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Jon Eckert, Copple Professor for Christians in School Leadership at Baylor University, shares three ways to catalyze collective leadership to build thriving school communities in this week’s blog post.

In this week’s blog post, Author and Grow Kids Teacher Laura Barringer introduces how we can nurture habits of goodness in our school communities. Laura’s March 9 Converge session, “Tov: A Three-Lettered Word That Shapes School Culture,” will explore this question: How do we create school cultures that resist abuse and toxicity?

How can we as Christians create a stronger sense of community identity centered in obedience to Christ, that we can allow our borders to be permeable? Don’t miss Surrey Christian School Superintendent Dave Loewen’s session, “Exclusion and Embrace in the Christian School” on March 9 at Converge.

With many of us returning to in-person conferences this year, Cardus Senior Fellow Albert Cheng reflects on how we can attend conferences differently. Catch Albert’s session, “Making the Most of School Choice Policy in the United States,” on March 10 at Converge.

Can change become an enjoyable challenge and not a feared unknown? Author and Converge speaker Grant Lichtman believes so. He shares in his blog post how effective change starts with a community-wide recognition that change is both good and necessary, and then by establishing a clear, unambiguous “North Star” vision for the future.

Michael Gulker, president of The Colossian Forum, asks what if, instead of fearing conflict and the usual contempt for relational corrosion accompanying it, we embraced, harnessed, and redirected all the energy that comes with conflict as an opportunity to forge a fresh, gospel way forward and not around it?

If the Christian school might itself be a form of hospitality, if pedagogy should be hospitable, if hospitality is itself a worthy topic and lens to learn about, and if we hope that students themselves will not forget to welcome strangers, then hospitality remains vitally relevant even when we can’t serve a casserole.

The Converge 2022 program will be broken into two subthemes: Bridging Divides and Embracing Change. Each theme will begin with scripture reflection and worship to activate your mind to dive into the theme, follow with related TED Talks where you’ll explore the theme further, and conclude with a time of reflection through an engagement or networking activity.

A solution to these problems is to make sure that you educators are experiencing and learning things together and by doing it in an extra special place will be memorable! You will gain joy and hope from a San Diego conference which will spill over to your students and your school. Joy begets joy. So, to help you build that…

Let vision be your guide as you lead with strength and courage to bridge existing divides in your sphere of influence. I know that God is faithful to lead you through it all and provide for what you need. If you are looking for a little inspiration, get to know the amazing country of Rwanda, and learn from their many…