It is these connections that shape ourcapacity to sense, communicate, andengage the world by expressing ourfeelings and thoughts.5 As children’sminds expand, their bodies grow rap-idly.

During these early years, spiritualdevelopment is critical. In “Transform-ing Children Into Spiritual Champi-ons,” George Barna illustrates the im-portance of spiritual growth in earlychildhood: “By the age of 13 your spiri-tual identity is largely set. The proba-bility of someone embracing Jesus ashis or her Savior was 32 percent forthose between the ages of 5 and 12; 4percent for those in the 13- to 18-agerange; and 6 percent for people 19 orolder. In other words, if people do notembrace Jesus Christ as their Savior be-fore they reach their teenage years, thechance of their doing so at all is slim.”6

The Urban Challenge—TheChanging Home

James Brooks, New York Times best-selling author, concluded in 2008 thatby the age of 5, it is possible to predictwith uncommon accuracy which chil-dren will complete high school and col-lege.7 Brooks references Nobel LaureateDavid Heckman, who has done exten-sive research on the subject. Heckmanidentifies “the quality of parenting” ascentral to identifying young peoplelikely to successfully complete highschool and college.8

Since the 1960s, the family unit inAmerica has undergone remarkablechanges as described in an excellentpaper published by Harvard Universityentitled “The Spread of Single-ParentFamilies in the United States Since1960.”9 For purposes of this article, wewill focus on three significant factors inthe changing family landscape thathave increased the need for quality

early-childhood education: the shift to-ward mothers as the main breadwin-ner; the urbanization of the UnitedStates; and the growth in media view-ing by young children.

In the past 50 years, a dramatic shiftin the primary source of income forAmerican families has occurred. In1960, 11 percent of mothers were themain wage earner. By 2011, this num-ber had nearly quadrupled, to 40 per-cent.10 This shift also correlated to a de-crease in time spent by mothers withtheir newborns. Recent statistics indi-cate that 75 percent of U.S. motherswork full-time in the first year of theirchild’s life. In the United States, mater-nity leave is typically six weeks or less,which results in a majority of infantsentering a childcare setting before theyreach 2 months of age.11

While it may be necessary for par-ents to work in order to support theirfamilies, the impact on child develop-ment, attachment, and learning mustbe considered.12 The increased stressexperienced to balance work, finances,and parenting responsibilities is furthercomplicated when children are beingraised by a single parent and/or in im-poverished conditions.13

The need for early-childhood careand education has risen considerablyover the past 50 years. In 1965, 28 per-cent of American preschool-age chil-dren (3 to 5 years old) were enrolled inchildcare. By 2011, that number hadgrown to 61 percent.14

Urbanization, which is the processof increasing population growth incities and suburbs and usually includesthe increase of industrialization, is an-other major factor that strongly con-tributes to the need for quality earlyeducation. By 2008, 50 percent of theworld’s population resided in urbanareas, and the United Nations estimatesthat 4.9 billion people will live in urbanareas by 2030.15 With the global migra-tion into cities, the typical rural net-work of extended families living inclose proximity no longer exists. The

isolated family unit with minimal sup-port from extended family has becomethe norm in urban environments. Re-search has found that the loss of therural family support structure has sig-nificantly increased the demand forchildcare by families in urban areas.16

The third major factor differs fromthe others since it does not drive theneed for quality early education; in-stead, it influences the need for early-childhood programs to implementquality curriculum and instructionalapproaches. The rise in young chil-dren’s media exposure is an area ofconcern for everyone, but especiallyteachers and parents. In 2013, a studyby Common Sense Media found that38 percent of children under 2 yearsold use a mobile device and spendtwice as much time in front of a screenthan having someone read to them.17

The University of Michigan reportedthat, on average, children ages 2 to 5spend 32 hours a week in front of aTV.18 The amount of screen timelogged by young children can havealarming health implications.

A study in Pediatrics noted, “just 9minutes of viewing a fast-paced televi-sion cartoon had immediate negativeeffects on 4-year-olds’ executive func-tion.”19 Further, over the past threedecades, childhood obesity rates havetripled in the United States. Today, oneout of six U.S. children is obese, andone out of three children is overweightor obese with media time serving as amajor factor.20 In a longitudinal studythat evaluated a group of children atage 3 and then again at age 4-and-a-half, researchers found that just bybeing awake in the room with the TVon, more than two hours a day, servedas a leading risk factor for obesity inchildren.21 Whether under direct pa- r ental supervision and care or in anearly-childhood center, the impact ofincreased media exposure on childrenmust receive intentional focus. Early-childhood educators must model andprovide guidance for the intentionaland appropriate use of technology andinteractive media through both the


curriculum and effective instructionalapproaches, so that media use supportslearning and development and doesnot replace developmentally appropri-ate practices.22

The Power of Early EducationDespite all that is known about the

importance of early intentional andpurposeful care and education, manychildren do not receive the preparationneeded to ensure the best possible startto a life full of learning, growth, andbalance. Childcare centers increasinglyhave become part of many youngsters’most formative years, and have had toaddress the mental and physical healthissues brought on by disconnectedfamily dynamics, increased urbaniza-tion, and the impact of the technologi-cal age. In 2008, Nobel Laureate JamesHeckman presented compelling re-search that supports the importance ofa wholistic approach to quality early-childhood education.23 He firmly be-lieves in the ability of early educationto provide many families with the vitalpartnership necessary to return qualityparenting to the home. Heckman as-serts, “Programs that target the earlyyears seem to have the greatest prom-ise. Programs with home visits affectthe lives of the parents and create apermanent change in the home envi-ronment that supports the child aftercenter-based interventions end. Pro-grams that build character and motiva-tion that do not focus exclusively oncognition appear to be the most effec-tive.”24 These character-based early-ed-ucation programs have a remarkableeconomic impact. “For every dollarinvested in high quality early childhoodeducation produces a 7-10% per an -num return in better education, health,social and economic outcomes.”25

Three further significant studies sup-port the impact of early education onforever changing children’s lives withinan urban setting. To view these studies,visit http://www.creationdevelopment. org.26

Creation Kids Village In the early 1990s, the Disney Devel-

opment Company (DDC) set out totransform Walt Disney’s vision forEPCOT (Experimental PrototypeCommunity of Tomorrow) into a real-ity. The goal was to create a town insoutheast Orlando, Florida, built onfive cornerstones: health, education,community, place, and technology.World-renowned architects took Dis-ney’s vision and designed Celebrationas a new and exciting place to live,work, and play.27

With health serving as a corner-stone, Disney solicited bids fromaround the world for partners to builda world-class hospital. Florida Hospi-tal, part of Adventist Health Systems,proposed to create a city based onhealthy lifestyles embraced by Advent -ists. To inform and fulfill this purpose,the team developed the CREATIONHealth acronym based on the eight let-ters in the word and drawn from prin-ciples of health established at cre-ation—Choice, Rest, Environment,Activity, Trust, Interpersonal Skills,Outlook, Nutrition.28 This acronymalso embraces the components of thehistoric Adventist philosophy. CRE-ATION Health is an Adventist lifestylethat has been researched, tested, andproved to create healthy habits that willlead to a healthy future.29 Many Ameri-cans have reached a level of awarenessof the need for health improvementthat had given rise to a demand forhealth-focused early-childhood educa-tion.

After evaluating other potential hos-pital partners, DDC selected FloridaHospital. A vibrant Adventist hospitalmust be led by skilled Adventist profes-sionals who work and live in the com-munity. This need focused the effortsof both Florida Hospital and theFlorida Conference to planting andgrowing a Seventh-day Adventistchurch in Celebration. The decisionwas made to organize the church min-istry around CREATION Health. Thisenabled the church and hospital toshare one vision and communicate it

with one voice. The vision for CREATION Health

included the Creation Kids Village(CKV), giving it a unique platform forministry. Orlando is the most visiteddestination in the United States, withmore than 57 million visitors fromaround the world in 2012.30 Celebra-tion is located in the Orlando Metroarea and is the 26th largest city in theUnited States.31 The Celebration com-munity was designed to provide hous-ing for both Disney management andhourly employees. Accordingly, the4,060 housing units are split almostevenly between single-family homesand condos/apartments. Thus, whilethe median income in Celebration isnearly double that of the state ofFlorida, the reality is a mixed-incomecommunity with large discrepancies inincome, much like a large metropolitanarea.32

In this upper-middle-class Cau-casian neighborhood, residents havehigher levels of education, pay higherrent, and earn higher per-capita in-come than people in surroundingareas.33 The town exists within thelarger community, which has high lev-els of poverty, homelessness, and lowerfaith commitments.34

Faced with great needs and few re-sources, the Celebration Adventistchurch congregation prayed for God’sleading and conducted several needs-based studies of both the hospital andthe community. They concluded thatGod was calling them to meet the needfor wholistic, quality education andchildcare in Celebration.

The next step was to form a plan-ning team, Developing Adventist Excel-lence (DAE), to create a mission, vi-sion, and strategy. Its early-educationcenter would become the first phasein the development of an AdventistHealth Education Campus. DAE deter-mined that wholistic health-focusedchildcare would provide a wonderfulopportunity to partner with families inraising healthy children.


Creation Kids Village officiallyopened August 1, 2013. As of May2015, it is at capacity serving more than160 families with a quality, affordableprogram. The cost of tuition is on aver-age 15 percent below the typical costfor the area. The center has kept thefees low because of its commitment tocreate a model of superior and afford-able Christian childcare. Further, the 20percent of participating families whoare financially disadvantaged are en-abled to enroll their children in thecenter because of its lower tuition,state-provided programs such as Vol-untary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK), andthe scholarships provided.

The MissionCreation Kids Village is founded on

the mission to grow children in mind,body, and spirit for Christ so they canultimately live life “abundantly” (John10:10). This biblical vision of whole-child development forms the founda-tion of the Adventist philosophy of ed-ucation: “True education means morethan the perusal of a certain course ofstudy. It means more than a prepara-tion for the life that now is. It has to dowith the whole person, and with thewhole period of existence possible tohuman beings. It is the harmonious de-velopment of the physical, the mental,and the spiritual powers.”35

Creation Kids Village is patterned

after the Head Start early childhoodmodel, which seeks “to bring about agreater degree of social competence inchildren of low-income families. Socialcompetence means the child’s everydayeffectiveness in dealing with both thepresent environment and later respon-sibilities in school and in life.”36 HeadStart strives to meet not only the edu-cational needs of children, but alsotheir social, emotional, nutritional, andenvironmental needs. Yet, there is noreligious component to Head Start.Creation Kids Village provides thebonus of a Seventh-day Adventistwholistic worldview. Not only are edu-cational and care services provided, but


The Creation Kids Village playscape contains two outdoor classrooms: a butterfly habitat and an organic edible garden.

also on-site counseling and psychologi-cal services, pediatric services, par -enting support classes, services forchildren with disabilities, as well asextra-curricular activities such askarate and gymnastics.

