An Alarming Trend or Salt and Light?

Accreditation is always an issue that causes parents and Christian educators to raise questions.  Most parents need to have the process, and the rationale behind it, explained to them.  They are particularly interested in how it will affect their child’s education and in a Christian school environment, where most of them are seeking an education that is directed by the values of Christian faith and practice, they want to know how that is affected by the process.

It is really relatively simple.  Accreditation is the process most state education departments use to establish the validity of the curriculum and the quality of classroom instruction of the schools their state.  The process varies by state, in terms of curriculum guidelines and accreditation standards.  And since state departments of education generally do not have enough staff members to conduct the accreditation visits to every school in their jurisdiction, they commission agencies made up of educators themselves, mostly from the school systems within the state, to do the job of seeing that schools are meeting the minimum requirements.  In a nutshell, that’s accreditation.

In most states, private, parochial and Christian schools are not required to submit to the accreditation process.  However, accreditation can have an effect on the ability of a student to transfer, and it can also affect whether or not graduates of a particular school are admitted to colleges and universities, and under what conditions.  As a result, most Christian schools do seek accreditation through an agency with a state commission.  That is where Christian schools can run into difficulty.

Some states allow private accreditation agencies to be commissioned to grant accreditation, including Christian school organizations.  The Kingdom Educator highly recommends this process if it is available to you.  It is certainly to your distinct advantage to have Christian educators who operate from a Christian philosophy of education to be going through your records, reviewing your teacher and administrator credentials, and analyzing and evaluating your curriculum which has hopefully been completely integrated with the principles of scripture in proper application.  Using a Christian agency is in no way an “inferior” brand of accreditation because the same commission granted to the Christian agency is also granted to the secular agency that accredits public schools. 

In the past few years, we have encountered some Christian schools which have achieved accreditation through their own agencies also seeking accreditation from one of the six regional accreditation agencies that provide this service to public schools.  In places where this is a requirement, Christian schools must struggle with the decision whether to seek accreditation or not, to avoid compromising their standards, educational quality, and above all, their Christian philosophy of education.  Obviously a secular accreditation agency with the primary responsibility to provide accreditation measurement for public schools is not going to recognize the integration of Biblical principles into course content.  Some schools have opted to remain unaccredited, and have found other means of getting their students into the colleges and universities they wish to attend such as linking up to early college credit programs or building a direct relationship with college admissions counselors.  Others seek the accreditation and then work to keep up their guard over the things in their curriculum that they won’t compromise.

If you are, however, in a state that allows you to choose from among several private, Christian school accreditation commissions, exercise your option!  NCA-CASI or SACS-CASI or one of the other regional accrediting agencies does not provide a “better quality” accreditation, nor do they provide some kind of higher standard or seal of approval.  If you look at their websites, and explore where their board members and advisors come from, you will find that they are completely immersed in a secular educational philosophy that is obviously not grounded in, nor compatible with, Christian educational philosophy.  Having individuals who come from this kind of educational background placed in oversight of your curriculum and your school operations doesn’t make sense, especially when you have the ability to seek accreditation from an agency that recognizes and celebrates your Christian values. 

If you are a parent who is taking a look at Christian education as an option for your child, you need to make a close investigation of Christian schools that wear the accreditation label of one of these six regional agencies.  They include the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA), Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS), Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSASC), New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).  Check to see if this kind of accreditation is dictated by your state, or whether a Christian school has an alternative option, and thoroughly investigate the school’s educational philosophy. 

Accreditation is not the final standard by which a Christian school’s educational quality or philosophy is measured.  You will find that the Christian schools who insist on maintaining Biblical standards and Christian philosophy regardless of what the state requires for accreditation are the best ones for your child.  Do your homework.  You can email kingdomeducator@yahoo.com if you have questions.