CREATION Health serves as theframework for Creation Kids Village.Its principles form the basis for theprogramming for young children, theirfamilies, and the community. Philo-sophically, CREATION Health alsoconnects the childcare center to thelocal Adventist church and FloridaHospital Celebration Health. Examplesof the ways the center actualizes theCREATION Health principles in thelives of the children are providedbelow. More information can be foundon the Website (http://www.creation kidsvillage.com).• Choice: This early-education pro-

gram engages children in age-appropri-ate character-based learning throughan emerging project approach. Theylearn to make healthy choices aboutstudy, play, rest, and food.• Rest: Time for resting the body

and the mind is built into the schedule.Teachers emphasize this principle in avariety of ways. Through example, chil-dren establish their own pace accordingto their needs, learning to slow downand take time to make the best choices.The children are guided to self-monitorin order to manage their emotions andbetter enjoy their day. CKV provides aplace of rest from screen time, whichrelieves the children’s brains of the ef-fects of constant agitation from TV andmobile-device interaction.• Environment: CKV’s learning areas

are designed to maximize natural light.Its active learning centers incorporateemerging curriculum and project-basedlearning. Center designers created an11,000-square-foot garden playscape toinspire children to explore, learn, andplay outdoors. Central to the playscapeare two “outdoor classrooms”: a butter-fly habitat and an organic edible gar-den. The butterfly habitat is home to avariety of native wildlife, which connectchildren to the cycles of life and the

wonder, beauty, and science of God’screation. The organic vegetable garden,based on the Back to Eden gardeningmethod developed by Paul Gautschi, al-lows the children to seed, transplant,grow, harvest, prepare, and eat organicfruits and vegetables.37 The remainderof the playscape features natural ele-ments (tropical beach, gazebo, foresthill slide, treehouse, music, and art gar-den) that foster a world of adventureand imagination. • Activity: The center focuses on the

physical health and well-being of thechildren to ensure that they grow upsafe and strong. Motor skills develop-ment, coordination, mobility, and exer-cise all help ensure that they acquire a

solid physical-health foundation. Thechildren engage in nearly two hours ofoutdoor play every day, which helpsthem grow in a multitude of ways:mind, body, and spirit. The programalso integrates several creative-move-ment workshops focused on gettingchildren active through music, move-ment, imagination, and discovery. CKValso offers enrichment activities focus-ing on dramatic play and musical ex-pression. By promoting physical activ-ity, the program also supports the Restand Nutrition principles by preparingthe body and mind for both.• Trust in God: At CKV, children

enjoy a safe, nurturing home away


from home where they can expressthemselves and appreciate their ownunique identities. They gain comfortand confidence through trusting rela-tionships based on the staff ’s belief andimage of each child as a unique and in-telligent individual, strong and beauti-ful, with dreams, desires, and ambi-tions. Love, the foundation for healthychildren and the building blocks uponwhich the CKV program stands, em-powers children to know God, how Heformed them, and why He wants themto live life to the full! Instilling God’slove for each child is the core for thecenter’s daily routines, lessons, and allother activities. • Interpersonal Relationships: Chil-

dren communicate with others verballyand nonverbally to engage and createan understanding of the world aroundthem. The children at the center makenew friends and gain the confidence,self-esteem, and negotiating skills nec-essary for a lifetime of healthy relation-ships. One of the keys to a healthy so-cial life is finding fulfillment throughhelping others. In a “give me” world,CKV seeks to create giving hearts.Teaching children to move together to-ward a resolution versus moving backin alienation is the focus. The teachersidentify daily learning opportunitieswhere children can work through andunderstand their actions, conse-

quences, and methods for managingemotions within a relationship. Thishelps them to develop relationshipswith boundaries based on love.• Outlook: The children are taught to

intentionally seek to meet the needs ofothers, which not only reduces selfish-ness and loneliness, but also adds mean-ing, significance, and purpose to theirlives. The center emphasizes ConsciousDiscipline,38 which integrates social-emotional learning, discipline, and self-regulation. Through these importantlife skills, the teachers help childrenlearn how to manage lifelong stress withgrace and to find solutions that trans-form everyday problems into life les-sons. By establishing a culture of com-


Left: Learning areas are designed to maximize naturallight. Above: Creation Kids Village students build in-terpersonal relationships and develop physical healthand wellbeing as they play together. Right: Thegazebo is another central feature of the 11,000-square-foot playscape.

passion, the employees build positiveconnections that positively affect familyrelationships and the community. • Nutrition: Creation Kids Village

seeks to promote healthy eating habitswhile demonstrating how to enjoy goodfoods. CKV serves a vegetarian menufocused on organic foods. The mealsare prepared daily by a chef and en-joyed family-style in the classroom,which enhances relationships andbuilds social skills. The children helpplant, grow, and then harvest the fruitand vegetables from the center’s organicgarden. This edible schoolyard providesa great environment where children canlearn where food comes from, and whatbest fuels their body and mind.

Meeting a NeedCKV serves families on both ends of

the socio-economic spectrum in theurban Orlando area. The diversity of itsclientele encourages the staff to stretchtheir abilities to meet the needs of chil-dren and families from all walks of life.Some of the center’s practices that havemade a significant difference includethe following: • A Mutually Embraced Philosophy

Throughout the Program Culture:Because CREATION Health permeatesevery aspect of this program, this al-lows leaders to focus on those thingsthat unite them. Additionally, it enablesthe center to connect its program tothe homes of clients. As the principles

of CREATION Health are modeled andtaught, the staff hear from parents howthey are implementing some of theprinciples at home. Local familieswithin the community say that theytreasure health, values, and compre-hensive services as the main factors indeciding where to place their children.The majority of the families whosechildren are enrolled in CKV are non-Adventists yet strongly favor the cen-ter’s instilling the CREATION Healthprinciples in their children. Most of thefamilies are non-vegetarian, but theywant the best for their children andthus favor the center’s emphasis on anatural, organic, plant-based diet.


• One-Stop Shop: The leadership ofCKV recognizes that while the centerplays an important part in the lives ofchildren and families, it is only one ofmany communities in which childrenand families interact. Recognizing thefrenetic pace of the lives of most of thefamilies, the center has subsumed manyof the services that families would typi-cally use under one roof. Thus, theCKV has developed relationships withCREATION Health Kids, Tupperware,DoTerra Essential Oils, Celebration Fit-ness Centre, X-Factor Gymnastics, LesMills, Creative Workshops, a pediatricphysician, and a family and develop-mental psychologist, several of whichare located at Creation Kids Village so

they can provide immediate services tothe families while concurrently expand-ing the CKV’s revenue sources. Thusfar, the staff members of CKV reportthat local families are increasingly seek-ing quality care and development fortheir children that is provided by achildcare center. Because the parentshave little quality time to spend withtheir children, they are pleased to have awide array of services provided in onelocation, which increases the time theycan spend with their children.• Community Outreach: The per-

sonnel at CKV regard the center as anintegral contributor to the local com-

munity in which they reside and serve.They are intricately involved in localactivities, such as marching in theFourth of July parade, and work closelywith the Celebration church commu-nity. For example, in order to betterreach the community, the church tran-sitioned its children’s Sabbath schoolprograms into the CKV facility. Theseare advertised locally and at the centeras a Saturday morning story hour. Thishas resulted in an increase of qualityprogramming and resources, andgreater participation by both churchfamilies and community members. Inaddition, a rising number of CKV fam-ilies attend the Sabbath Story Hour,finding it convenient to spend Sabbathmorning in a familiar location with fa-miliar teachers so their children canlearn more about the Bible.

• Partnerships: The staff of the CKVcenter believe that working collabora-tively will enable them to accomplishmuch. Thus, administrators workclosely with Florida Hospital and theCelebration Adventist church. In abroader collaboration, the center ispartnering with the North AmericanDivision (NAD) to launch the CRE-ATION Kids Early Childhood Cur -ric ulum and spread the message ofCREATION Health to many of the ap-proximately 200 NAD church-basedchildcare programs in the U.S. andCanada, as well as thousands of faith-based programs around the world.CKV has been chosen to serve as thedemonstration and training site, mod-eling the most effective and develop-mentally appropriate practices in early-childhood education as well as the mostsuccessful approaches to integrating theprinciples of CREATION Health withinan early-childhood program.

ChallengesWhile there have been numerous

successes, program development hasnot been without its challenges, a sig-nificant one of which is recruitmentand retention of quality teachers. CKV’scommitment to excellence begins withthe hiring of caring, nurturing, and


Left: Learning centers support an active and project-based curriculum.

Above: Open spaces facilitate creative movement workshops, which teach childrenhow to be active through music, movement, imagination, and discovery.

competent staff. It is able to do so byproviding competitive wages, benefits,and professional development, as wellas opportunities for growth. Minimumqualifications for lead teachers in early-childhood education typically include aminimum of 90 hours in child develop-ment; however, in addition to the mini-mum, the center seeks candidates withexperience and training in the preferredmethodologies in addition to thosewho are interested in advancing theireducation. The majority of CKV teach-ers have an associate’s degree; leadteachers hold bachelor’s degrees.

One of the greatest challenges, how-ever, has been funding. Opening such acenter with the Celebration Adventist

church’s limited financial capacity, in acity with extremely expensive land andbuilding costs, seemed like an over-whelming challenge. After exploring al-ternatives, it was decided to form theCreation Development Foundation(CDF), a 501(c)3 non-profit organiza-tion that could raise the money to fi-nance the project and obtain the creditto obtain a loan.

CDF’s organizational structure ispatterned after other types of Adventistphilanthropy. In partnership with theconference, hospital, and local church,CDF raised the necessary funds tobuild Phase 1 of CREATION Health

Education Campus, the 20,000-square-foot Zwart Learning Center thatis home to Creation Kids Village.Through philanthropy, the project hasraised $2 million since 2010 from Ad-ventists and non-Adventists becausethe donors believe in the vision. Agrowing portion of the funds raised isnow channeled into scholarships fordisadvantaged families.

ConclusionAgainst the backdrop of the urban

setting and challenges of modern par-enting, we believe that the model atCreation Kids Village can serve as aplatform to prepare and invigoratefamilies to experience the fullness oflife in Christ. The Creation Kids Villageis currently collecting assessment databy surveying its key stakeholders, early-childhood assessment measures, andholding ongoing meetings with parentsand staff to solicit their thoughts andopinions. More specifically, the leader-ship is attempting to determine thelifestyle impact on children and theirfamilies due to increased outdoor ac-tivity, strong interaction with thenatural environment, establishing arelationship with God, and a naturalvegetarian diet. As the program grows,this data will enable the center to im-prove its services to both children andtheir families.

It is our hope that the Creation KidsVillage model will serve as a catalyst forAdventist churches around the world,and inspire our educators to considerthe potential of reaching cities world-wide through providing quality educa-tion, care, support, and ministry toyoung children and their families. �


The authors wish to express appreciationto Davenia J. Lea, Ph.D., of the NorthAmerican Division Office of Educationfor her contributions to this article.


The 20,000-square-foot Zwart Learning Center is Phase 1 of the CREATION HealthEducation Campus and serves as the home for Creation Kids Village.

Des Cummings Jr.,Ph.D., is ExecutiveVice President atFlorida Hospital,one of America’slargest hospitals. Heearned his doctoraldegree in Leader-

ship and Management with emphasis inStatistical Forecasting from AndrewsUniversity. He holds a Master of Divinitydegree and is an ordained minister of theSeventh-day Adventist Church. The au-thor and co-author of three books andnumerous articles, Dr. Cummings speaksto national and international confer-ences on the future of health care, spe-cializing in strategies for whole personcare, healthy communities, and the hos-pital of the future. He co-authored CRE-ATION Health Discovery and writesfrom Celebration, Florida.

Derek Cummings,M.B.A., currentlyserves as Presidentand Chairman ofCreation Develop-ment Foundation, anon-profit educa-tion organization in

Florida which also serves as a grant part-ner for Creation Kids Village. Mr. Cum-mings graduated from Columbia UnionCollege (now Washington Adventist Uni-versity) with a B.A. in History/Pre-Law.After college, he worked for two years inShanghai, China, as a teacher, then re-turned to the U.S.A., where he joined atechnology start-up while obtaining anM.B.A. and worked for 12 years in thefield of technology managing businessunits, designing communications solu-tions, and creating new businesses. Hewrites from Celebration, Florida.

NOTES AND REFERENCES1. Texts credited to NKJV are from the New

King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980,1982, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permis-sion. All rights reserved.

2. Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing

(Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn.,1905), p. 380.

3. Donald F. Huelke, “An Overview ofAnatomical Considerations of Infants and Chil-dren in the Adult World of Automobile SafetyDesign,” National Center for Biotechnology Infor-mation News (Bethesda, Md.: Association for theAdvancement of Automotive Medicine, 1998): 42:93- 113: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC3400202/. Websites in the endnoteswere accessed May 26 and 27, 2014.

4. Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips,“From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Scienceof Early Childhood Development” (2000): http:// www.uwbec.org/documents/school_readiness/ Neurons%20to%20Neighborhoods.pdf.

5. Ibid.6. George Barna, Transforming Children Into

Spiritual Champions (Ventura, Calif.: Regal,2003), p. 34.

7. David Brooks, “The Biggest Issue” (July 29,2008): http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/ opinion/29brooks.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0.

8. James J. Heckman, Schools, Skills, andSynapses, Nation Bureau of Economic Research(February 2008): http://research.hks.harvard. edu/publications/getFile.aspx?Id=112.

9. David T. Ellwood and Christopher Jencks,The Spread of Single-Parent Families in the UnitedStates Since 1960 (October 2004): http://www.hks. harvard.edu/inequality/Seminar/Papers/ElwdJnck. pdf.

10. Wendy Wang, Kim Parker, and Paul Taylor,Breadwinner Moms (May 29, 2013): http://www. pewsocialtrends.org/2013/05/29/breadwinnermoms/.

11. David Pelcovitz, The Impact of WorkingMothers on Child Development (January 3, 2013):https://www.ou.org/life/parenting/impact-working-mothers-child-development-empirical-research-david-pelcovitz/.

12. Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Wen-Jui Han, andJane Waldfogel, “First-year Maternal Employ-ment and Child Development in the First SevenYears,”Monographs of the Society for Research inChild Development 75:2 (August 2010):7-9.

13. Maria Shriver, The Shriver Report Execu-tive Summary (January 12, 2014): https://www. americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2014/01/12/81906/the-shriver-report-a-womans-nation-pushes-back-from-the-brink/.

14. “Child Trends,” Early Childhood ProgramEnrollment (November 2012: http://www.child trends.org/?indicators=early-childhood-program-enrollment; Sandra L. Hofferth,Child Care in theUnited States Today 6:2 (Summer/Fall 1996):http://www.princeton.edu/ futureofchildren/publications/docs/06_02_02.pdf.

15. United Nations Population Fund: State ofthe World Populations 2007, Unleashing the Poten-tial of Urban Growth (2007): http://www.unfpa. org/ sites/default/files/pub-pdf/695_filename_ sowp2007_eng.pdf.

16. Kendall Swenson, Child Care Arrange-ments in Urban and Rural Areas (2008): http://

aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/08/cc-urban-rural/report.pdf.17. Common Sense Media, Press Room (Oc-

tober 28, 2013): https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/news/press-releases/new-research-from-common-sense-media-reveals-mobile-media-use-among.

18. University of Michigan Health System,Television and Children (n.d.): http://www.med. umich.edu/yourchild/topics/tv.htm.

19. Angeline S. Lillard and Jennifer Peterson,“The Immediate Impact of Different Types of Tel-evision on Young Children’s Executive Function,”Pediatrics (September 12, 2011): http:// pedia trics. aappublications.org/content/128/4/644.long.

20. Harvard School of Public Health, ChildObesity (n.d.): http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ obesity-prevention-source/obesity-trends/global-obesity-trends-in-children/.

21. Julie C. Lumeng, Sahand Rahnama,Danielle Appugliese, Niko Kaciroti, and RobertH. Bradley, “Television Exposure and OverweightRisk in Preschoolers,” JAMA Pediatricx 160:4(2006):417-422: http://archpedi.jamanetwork. com/article.aspx?articleid=204808.

22. Ben Levin, “Urban Education ChallengesAround the Globe,” Phi Delta Kappan 94:7 (April2013):74, 75.

23. Heckman, Schools, Skills, and Synapses,op. cit.

24. Ibid.25. Ibid.26. Creation Kids Village, http://www.cre

ationdevelopment.org.27. Celebration: http://www.celebration.fl.us/.28. Creation Health: http://www.creation

health.com/CREATION-Health. 29. Ibid.30. Visit Orlando, Visitor Volumes (June

2013): http://media.visitorlando.com.31. United States Census Bureau, Child Care:

An Important Part of American Life (n.d.): http:// www.census.gov/how/pdf/child_care.pdf.

32. “Onboard Informatics,” Celebration, FL(2013): http://www.city-data.com/city/Celebration-Florida.html.

33. City-data.com, Greenwich Village Neigh-borhood in New York, New York (NY) (2014):http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Greenwich-Village-New-York-NY.html.

34. Celebration Joint Committee, CommunityProfile (n.d.): http://www.celebration.fl.us/town-info/community-profile/.

35. Ellen G. White, Education (MountainView, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 1903), p. 13.

36. W. Steven Barnett and Jason T. Hustedt,“Head Start’s Lasting Benefits,” Infants and YoungChildren 18:1 (March 2005):16-24.

37. Back to Eden film (2013): http://www. back toedenfilm.com/.

38. Conscious Discipline: http://conscious-discipline.com/.



The Seventh-day Adventist Church throughout its historyhas valued education as key to its prophetic mission.From the early years of the church, the spirit of theShema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9), which called for educa-tion to be primarily centered in the family, has been the

prevalent underlying philosophy of Adventist education. EllenWhite summarized this view by stating: “The education center-ing in the family was that which prevailed in the days of the pa-triarchs. For the schools thus established, God provided the con-ditions most favorable for the development of character.”1

George Knight notes that the educational system was thelast institution to be formalized in the Seventh-day AdventistChurch (starting in 1872). The reason for this delay in organ-izing Seventh-day Adventist schools was rooted in the beliefthat the church’s focus needed to be invested in the secondcoming of Jesus above all else.2

Early Adventist educators were not insensitive to the educa-tional developments of their time. In fact, in an effort to over-

come the bookish, traditional approach to education that hadcharacterized the Western world, Adventist educators were in-fluenced by educational reformers such as Horace Mann (1796-1859), whose social reforms were intended to make elementaryeducation available to all children in the United States. Also,the promotion of manual labor in institutions of higher learn-ing, as modeled by Oberlin College in the 1830s, was adoptedby proponents of Adventist education. Pioneer Adventist edu-cators were well acquainted with the relevant educationalmovements of their time and strove to develop a system of ed-ucation in harmony with the demands of their contemporarysociety while maintaining an unwavering and uncompromisingcommitment to biblical truth.3

Adventist education’s pioneers sought to emphasize theneed for schools to be established outside of the cities, thus al-lowing students to be given “an opportunity to train the mus-cles to work as well as the brain to think.”4 In general, earlychurch leaders believed that education would best take place

B Y G A S P A R C O L O N a n d A N D R E A N A G Y

WHOLENESS

Reaching theCities With aMessage ofHope and


in the home and in a rural environment. However, the realitiesof ever-increasing growth of cities5 have created a logisticaldilemma for the leadership of the church. What should be doneto provide a Christian education for children of families whocannot leave the cities?

Proliferation of Cities in the Early 20th CenturyEducation at the end of the 19th century and the turn of the

20th century was largely influenced and shaped by the socialtrends of the time: the changing role of schooling, the authorityof the school in connecting the home and society, the develop-ment of cities, and the industrialization of Western nations.The proliferation of printing houses and improved transporta-tion made education at all levels more accessible to the averagecitizen.6 (See Figure 1.) With the rise of industrialization inAmerica, vocational training flourished in urban areas, whileagricultural training was predominant in rural areas.7

However, toward the end of the 19th century and the dawn-ing years of the 20th century, there were factors that contributedto the deplorable conditions existing in many cities around theworld, including poverty, lack of proper sanitation, and lack ofproper health care. These factors were further exacerbated bythe gradual moral decline prevalent in urban centers. In writingabout the cities of her time, Ellen White noted, “The world isfull of iniquity and disregard of the requirements of God. Thecities have become as Sodom, and our children are daily ex-posed to many evils.”8 Her concern focused on the plight of thechildren of Adventist families whose hearts were easily im-pressed. She opined that unless their surroundings were of theright character, Satan would use the neglected children in the

neighborhood to influence those who were carefully trained. The warning to Adventist parents was that their children

who attended public schools “often associate with others moreneglected than they, those who, aside from the time spent in theschoolroom, are left to obtain a street education. The hearts ofthe young are easily impressed; and . . . . [t]hus, before Sabbath-keeping parents know what is being done, the lessons of deprav-ity are learned, and the souls of their little ones are corrupted.”9

An alternative for these Adventist families needed to be pro-vided by the church. “The church has a special work to do ineducating and training its children that they may not, in at-tending school or in any other association, be influenced bythose of corrupt habits.”10

Church leaders were encouraged to recognize that muchmore needed to be done to save and educate the children offamilies who “at present” could not get away from the cities.11

The establishment of church schools in the cities was alwaysintended to rely on the foundation of spiritual nurture in thehome. This ideal must continue to be integral to Adventist ed-ucation in the 21st century.

Urban Realities TodayThroughout the world today, life in cities is characterized by

unprecedented economic disparities. While poverty is more ram-pant in some geographic areas of the globe, it also weighs heavilyon the world’s wealthiest nations. Poverty has complex ramifica-tions, often interfering with children’s access to quality education.Children living in affluent neighborhoods have far greater accessto quality educational opportunities than do children growingup in disadvantaged neighborhoods. With such disparities be-

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Figure 1. The Urban and Rural Population of the World, 1950-2030

World, Total Population

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tween the learning opportunities of rich and poor, the academicachievement of underprivileged children is greatly inhibited.

J. N. Kincheloe12 describes the realities confronting publiceducation in the 21st century. Along with density of popula-tion, cities tend to contain a higher concentration of poverty,greater racial and ethnic diversity, larger concentrations of mi-grant populations, linguistic diversity, and high rates of studentmobility. These lead to structural challenges for public educa-tion systems, which must combat persistently low studentachievement, lack of instructional coherence, inexperiencedstaff due to high teacher turnover, dysfunctional practices ineducational administration, and worst of all, low expectationsfor student performance.

Mission FocusIn recent decades, increased interest in community service

initiatives has propelled many church organizations to createpartnerships with their surrounding communities. Researchprovides empirical evidence for the significant relationship be-tween community service involvement and the spiritual growthof the volunteers involved in humanitarian projects.13 Findingsreveal that not only does the community benefit from volunteerservice, but the volunteers themselves also experience transfor-mation that leads to spiritual growth. Thus, community-serviceministries exert a positive impact on the recipients as well ason the service providers, resulting in a win-win situation.

In their report Ministering With Millennials, Dudley andWalshe14 suggested that one of the best ways the church can nur-ture young people’s spiritual growth is to become “a service or-ganization.” “We should be known in our communities,” theystated, “as the church that feeds those who are hungry andclothes those who are naked. Mission programs with a practicalfocus rather than an evangelistic focus should be stimulated, en-couraging our youth to build relationships and through theserelationships share what difference Jesus is making in their lives.”

As part of the Adventist Church’s current global emphasisin reaching the cities with a message of hope and wholeness,greater efforts are being made to plant churches in major citiesaround the world. Traditional evangelistic strategies are usedto establish churches in communities that have heretofore hadlittle or no Adventist presence. In the midst of this rapidly or-chestrated urban effort, the Adventist Church needs to provideAdventist Christian education for the children of members aswell as the children of families who are being nurtured in theChristian faith through the presence of the church.

Unfortunately, too often our Adventist schools and teachers areill prepared to meet the social, religious, political, and economicrealities confronting the community at large and specifically, theneeds of their urban students, families, and communities.15 In part,our churches and schools are hindered from achieving their fullpotential as transformational agents in the wider community be-cause, despite their being planted in the community, they are notof the community. They are often seen as (using the botanicalterm) an invasive species attempting to break into the community

that does not see itself as part of the community.As Bell has pointed out, “Christian organizations find them-

selves designing and implementing practices that value comfortover change or service.”16 In most church plants, teachers andschool staff members are not neighborhood residents and donot understand the cultural, racial, ethnic, and socio-economicrealities of the local community.

Too often, a potential church or church school plant is notpreceded by community assessments with known leaders in thecommunity that help stimulate the passion of the churchplanters to meet the felt needs of the neighborhood. Commu-nity assessments17 help the church to identify the good thingsthat are already being done and which organizations help pro-vide stability in the neighborhood. Our churches and schoolsneed to recognize and partner with these leaders since oftenthey are the gatekeepers that see us as nameless intruders ratherthan passionate servants.

Since research has shown the value of connecting the schoolwith the community, teacher-education programs must pre-pare pre-service teachers to create partnerships within the com-munity. An example of this appears in Noel’s article in the Jour-nal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement,18 whichoutlines a three-step “authentic community engagement”model for urban teacher education.

According to this model, the first step is to develop trust-based partnerships between the school and the community toensure that community-service initiatives are not sporadic butcontinuous, becoming an integral part of the school curricu-lum. Second, teachers are encouraged to learn about and fromthe community and to assess the needs of the people in orderto serve them better. Third, teachers are advised to be involvedin authentic community-service activities.

Identifying fellow stakeholders who contribute to the much-needed positive social action of the community helps localchurches and the schools they sponsor to identify needs thatare not being met in the community at large and prevents thechurch from duplicating the good things that are already beingdone in the neighborhood. This helps to develop mutual re-spect and ensures that the full impact of the mission focus ofthe church and its school can be felt. The medical professionhas a mantra that says, “Diagnose before you treat.” Maybethose seeking to bring hope and wholeness to the cities of theworld should adopt this motto also.

Adventist teachers who immerse themselves in experiencingand understanding the community around the school willmore readily grasp the bigger picture of the helping communityrather than feeling overwhelmed that they have to do every-thing. By identifying partners in the community, teachers andschool administrators will discover which agencies can help ful-fill the needs of students and parents that are outside the scopeor resources of the local church school.

“Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching thepeople. The Savior mingled with men as one who desired theirgood. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs,


and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’”19 Ifwe truly want to achieve the potential of Adventist education inurban neighborhoods, we must remember that the anchor ofour mission is our love for the people we are called to serve. It isChrist’s love that constrains us20 to focus on mingling, desiringtheir good, showing genuine sympathy, and ministering to theirneeds (rather than selfishly focusing exclusively on our ownneeds). That will win their confidence sufficiently to give us theright, as loving neighbors, to invite them to follow Jesus.

When a church school is seen as an asset to the neighbor-hood, it earns the right to step forward boldly to provide itsstudents and parents, as well as neighbors unconnected to thechurch, with spiritual and educational tools to nurture familylife and provide children with strategies that will help them suc-ceed in school and throughout their lives. Every church schoolthat has developed social capital in the neighborhood shoulddevelop outreach ministries to help them collaborate in ad-dressing safety issues, food insecurity that leads to poor per-formance in school, as well as language and ethnic barriers thatprevent people from connecting with and caring genuinely forone another. Families with no church affiliation will begin to

see the church as a place where they can meet, receive help, orbe referred to existing resources.

Small church schools do not have the human resources tomeet all of the local needs, but if they develop a network ofprofessionals in the church and in the neighborhood, they, too,can make a significant contribution to the wellbeing of theircommunity.

Strengthening Family UnitsOver the years, religious educators have recognized that one

of the best means of nurturing the spiritual growth of childrenand young people is to enlist the support of parents and pri-mary caregivers as partners in planning school activities.21

Smith and Denton confirmed the findings of numerous studiesin the sociology of religion that “the most important social in-fluence in shaping young people’s religious lives is the religiouslife modeled and taught to them by their parents.”22

Adventist church schools that seek to function successfullywithin the soil of the neighborhood must procure, facilitate,and/or provide essential education for parents both inside andoutside of the church. By sharing skills and strategies for deal-


ing with family finances, nutritional awareness, food security,health practices, interethnic and interracial dynamics, cooper-ative action, and advocacy to reform social ills in the commu-nity, etc., they will strengthen the fabric of the homes of theirneighbors and church families, and make a significant invest-ment in changing the world.

However, research findings indicate that in recent years, thenumber of American adolescents who report being Christianhas been gradually declining, and religious participation de-clines with age. Studies provide evidence that the religious lifeof American youth is characterized by individualism, subjec-tivism, and a consumerist mentality.23 On the other hand, agreater number of American teenagers are becoming more re-ligiously pluralistic.24With the reality of an increasing numberof young people becoming religiously disengaged, what ap-proach can Christian educators take?

Adventist church school personnel must seize and create op-portunities to teach families in the church and in the neigh-borhood how to live dedicated Christian lives that energeticallypass the torch of Christian commitment from one generationto the next. Many families are hungry for loving, biblicallybased instruction on how to live consistent Christian lives. Theydesire to learn how to internalizeChristian values, modelmoralvirtues, teach biblical principles, show discipline in daily living,celebrate life in Christ, make choices that glorify God, and servejoyfully and unselfishly. Our message needs to emphasize thefact that “Children must see in the lives of their parents thatconsistency which is in accordance with their faith.”25 Ministriessuch as those described in this article will result in the estab-lishment of winsome influences that strengthen the church andenhance the world around it.

The leadership of the Greater Sydney Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (headquartered in Epping, New South Wales,Australia) understands that education is a form of evangelismand recognizes the importance of reaching the family. As a result,they have implemented an approach to collaboration betweenthe conference office, Adventist schools, and local churches withthe objective of growing disciples and delivering evangelisticministries to the local communities where their schools andchurches are located. The key goal is to create opportunities toshare Jesus and to explain the Adventist message to familieswhose children attend our schools as well as with those who livein our communities but are not yet connected to our church.

Although essential to the wellbeing of local communities,certain ministries are too complex and costly for a single churchschool, or even a school system, to provide. In such cases, theAdventist Church administrators for the local area can partnerwith other agencies to provide essential development servicesthrough education. An example of this is a project that theAdventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is currentlyimplementing in Somalia. After assessing communities in Mo-gadishu (population 1.6 million) and in Galmudug state, ADRASomalia, in partnership with the European Union (EU), theComitato Internazionale por lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (CISP), the

CfBT Education Trust, Save the Children, and the Somalian Ed-ucational Directorate of the Ministry of Human Developmentand Public Service, is providing Technical and Vocational Edu-cation Training (TVET) to help individuals and families im-prove their socio-economic future; thus creating more stablecommunities and opening avenues to strengthen ties with localentities. More and more urban centers desperately need voca-tional education that will lead to stable communities and pave

Collaborative Initiatives in Sydney,Australia, include the following:

• Providing chaplains in all schools.• Establishing churches on local

school campuses so pre-Adventist students and families can be nurtured.

• Making Sabbath a continuation of the school Week of Spiritual Emphasis, giv-ing families the opportunity to see what their children have been learning all week and providing opportunities to all families to join in worship and fellowship.

• Hosting a Fun Day for neighbors living near the school with the purpose of de-veloping relationships (includes food, petting zoo, jumping castles, face paint-ing, balloon sculpting, kids’ games, and much more).

• Parenting seminars for moms’ playgroups that meet weekly at a school.

• Local church events and ministries like Adventurers and Pathfinder clubs, whichare promoted in the local schools’ news- letters, inviting all to join.

• Summer camps with more than 40 per-cent of juniors and teens who attend coming from pre-Adventist homes.

• Home-Grown Strategy: An initiative by conference ministries, schools, and churches developing tools to help fami-lies analyze the daily patterns of their homes and determine their next steps toshape an overall faith plan.


1. The Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) DayService at Hills Adventist College in Sydney, Australia, 2015.ANZAC Day commemorates and recognizes all armed forces whohave fought on behalf of Australia and New Zealand.

2. Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Wahroonga Adventist Schoolexpansion held at the Wahroonga Adventist Church in Sydney, Aus-tralia, in July 2015. Established in 1905, the school currently servesgrades K-6. The high school program will commence in 2016.

3. The Sydney and New South Wales Spiritual Retreat, 2014. LaDean Malifa, departmental assistant for the Sydney AdventistSchools, along with band members from “Endless Praise, ” helpedlead praise and worship services.

1.

2.

3.

the way for generations of families who can think beyond meresubsistence in order to focus on nurture and service.

In an increasingly post-Christian world,26 Adventist educa-tion—particularly in the urban setting—must position itselfto lead families toward realizing their rightful role of establish-ing nurturing homes, which will draw on the DNA of theShema: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Lovethe Lord your God with all your heart and with all your souland with all your strength. These commandments that I giveyou today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on yourchildren. Talk about them when you sit at home and when youwalk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on yourforeheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses andon your gates.”27 Remember that “the well-being of society, thesuccess of the church, the prosperity of the nation, dependupon home influences.”28

Isaiah 58:12 sheds light on the impact that service can haveon the lives of people beyond our inner circles. It reads: “Yourpeople will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” Wow, think of it!—churches and church schools that actually transform the worldaround them!—what better way to serve a risen Savior? �

Gaspar F. Colón, Ph.D., M.P.H., works inthe Office of Adventist Mission at the Gen-eral Conference of Seventh-day Adventistsin Silver Spring, Maryland, as an Educa-tional Resource Developer at the GlobalMission Urban Center.

Andrea Nagy, Ph.D., is an Associate Editorof the Junior PowerPoints Bible StudyGuide in the Sabbath School and PersonalMinistries Department of the General Con-ference.

NOTES AND REFERENCES1. Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ.

Assn., 1903), p. 33.2. George R. Knight, Early Adventist Educators (Berrien Springs, Mich.: An-

drews University Press, 1983), p. 1.3. Ibid., pp. 6-9; Floyd Greenleaf, In Passion for the World: A History of

Seventh-day Adventist Education (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 2005).

4. Ellen G. White, Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students (Nampa,Idaho: Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 2011), pp. 309, 310.

5. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WUP2005/ 2005 wup.htm. Accessed April 2015.

6. H. M. Kliebard, The Struggle for the American Curriculum 1893-1958, 3rded. (New York: Routledge Falmer, 2004), pp. 1, 3.

7. Ibid., p. 130.8. Ellen G. White, Counsels for the Church (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press

Publ. Assn., 2004), p. 203.9. Ibid.10. Ibid.11. ___________, Review and Herald (December 17, 1903), par. 25.12. Joe L. Kincheloe, “Why a Book on Urban Education?” In S. Steinberg,

ed., 19 Urban Questions: Teaching in the City (New York: Peter Lang Publishing,2010), pp. 1-28.

13. B. Hugen, T. Wolfer, and J. U. Renkema, “Service and Faith: The Impacton Christian Faith of Community Ministry Participation,” Review of ReligiousResearch 47:4 (2006):409-426.

14. Roger Dudley and S. Walshe, eds., Ministering With Millennials: A Com-plete Report on the 180˚ Symposium (Lincoln, Neb.: Advent Source, 2009), p. 5.

15. Shane Anderson, How to Kill Adventist Education and How to Give It aFighting Chance! (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Publ. Assn., 2009), pp.48, 50, 60, 70, 75.

16. S. Bell, A Time to Serve: Church Leadership for the 21st Century (Lincoln,Neb.: Advent Source, 2003), p. viii.

17. Monte Sahlin, Understanding Your Community (Lincoln, Neb.: Centerfor Creative Ministry, 2001).

18. Jana Noel, “Striving for Authentic Community Engagement: A ProcessModel From Urban Teacher Education,” Journal of Higher Education Outreachand Engagement 15:1 (2011):31-52.

19. Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific PressPubl. Assn., 2003), p. 143. Italics supplied.

20. 2 Corinthians 5:14.21. M. J. Bunge, “Biblical and Theological Perspectives on Children, Parents,


Technical Vocational Educa tionin Somalia. . .assists individuals and families inaccessing quality, relevant, andemployment-driven skills train-ing. This is coupled with em-ployment advisory services forthe development of the com-munity at large. This is accom-plished through two avenues:(1) Enterprise-Based TechnicalVocational Education Training,and (2) Institute-Based TechnicalVocational Education Training.


and ‘Best Practices’ for Faith Formation: Resources for Child, Youth, and FamilyMinistry Today,” Dialog: A Journal of Theology 47:4 (2008):348-360.

22. Christian Smith and Melina L. Denton, Soul Searching: The Religiousand Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (New York: Oxford University Press,2005), p. 56.

23. Ibid.24. Christian Smith, Melina L. Denton, Robert Faris, and Mark Regnerus,

“Mapping American Adolescent Religious Participation,” Journal for the Scien-tific Study of Religion 41:1 (2002):597-612.

25. Ellen G. White, Child Guidance (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald

Publ. Assn., 2002), p. 482.26. “15 Measures of Whether Americans Are Post-Christian,” Christianity

Today Gleanings (April 15, 2013): http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2013/april/15-measurements-of-whether-americans-are-post-christian. html?paging=off. Accessed June 30, 2015.

27. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, NIV. All Bible verses in this article are quoted fromNIV. Scripture quotations credited to NIV are from The Holy Bible, New Inter-national Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used bypermission. All rights reserved worldwide.

28. White, The Ministry of Healing, op. cit., p. 349.


1. Women learning handicraftskills in Nasar Centre,Garowe, Puntland State of So-malia, in 2012.

2. A woman undergoing tailor-ing assessment in the NastehAdult Learning Centre, Bur-tinie, Puntland State.

3. A consultant conducting aninterview with TVET DirectorAbas Abdilkadir Hassan, Gal-mudug Region, Somalia.

1.

2.

3.


Authentic Christian educationmust be redemptive andtransformative, seeking torestore the image of God inevery student. My favorite

definition of leadership comes fromJesus, who said, “Let your light shinebefore others, so that they may see yourgood works and give glory to your Fatherin heaven” (NRSV).1 “Let” means wemake a conscious decision. “Your light”is the influence we exert for kingdompurposes. “Shine before others” ind i -cates the arena of our witness. Thismandate applies to the Seventh-dayAdventist educator, whether a teacher

or administrator. Missional educationalleadership recognizes the transform -ative power of committing to personalengagement with students and contin -uing improvement as professionals.These twin commitments are anchoredin the Matthew 5:16 command.

A missional approach to educationis by its very nature spiritual. Educatorsdo not effectively influence students byinundation or indoctrination. Instead,missional spirituality, within the con -text of Christian education, impliesdevotion driven by a biblical call toaddress the general and specific chal -lenges in students’ lives. This approachto educational leadership must becontextualized to the environment,

whether urban or rural. With God’sblessing, missional educational lead -ership within the context of urbanliving and specifically, the education ofurban students, produces transformedlives.

The duty of the Christian educatoris to facilitate the restoration of God’simage and character in students’thoughts and actions. The first greatcommandment given by Christ—loving God with all one’s heart, soul,and mind—displaces love for theworldly and prepares the Christian foreternal life eternal (1 John 2:15-17).The intellect of the missional educator

B Y P R U D E N C E L a B E A C H P O L L A R D

URBANSETTINGS

MissionalEducational

Leadership in


is developed through vigorous exerciseof mental processes, purposeful anddiligent application, and sustainedaction. Missional spirituality andleadership seek to disciple both theheart and the mind while deliveringlearning rooted in biblical spirituality.2

The work of Christian education is todevelop biblically grounded, intel lect u -ally vigorous, and thoughtful studentswhose characters reflect that trans -formational learning has taken place.

The Urban Educational ContextUrban schools and communities

struggle to deliver education withinenvironments that frequently areplagued by poverty, dysfunctionalfamilies, homelessness, malnutrition,teen pregnancy, mental-health issues,illicit drugs, street violence, andunderpaid, burned-out teachers3—many of whom are inexperiencedand/or poorly prepared to serve inurban settings.4 These documentedsocial factors and conditions canseriously disrupt the learning process.

With urbanization being thedefining phenomenon of the 21stcentury,5 schools worldwide must nowaddress what was previously the do -main of elected officials. Poverty hasbecome urbanized as students in citiesdisproportionately continue to fallbehind in educational outcomescompared to the growth in academicachievement by students in suburbanareas, with the undereducated facingincreasingly dire prospects in the jobmarket.

Despite the severity of these chal -lenges, the Adventist Church has awon derful opportunity to impacturban students with transformativeChristian education.

In 2014, urban areas accounted for54 percent of the total global popula -tion, up from 34 percent in 1960.Ninety percent of urban populationgrowth, in absolute numbers, is con -centrated in less-developed regions. Itis estimated that by 2017, the majorityof people will be living in urbanareas.6 According to the World Bank,

throughout all developing regions,except Europe and Central Asia, urbanpoverty is growing, with 70 to 75percent of urban residents in Africaand South Asia categorized as poor. InLatin America, more than half of thepoor (totaling more than one billionpeople) live in urban areas, whichcontinue to expand.7

An array of challenges and oppor -tunities face educators in urban cen-ters. Therefore, public and privateeducation providers must rethink howeducation is delivered in urban envi -ronments to students at all levels—primary, secondary, and tertiary.

curriculum of these schools providesthe Adventist Church with an oppor -tunity to pro vide missional educationtargeted to the personal and societalchallenges faced by students living inurban centers. Rather than simplycommun icating book knowledge,Adventist educators can cultivatecharacter and intellectual resiliency intheir students. They can challengestudents to con template their sur -roundings and propose possiblesolutions to chal lenges. Students willbe equipped to implement God-honoring and creative solutions to theproblems faced by their communities.

Transformative EducationMrs. White appeared to chastise the

missional priorities of her day whenshe wrote: “There is means now tied upthat should be in use for the unworkedcities in Europe, Australia, and America,and in the regions beyond. These citieshave been neglected for years. The angelsof God are waiting for us to give ourlabors for their inhabitants. From townto town, from city to city, from countryto country, the warning message is to beproclaimed, not with outward display,but in the power of the Spirit, by men offaith.”10 Adventist education, then, istransformative. While urban centerswere obviously fewer (and smaller) inthe 19th century, compared to the 21stcentury, Ellen G. White observed theirdire conditions:

“When I think of the cities in whichso little has been done, in which thereare so many thousands to be warned ofthe soon coming of the Saviour, I feelan intensity of desire to see men andwomen going forth to the work in thepower of the Spirit, filled with Christ’slove for perishing souls. . . . We all needto be wide awake, that, as the wayopens, we may advance the work in thelarge cities.”11

Mrs. White also emphasizededucation’s role in transforming livesthrough service in this life and the lifeto come. She believed that teachersshould hold high expectations forstudents and provide more than the

Tokyo, Japan (37,126,000)

Jakarta, Indonesia (26,063,000)

Seoul, South Korea (22,547,000)

Delhi, India (22,242,000)

Shanghai, China (20,860,000)

Manila, Philippines (20,767,000)

Karachi, Pakistan (20,711,000)

New York, U.S.A. (20,464,000)

Sao Paulo, Brazil (20,186,000)

Mexico City, Mexico (19,463,000)

The World’s 10 Most Populous Cities (2012):8

Missional Educational Leadership Missional education seeks to

transform the lives of individuals andcommunities. In 2014, the globalSeventh-day Adventist educationalsystem included 7,946 schools, colleges,and universities, with 96,388 teachersand 1,942,828 students.9 The systemfunctions amidst parochial schools,public schools, and the burgeoning for-profit private-school industry, whichcurrently implements a business modelfor schools that focuses on career/jobpreparation and profits, to the neglectof character development. The absenceof character development within the


technical instruction needed to acquirea job.12 Character development willinspire students with “principles oftruth, obedience, honor, integrity, andpurity—principles that will make thema positive force for the stability anduplifting of society. He [God] desiresthem, above all else, to learn life’s greatlesson of unselfish service.”13 So, forexample, to the college student, “weoffer education not simply across fouryears, but an education that will make adifference across their next forty yearsand their next 4,000 years.”14

Missional educational leadership,then, creates the environment fortransformative education. Imagine ifbusiness and economics professorstaught their students how bankingaffects lives and communities. And,going beyond the theories, if theychallenged their students to create andmanage a bank, using the principlestaught and incorporating biblicaladmonitions about the way Christiansought to relate to money. This wouldempower students to address problemsin their communities and participate infinding practical ways to improve theirquality of life.

A Personal StoryI will never forget Jason and Con -

rad,15 two of my academically out-standing college students. When I metthem on the first day of class, I couldtell—from their detached, “cool at allcost,” attitude, fluency in urban jargon,and clothing—that they had grown upin tough urban environ ments. Con -sidering their fashion awareness, theycould easily have been students inJakarta, Jamaica, London, Manila, NewYork, or Tokyo. But I could also see thatthey wanted something more. After all,here they were, sitting in my businessmanage ment class—their textbooksopen and their eyes straight ahead. Iwanted to get to know them, to con -nect, to learn their stories. In theclassroom, I was called to help them topersist to grad uation and to under -

stand God’s purpose for their lives.Conrad idolized his tough-talking,

drug-running father who had beenkilled in a gang shootout. Jason told meabout his preteen years, before hismother had been able to move to abetter neighborhood and enroll him ina higher-quality school. Conrad hatedgangs because of the emotional scarsthey created when the bullets cameripping through the walls of his home,so he wore certain colors to protecthimself from the wrath of rival gangs.

Jason always remained vigilantwhile eating in the university cafe -teria—never sitting with his back to thedoor. Over time, we developed a goodrelationship. I described what I saw,and Jason interpreted his behavior forme: “Doc, I guess I developed that inschool. You would not know what itwas like to eat in my school cafeteria oreven at home. You see, at any time,gunfire could break out, and I wouldhave to grab my food and run or dropunder the table. And at home, it wasthe same thing, when the gangs wereshooting, which was every week, youhad to be ready to drop and hide. So, Ihover over my food while on thelookout, but I don’t know anythingelse.”

I was amazed because those de -scriptions matched experiences sharedby my military colleagues in activecombat zones and my internationalfriends in war-torn areas of the world.What I heard from Conrad and Jasonseemed depressingly similar to stressdisorders. Yet, learners with these typesof problems often remain undiag -nosed, lacking coping skills and areoften relegated to classrooms whereteachers stereotype inner-city orstressed-out students as non-learners.Both in and out of the classroom, Idesperately sought ways to connect, tounderstand these two promising youngmen.

Four years later, imagine my joy andgratitude when, sitting with fellowfaculty members, I heard Jason andConrad cheered by a large crowd offamily and friends as they marched

across the stage to receive theirdiplomas—the first in their families toearn college degrees. On that day, withtears in my eyes, I said to myself,“Thank you, God, for this calling to theministry of teaching, and thank you forthe gift of touching lives.” For Adventisteducation to be relevant and trans -formational for our students, we mustseek to make practical applications thatconnect with their lives.

Practical Application MakesEducation Relevant

So often, it is easy for teachers to usetextbook curricula and examples ratherthan designing their own illustrationsbased on information and examplesfrom contexts familiar to their stu -dents. But missional education iscontextualized to ensure that studentsachieve mastery, understand the use -fulness of the learning, and experiencetransformation in their own lives thatthey can share with their communities.

As teachers broadly apply theseprinciples, “every study may become anaid in the solution of that greatest of allproblems, the training of men andwomen for the best discharge of life’sresponsibilities”16 whatever theircalling—producing not just ministersof the gospel, but also ministers ofmedicine, teaching, research, and soon.

Developing Spirituality,Character, and Leadership

Whether educating urban studentsor equipping people to live and work inthe cities, Adventist educators must bepassionately committed to teaching,learning, and providing missionalleadership. We must get to know eachstudent in our classrooms, attemptingto educate minds and hearts, not justlecture. We must understand thecontext of our students’ lives.

Missional leadership in educationrequires that we understand the issues


and challenges that originate outside ofschool because they must be addressedbefore learning can commence. Em -ploying research-based teachingmeth ods and providing real-life appli -cations will result in more effectivelearning. Missional leadership seeks to(1) understand the socio-economicconditions of students; (2) compre -hend the attitudes and behaviors ofstudents who are being disciplined; and(3) examine the lives and home en -vironments of the learners in order todevise and implement effective

strategies to enhance their academicexperiences.

Urban schools in high-povertyareas, like other educational settings,need redemptive education supportedby transformative learning experiencesintended to restore the image of God instudents. Missionally minded educa -tors are called to engage students,parents, and community members in a

shared commitment to change. Thiscommitment requires five elements:vision, contextualized behaviors, em -powerment of students and others,intentional transformation, and God-honoring commitment.

1. Visionary LeadersVisionary, missional leaders are like

Habakkuk,17 standing on the city wall,ready to receive the vision while look -ing toward God for direction. LikeJoseph,18 they rely on God for wisdomto interpret and plan for the future.They maintain a vigilant outlook,examine the evidence, and safeguardthe interests of their schools andcommunities.

A. Watchtower Leadership—LikeEzekiel and Nehemiah, watchtowerleadership is positioned at the city wall,observing inside and outside the com -munity. In the 21st century, watch -tower educators envision a securefuture and maintain that visionthroughout day-to-day activities bystudying and monitoring the healthof the institution, by examining theindividual and school-wide achieve -ments of the students, and by recognizing the service contributions ofgraduates to the church and the world.

B. Evidence-based Leadership—LikeArioch in the Book of Daniel19 and theMoses-Jethro20 team, evidence-basedleadership collects evidence to examinethe current state of affairs and theexisting and desired capabilities. Mis -sional education leadership must dothe same, and then chart an evidence-based course of action.

C. Engaged Leadership—Like Nehe -miah, engaged educational leadersrealize that they cannot do it alone.Engaged leaders come close to students,parents, and community members,engaging them in problem-solving,vision casting, and implementingsolutions. They build two-way con -nections with all critical stakeholders inorder to collaboratively devise mean -ingful educational solutions.

Mrs. White appeared tochastise the missional priorities of

her day when she wrote: “There is means now tied up that

should be in use for the unworkedcities in Europe, Australia, and

America, and in the regions beyond.These cities have been neglectedfor years. The angels of God are

waiting for us to give our labors fortheir inhabitants. From town to

town, from city to city, from countryto country, the warning message

is to be proclaimed, not withoutward display, but in the power of

the Spirit, by men of faith.”


2. Contextualized LeadershipContextualized leadership will seek

strategies that are appropriate to solv -ing specific educational problems in agiven environment. These educa -tional leaders do not simply apply pre-constructed strategies or transportcurriculum and instructional ap -proaches from one classroom toanother, but carefully study the needsof the given environment and build thecurriculum, select appropriate peda go -gical tools, and employ other resourcesappropriate to the needs. The followingleadership practices will effect ivelyassist in defining the context forlearning:

• Appreciative Inquiry—This ap -proach employs the art and practice ofasking questions to strengthen theschool’s teaching capacity because itleads educators to a deeper under -standing, anticipatory thinking, andcommitment to reinforcing behaviorsthat improve the school’s potential.Missional educators identify individualand community needs and aspirations.Like Jesus, even if they know the an -s wers, they ask questions to understandthe perspectives of those they are calledto serve, in order to appreciate differ -ences in culture, language, and lifeexperiences, and resist stereotyping,relying on “isms,” pejorative behaviors,or subtle ex pressions of cultural ar -rogance. The appreciative approach toteaching, learning, and administer ing isa purposeful and solution-oriented wayto approach community engagement.It respects the knowledge and exper -ience of students, other educators, andthe community. This evenhandedapproach seeks to protect missionaleducators from their own implicitbiases and prejudices, which otherwisecan create difficulties, even when theleader is a member of the localcommunity.

• Reflective Leadership—Effectiveeducational leaders understand how to

best address the issues that challengelearning. Because they are reflectivelearners themselves, they know how tonurture the inventive abilities of stu -dents and the community as a whole.Jesus led the Samaritan woman tounderstand her situation and that ofher community by guiding her intoself-reflection. Reflective learningdeepens awareness, which leads totransformation. This approach isillustrated well in the implementationof service learning. When meaningfulcommunity service is integrated withinstruction and reflection, this enrichesthe learning experience, teaches civicresponsibility, and strengthens com -munities.

3. Empowering LeadersLike the apostle Paul, empowering

educational leaders do not view them -selves and their expertise as the so l u -tion; rather, they create solutions inand through others. They do the fol -lowing:

• Lead by Example—livingexemplary lives,21 engaging others,contextualizing decision-making, andemploying char acter-grounded andmission-focused activities.22

• Empower Others—helping othersto learn to think and to do, to become

Christian education isredemptive in nature—

its transformative purposeconsists of restoring

human beings—in thiscase, students—to the

image of God, our Creator.What a joy and

extraordinary calling!


problem-solving educators and appre -ciative inquirers, both inside and out -side the classroom.23

4. Transformative LeadersTransformative educational leaders

use Jesus’ life as a model in seeking tocreate learning environments thatnurture God-honoring transformationof individuals, homes, and com -munities24—sometimes one student,one classroom, or one school at a time.Change is their mantra as they en -deavor to transform others to becomepeople of character; inspire studentsand colleagues to embrace the school’smission to develop themselves andothers; and empower others to learnthrough service to God and to theircommunities.

God-honoring CommittedLeadership

Above all, the educator and leadercommits to honoring God and holdingan unwavering commitment to theBible as the foundation for the cur ri -culum, as well as the guide for allschool activities, policies, and pro -cedures.

For the missional educator, buildinglearners’ characters begins with anunderstanding of the purpose ofeducation from a godly worldview andresults in transformed attitudes andbehaviors. In Raise a Leader (God’sWay), I argued first for values edu -cation that originates from the Bible,for parents to be the first and primarydevelopers of character, but also for thehome and school to partner in thedevelopment of character.25 Missionaleducational leadership requires en -gagement with students, their families,and the community, but also neces -sitates a commitment to im provement.This type of leadership seeks to imple -ment reforms that ensure sus tainableand systematic improvements inedu cational processes and outcomes.

Christian education is redemptive innature—its transformative purposeconsists of restoring human beings—inthis case, students—to the image of

God, our Creator. What a joy andextraordinary calling! �


Prudence LaBeachPollard, Ph.D.,currently serves asVice President forResearch andEmployee Servicesand Professor ofManagement in the

School of Business at Oakwood Univer -sity in Huntsville, Alabama. She earnedher doctorate in evaluation, measure -ment, and research design from WesternMichigan University in Kalamazoo,Michigan. With more than 30 years ofexperience as an educator, she haspublished and presented on principles ofChristian leadership, biblical spirituality,business ethics, and character devel -opment.

NOTES AND REFERENCES

1. Matthew 5:16, NRSV. Bible texts credited

to NRSV are from the New Revised Standard

Version of the Bible, copyright ©1989 by the Di-

vision of Christian Education of the National

Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Used by permission.

2. Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View,

Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 1903), Chap. 1, p. 17.

3. From a speech by U.S. Secretary of Educa-

tion Arne Duncan’s “Remarks at the National

Urban League Centennial Conference.” http://

www.ed.gov/news/speeches/secretary-arne-dun

cans-remarks-national-urban-league-centennial-

conference. Accessed May 20, 2014.

4. For more information on the global educa-

tion problem, please refer to this United Nations

briefing paper: “Education for All,” http://www.

un.org/en/globalissues/briefingpapers/efa/ and

to the global monitoring report, “Education

Counts: Towards the Millennium Development

Goals” at UNESCO.org. Accessed May 3, 2015.

5. WBI Urban: FY 10 Retrospective Review,

World Bank Institute: http://wbi.worldbank.org/

wbi/about/topics/urban. Retrieved May 23, 2014.

6. World Health Organization (WHO):

http://www.who.int/gho/urban_health/situa

tion_trends/urban_population_growth_text/en.

Accessed March 28, 2015.

7. WorldAtlas: http://www.worldatlas.com/

citypops.htm. Accessed April 23, 2015.

8. See WorldAtlas, op. cit.

9. Quinquennial Reports from the divisions

of the General Conference of Seventh-day Ad-

ventists (2014).

10. Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington,

D.C.: Review and Herald Publ. Assn., 1946), p.

428. Italics supplied.

11. __________, Testimonies for the Church

(Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn.,

1902), vol. 7, p. 40.

12. __________, Education (Mountain View,

Calif.: Pacific Press Publ. Assn., 1903), pp. 13-19.

13. Ibid., pp. 29, 30.

14. Leslie Pollard, president of Oakwood Uni-

versity, Huntsville, Alabama, says when talking

about the investment to gain a Seventh-day

Adventist university education, “It is not just four

years but 40 years and ultimately, 4,000 years [im-

plying the commencement of eternity].”

15. This story highlights the conditions of

urban students, the power of transformative en-

gagement, and the leadership influence of Chris-

tian educators. The names and profiles are a

composite of various students encountered and

should not be construed as representing any in-

dividual student.

16. White, Education, op. cit., p. 239.

17. See Habakkuk 2:1.

18. See Genesis 40 and 41.

19. See Daniel 2.

20. See Exodus 18.

21. The example and recommendations of

Jesus are recorded in Matthew 5, Luke 6, and

John 13:12-15; and of His disciples, in Acts 5:41.

22. 2 Timothy 2 reminds missional educators

of their calling to teach God’s transformational

lessons, to integrate biblical truths in the disci-

plines they teach.

23. The mandate is stated in Education, page

30 and is directly aligned with Paul’s empowering

counsel to young Timothy, recorded in 1 Timo-

thy 4:12.

24. See Prudence Pollard, “Assessing Leader

Effectiveness in a Diverse World,” Chapter 13 in

Leslie N. Pollard, ed., Embracing Diversity: How

to Understand and Reach People of All Cultures

(Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Publ.

Assn., 2000).

25. Prudence LaBeach Pollard, Raise a Leader

(God’s Way) (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Her-

ald Publ. Assn., 2012).

The mission of our Seventh-day Adventist Church “is toproclaim to all peoples the everlasting gospel . . . lead-ing them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior andto unitewith His church, and nurturing them in prepa-ration for His soon return.”1 Furthermore, the vision

of our church for urban cities is “that every citywill have an in-fluential Adventist presence actively engaged in a comprehensivemission, using Christ’s method of ministry.”2

If we are to believe that our schools are also called to the ful-fillment of this mission, then we too are called to lead, unite,nurture, engage, and to evangelize or minister to all peoples withan influential presence in every city, utilizing Christ’s method ofministry. What a tall order to fill! As we, as an educational sys-tem, begin to examine our role and responsibility in fulfillingthis mission, a first good step is to lay a foundation by broad-ening our knowledge base and understanding of the complex-ities of urban education. This special edition of the JOURNAL onurban education has superbly laid the foundation, dispelled

myths about urban education, and provided varying ap-proaches to better meeting the needs of children and youthwho live in poor urban communities.

And now we must begin asking ourselves some questions.Questions can help shift the way we think about something andcan serve as a catalyst to bring about change, writes WarrenBerger in his book, A More Beautiful Question.3 Berger, a long-time journalist and author, has spent his career asking ques-tions. He has interviewed and studied hundreds of the world’sleading innovators, designers, and creative thinkers to analyzehow they ask fundamental questions, solve problems, and cre-ate new possibilities; and in the past few years, he has zeroedin on the power of questioning in other organizational struc-tures such as education. Berger states that we can benefit bygrappling with questions that encourage us to reconsider waysto reimagine our programs. Asking questions such as Why,What If, and How, in that order, can help one advance throughthree critical stages of problem-solving and can actually be


INTHECITIES

Called to Lead,Nurture, Engage,

and Serve

B Y D A V E N I A J . L E A

equated with taking action.4 Thus, it is recommended that ournext step in better understanding and meeting the needs ofchildren and families in poverty-ridden environments shouldbe to question our practices and engage in dialogue aboutwhere we go from here.

A few questions that I have pondered are as follows: AsAdventist educators, do we fully understand the charge pre-sented before us? Do we embrace and accept this charge? Arewe prepared to lead this charge? More specifically, do we un-derstand the life and struggles of the children we are trying toreach? Are we equipped with the resources and support neededto meet the extensive needs of these children and their fami-lies?

Sadly, the stories presented on pages 43to 45 aren’t uncommon, as we are livingin a critical time in which the “least amongus” (Luke 9:49, NIV)5 are growing at analarming rate. As these stories illustrate,it’s not just poverty that plagues and chal-lenges children and youth in poor urbancities; poverty is oftentimes compoundedby political uncertainty, war, violence,drugs, anger, hopelessness, dependency,and despair. The students we are commis-sioned to nurture, engage, lead, and servehave complex needs, and as we prepare forthis ministry, we need to answer thesequestions:

• What is the charge presented to us asa worldwide Adventist educational system?

• How do we embrace and accept thischarge?

• Are we prepared to lead this charge? Imagine with me for a moment. What

would it truly mean for your school com-munity if the children mentioned in theboxes on pages 43 to 45 were accepted intoyour school? How would the learning ex-periences be different? How would theother students and parents respond tothem? Does your school have the resourcesto meet their needs (safety, academic reme-diation/specialized instruction, assistancewith drug dependency, release from a gang,adequate housing, spiritual development,counseling/therapeutic needs, etc.)? Even iftheir tuition is paid through scholarshipsor donors, how will the additional expensesbe covered (field trips, mission trips, tutor-ing, extracurricular activities, school uni-forms, etc.)? What “worldly” influencesmight be introduced into the school’s cul-ture (music, inappropriate language, vio-lence, occult practices, etc.)?

Educating and Serving Inner-city Children and YouthThe purpose of this reflective summary is not to rehash the

issues raised in the previous articles; rather, the intent is tomove us onward toward compassion for and a commitment toeducating and serving children and youth in poor, urban com-munities. As our faith is confronted with the reality of theurban poor, we are challenged to seek answers to the questionsposed.

Is Our Mission Clear?While we as a church may be aware of the needs in urban

communities, are we clear on our role as an educational systemwithin this mission? Do we believe that all children have a right


It’s the first day of school, and I’m excited as can be. Newbook bag and new shoes. Mama kisses me goodbye as I run tocatch the bus. I’m off to kindergarten, filled with potentialand hope and big dreams. Fast forward. Now I’m headed to3rd grade and the dreams began to fade. With my parentsgone, I only have Grandma to love me. Life is hard, and I don’tthink it can get much better. It makes me sad listening toGrandma cry at night because she doesn’t know how we’ll eator buy new pants for Sabbath. And I’m scared, too. Drugdealers greet me each day, and I see how they look at my sis-ter. How am I going to protect her? And I can’t even thinkabout going to the police because I don’t know if they are myfriend or my enemy. Fast forward. Now I’m supposed to be in6th grade, but I can’t read, I hate writing, and I don’t knowwhy I need math except to weigh enough cocaine for a nickelbag. No, this wasn’t what I dreamed of, but I learned the hardway, dreams don’t live in my world. Fast forward. One day,Grandma was screaming and shouting about how God had an-swered her prayers. The church pulled together, and now Ihave a chance to do better. A scholarship to the Seventh-dayAdventist school, where I’ll be safe, well at least for six hoursa day, anyway. This is an answer to our prayers.—An Inner-City Child, Anywhere Across the Globe.

to a Seventh-day Adventist education? Are oureducational institutions seen as significant andeffective instruments for ministry? Research in-dicates that much more than curriculum orfunding is needed to meet the challenges ofpoor urban children and youth—it’s a school’sculture that determines their future.6

If we are to be a part of the mission to thecities, our educational institutions must be rec-ognized as more than establishments of academicachievement. They should respond to a highercalling. Our “first object of education is to directour minds” and those of our children to God’srevelation of Himself.7 Ellen G. White furthersuggests that “The great principles of educationare unchanged . . . for they are the principles ofthe character of God. To aid the student in com-prehending these principles, and in entering intothat relation with Christ which will make thema controlling power in the life, should be theteacher’s first effort and his constant aim.”8 Thisshould be our first and foremost priority: educat-ing with the purpose of leading children and theirfamilies, including those in poor urban commu-nities, to Christ. Our message is timely for poorurban communities, and our educational institu-tions can play an integral role in sharing this mes-sage of hope. However, before we can embracethis mission, we must (a) understand exactlywhat that needs of the poor urban communitiesare, and (b) collectively agree that we have a roleto play in meeting the needs.9

Do We Have the Right Tools for the Job?

Once we have clarified and embraced the mission, we mustthen determine if our schools are equipped with the training,resources, and support needed to educate, engage, nurture, andserve. We give extraordinary attention to the pedagogical prepa-ration of our educators; however, do we provide the necessarytraining needed for evangelism? Are our educators valued asevangelists or as ministers? Are our educators intentionally pre-pared not only to educate but also to minister through serviceor to share the love of Christ by reflecting the love of Christ?Additionally, since the needs of children, youth, and their fam-ilies in poor urban communities are complex and extensive, wemust determine whether we are equipped to meet the financial,social, psychological, educational, and spiritual needs of thesestudents. How will they access our schools? How will they affordto attend? Will they have access to extracurricular activities? Willadditional support such as tutoring, mentoring, or counselingbe available? Do we have partnerships and relationships withinthe local communities as well as within the church so that serv-ices and resources are coordinated and streamlined?

Who’s on Board? If we are clear on our mission and have the necessary re-

sources, do we have strategic plans in place for getting buy-infrom our students, parents, and constituents? How will we equipour students (those in the church not living in poor urban com-munities) so that they are prepared to minster? How do we as-sure parents and constituents that our Adventist values, stan-dards, and principles will continue to be upheld? How do weassure them that our educational programs will continue to beof high quality and that this mission will be mutually beneficial?

Where Do We Go From Here?As we strive to meet the needs of children and youth—and

their families—we must first initiate the conversations and beginto explore how our educators can infuse ourselves into the mis-sion. Here are a few suggestions for further consideration. Onceagain, more questions are raised than solutions; however, thequestions posed can ignite the discussion and prompt us to en-gage collaboratively as we move forward into the ministry.


I never thought this would be my life. One day I washappy, playing with my friends, planting a garden with mymother, riding in to town with my father. I lived an ordinarylife, just like any other 10-year-old. And then everythingchanged. War broke out, and they were killing everyonearound me. We had to flee, literally leaving with nothing,not even shoes for our feet. Me and my mother and babybrother made it out, but not my dad. I don’t know if he’sdead or alive. So now we live in this new land whereeverything is different—the food, the language, the smell,the sounds, the people—and I don’t know how to fit in here.And I’m very, very sad because I loved my home, and Imiss it very much, and I want my dad. My mom used to bea nurse, but she can’t be one here so she cleans for otherpeople. And tomorrow I start at a new school. It ’s a Sev-enth-day Adventist school, just like at home. I hope I’lllearn the language, and I hope I can do well here.—ARefugee Child, Anywhere Across the Globe.

1. We must re-examine the funding structure of our Advent-ist educational system. How will our schools be accessible tochildren, youth, and families living in poor urban areas? Howwill we fund and provide for the additional resources and serv-ices needed (counseling, social work, tutoring, etc.)?

2. As our church strives to define its role in urban ministry,it can refer to programs or models within our educational sys-tem that are already meeting the needs of children, youth, andfamilies in poverty. Identifying these schools/programs andthen conducting research to better understand the programs,their services, successes, and challenges could provide us withvaluable information for developing guidelines, support, andprograms.

3. As our institutions of higher education lead in research andtrain the future professionals who will meet the needs of poorurban children, youth, and their families, they can serve a majorrole in conducting research, establishing institutes/foundationson urban education, creating degrees/programs that specificallyfocus on urban education and ensure that the professionals theytrain are equipped to meet the needs of the poor.

Fulfilling Our Mission: Engage, Educate, Serve“True education . . . has to do with the whole being, and with

the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmo-nious development of the physical, the mental,and the spiritual powers.”10 Such harmoniousdevelopment is found in the study of God’s law,the Bible, nature, service to others, and “usefuloccupation.”11 Hence, the “first object of educa-tion is to direct our minds” and those of our chil-dren to God’s revelation of Himself.12 An edu -cation of this kind imparts far more thanacademic knowledge. It is a balanced develop-ment of the whole child with time dimensionsthat span eternity. Deprivation in any one ofthese dimensions has a deadening effect on theother dimensions, since all parts are interre-lated and interactive. When we determine thatour mission is to meet the wholistic needs ofpoor urban children and youth, we must makea long-term commitment, recognizing that thisrace will not be a sprint but a marathon.

The book and movie about the true lifestory of Antwone Fisher, a young man whoconfronts the hurt of his past in order to moveforward into his future, is a true depiction ofwhat life is like for some in poor urban cities.Fisher entered the Navy as an angry youngadult but learned to express himself throughpoetry. Reprinted in the second column is hispoem, “Who Will Cry for the Little Boy?”13

This poem is Fisher’s plea to the world andcould easily be a plea to us: Will we cry for thelittle boys and girls who feel hopeless, aban-

doned, alone, and unworthy? Is the mission to the cities onethat we understand and embrace within our educational sys-tem? Are we prepared to extend help without stripping thosein poor urban cities of their dignity? Are we prepared to assistwhile empowering? Are we prepared to offer help while instill-ing hope? Are we ready to answer the call? �


Everything is so hard—math, science, reading—especially reading. I try and I try, but now I’m tootired to try anymore. Nothing I do helps me learn,and I don’t even know if it ’s important anymore.I don’t want anybody to think I’m stupid, so it ’seasier to be the “bad kid.” So I finally got kickedout of my school. They have no idea how behindI am, but at least I don’t have to be remindedevery day just how stupid I am. And I thought Iwas home free. But now, my dad got me into thisSeventh-day Adventist school. And I start onMonday! The other school couldn’t help me, maybethis one can?—A Child With a Learning Delay,Anywhere Across the Globe.

Who will cry for the little boy, lost and all alone?Who will cry for the little boy, abandoned without his

own?Who will cry for the little boy? He cried himself to

sleep.Who will cry for the little boy? He never had for keeps.Who will cry for the little boy? He walked the burning

sand.Who will cry for the little boy? The boy inside the

man.Who will cry for the little boy? Who knows well hurt

and pain.Who will cry for the little boy? He died again and

again.Who will cry for the little boy? A good boy he tried to be.Who will cry for the little boy, who cries inside of me?


Davenia J. Lea, Ph.D.,serves as an AssociateDirector of Educationfor the North AmericanDivision of Seventh-day Adventists in SilverSpring, Maryland. Dr.Lea earned her doctor-

ate in early childhood and special educa -tion from the University of Maryland andworked as an early interventionist for 10years in the public school system. Her expe-riences in higher education include servingas a professor and Education Departmentchair at Towson University in Towson,Maryland, and Dean of the School of Grad-uate and Professional Studies at WashingtonAdventist University in Takoma Park, Mary-land.

NOTES AND REFERENCES1. This statement was voted by the General Con-

ference of Seventh-day Adventists Executive Commit-tee at its Annual Council in Silver Spring, Maryland,on October 13, 2009: http://www.adventist.org.au/about-us. Websites in the endnotes were accessed June23, 2015.

2. “It’s Time: The Urgency of Urban Mission”:https://www2.adventistmission.org/360-its-time. Ital-ics supplied.

3. Warren Berger, A More Beautiful Question: ThePower of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas (NewYork: Bloomsbury USA, 2015).

4. Ibid.5. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

6. David Trumpie, “Urban Education: The Kids AreAlright…The Schools Aren’t: Lessons Learned by anEx-Politician in Inner City Detroit,” Dome Magazine(September 16, 2010): http://domemagazine.com/–features/cov0910.

7. Matthew 6:22; Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10;Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, Calif.: Pa-cific Press Publ. Assn., 1903), p. 16.

8. White, Education, ibid., p. 30.9. John M. Perkins, Beyond Charity: The Call to

Christian Community Development (Grand Rapids,Mich.: Baker Books, 1993).

10. White, Education, op. cit., p. 13.11. Ibid., p. 21.12. Ibid., p. 16.13. Excerpt of 10 lines from “Who Will Cry for the

Little Boy?” from Who Will Cry for the Little Boy? byAntwone Fisher. Copyright© 2003 by Antwone Fisher.Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishersand The William Morris Agency.

CE courses will now be delivered by The Adventist Learning Community (ALC),http://www.adventistlearningcommunity.com/, in partnership with the North

American Division Office of Education (NADOE). If you have outstanding tests thatneed to be completed or would like to receive credit for CE courses taken throughJAE, then materials must ordered by August 31, 2015, and submitted by November1, 2015. No orders or submissions will be ac-cepted after these dates.

Contact the following individuals to receivemore information. Ordering Tests: Lolita David-son Campbell at [email protected] or(909) 583-3661. Receiving CE Credit: UnionCon ference Certification Registrar. ALC CourseDelivery: Adam Fenner at Adam.Fenner@nad. adventist.org.

Continuing Education (CE) courses will no longer be available through The Journal

of Adventist Education® (JAE).

N O T I C E


Population growth among the world’slargest cities continues to expand,and with this expansion comesunique opportunities for Adventist ed-

ucation. The Mission to the Cities* initiative ofthe Seventh-day Adventist Church has pro-pelled the establishment of centers of influ-ence, community events, seminars, and smallgroup and evangelistic meetings. This specialedition is designed to showcase how Adventistschools, from early childhood through post-graduate levels, are making an impact in urbanclassrooms and communities through school-based programs and research.

We invite papers that describe how schoolsand communities are working together to meetthe cultural and linguistic needs of studentsthrough research, training, and service. Eachpaper should clearly delineate the purpose of theinitiative, the process of implementation, as wellas challenges and successes, provide data tosupport impact on the school and community(qualitative and/or quantitative), and recommen-dations for good practice. Ultimately, each papershould address how Adventist Christian elemen-tary, secondary, and postsecondary institutionsare successfully creating learning environmentsin under-resourced urban settings.

To further explore ways that Adventist edu-cation is making an impact in urban centers inthe 21st century, the special issue of the JOUR-NAL will focus on the following topics:

• Professional development models, collabo-rative endeavors with church organizations andcommunity partnerships;

• Workshops/conferences that train teachersand educational administrators;

• Outreach or mission programs (i.e.,school-based domestic and international serv-ice-learning projects; “centers of influence, life,hope”);

• Curriculum and instruction resources de-signed to engage students and their families,and enhance the learning environment inunder-resourced urban schools;

• Research specifically studying Adventisturban school populations.

THE JOURNAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION is the pro-fessional publication for Seventh-day Adventistteachers and educational administrators world-wide. Theoretical or practical articles submittedfor publication should address topics of interestto that group. The English edition of the JOURNAL

is published five times yearly, with approxi-mately eight articles appearing in each issue.

Review ProcessFormat: Articles, including references,

charts, figures, and tables, generally should notexceed 10 pages. Papers should be double-spaced, using 12-point type, and standardmargin and paragraph indention. For additionalinformation, visit http://jae.adventist.org/authors.htm# form.

Notification of receipt will take place uponsubmission; notification of acceptance will takeplace after the submission deadline. All paperswill undergo double-blind peer review.

Special Issue Guest Editors: Ella Smith Simmons

and Davenia J. LeaTopic: Urban Education, Part II

nicity, cultural identity, and religious discrimination in bothdeveloping and developed countries. We invite you to respondto the “Call for Papers” at the bottom of this page to reportsuccesses and lessons learned from initiatives that schools (pre-kindergarten through postgraduate) in your conference,union, or division have implemented in urban centers. Ulti-mately, our goal is to inspire action through education thattakes seriously Adventism’s mission to the cities.

The authors of this guest editorial served as co-coordinators forthis special issue on urban education and Adventist schools. Dr.Ella Smith Simmons serves as a General Vice President of theGeneral Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Silver Spring,Maryland. Dr. Davenia J. Lea serves as an Associate Director ofEducation for the North American Division of Seventh-day Ad-ventists in Silver Spring, Maryland. The JAE editorial staff expressheartfelt appreciation for the many hours Drs. Simmons and Leadevoted to selecting topics, obtaining peer reviewers, providinginput on article content, as well as their prompt response to theeditor’s questions during the planning and production of the issue.

NOTES AND REFERENCES1. United Nations; http://www.un.org/en/development/ desa/news/ population/

world-urbanization-prospects-2014.html; World Health Organization GlobalHealth Observatory http://www.who.int/gho /urban_health/situation_trends/ urban_ population_growth_text/en/. Websites in this guest editorial were accessedon June 8, 2015.

2. Ben Levin, “Urban Education Challenges Around the Globe,” Phi DeltaKappan 94:7 (April 2013):74, 75.

3. UNESCO Position Paper on Education Post 2015, http://en.unesco.org/post2015/sites/post2015/files/UNESCO%20Position%20Paper%20ED%202015.pdf.

4. Nicole Fulgham, Schools in Crisis: They Need Your Help (Whether You HaveKids or Not), FRAMES Barna Group (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2013);Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (30th Anniversary Edition), MyraBergman Ramos, trans. (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2000).

5. Jennifer L. Hochschild and Francis X. Shen, “Race, Ethnicity, and Educa-tion Policy.” In Oxford Handbook of Racial and Ethnic Politics in America (NewYork: Oxford University Press, 2014).

6. “Mission to the Cities” is the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s wholistic ap-proach to sharing the gospel among the growing populations the world’s largecities. Initiatives include the establishment of Life Hope Centers, neighborhoodevents, seminars, small groups, and evangelistic meetings. Inaugurated in 2012with support from the worldwide church leadership, the initiative was launchedin 2013 in New York City followed in 2014 with each of the church’s 13 world di-visions focusing on at least one large city in its territory. For 2015, each union willfocus on a city in its region: http://missiontothecities.org/. See also Ellen G. White’sMinistry to the Cities (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Publ. Assn., 2012).

C A L L F O R P A P E R S

Guest Editorial Continued from page 3

Deadline for Submission:December 15, 2015

The Journal of Adventist Education

*To read more about the goals and accomplish-ments of the Mission to the Cities initiative, visithttp://missiontothecities-org.lifehopecenters.org/.

With the new school year rapidly

approaching, one of the most valuable

resources you can have at hand is The

Journal of Adventist Education, an award-

winning publication that is still just

$18.75 per year! (Add $3.00 outside the U.S.)

Each issue of the Journal features

informational and practical articles on a variety of

topics relating to Christian education. Occasional

theme issues also deal with practical applications of best

practices in Adventist education, principalship,

teaching philosophy in Adventist schools,

special education, spirituality, urban educa-

tion, and training for school board mem-

bers and trustees.

The magazine is published five

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October-November to the following Summer—

and you can still purchase individual issues for

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pastor, a colleague, or educator using MasterCard or Visa.

For more information on receiving the Journal, and to

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