Please make sure you are logged in to access our Resource Hub. You can create a free account below.
Welcome to Soaring Education’s Resource Hub!
Our school launch experts have curated a collection of resources designed to guide you through each stage of launching a Christian school.
Whether you’re in the Dream, Design, Build, Launch, or Development stage, you’ll find valuable resources here, from articles and podcasts to books and expert-created tools.
Explore a wide range of materials to help you build and grow a school that reflects your vision and values.
If you need help working through any of the resources or if you just want someone to brainstorm with and help you clarify next steps, we’re only a phone call away.
Dream Your School
Soaring Resources
A feasibility study, at least at the very basic level, helps a team to make informed decisions about whether or not to proceed with a project. It can help to look at all of the critical aspects of a project, in order to look at not only whether a team should proceed with a project, but also what are potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT Analysis) of the project. Often, funders will desire a feasibility study to be conducted before making any significant financial contributions.
Soaring Resources
When choosing a school site, there are many factors to consider. Generally, people will choose to host their school in a building, such as a church, that is already built and/or is a site that needs minimal renovations to open.
Soaring Resources
Design Your School
Understanding your team’s core values, and the values that fill foundationally be part of the school, will help you to create a Mission and Vision that will be the guide for everything that you do. It is important not to skip this step because everything else comes from these statements.
Soaring Resources
As you are planning your school, it is important to understand the basic foundations of educational philosophy so that as you build your school model, you will be making informed decisions regarding your school model.
Soaring Resources
Although likely not the most exciting topic you will cover when building your school, both governance structure and compliance with local and state laws are important topics. Planning and running your governance structure is generally a requirement if you are a nonprofit organization. Making sure your legal structures are set up correctly and that you are compliant with all laws will also help to make your school sustainable.
Soaring Resources
When planning your school, it is important to understand the parents you will serve (customer) and the students (client) you will serve. Having an understanding of who these people are will help you as you plan curriculum, systems, and even plan for marketing. While it may not seem important, understanding who God has called you to serve will help you build a heart for them and an understanding of the needs of both your customer and client.
Soaring Resources
It is important to solicit feedback from stakeholders as you are designing and building your school. To do this, consider holding a focus group or town hall to share your vision for a school. Consider making changes as it is feasible.
Soaring Resources
Build Your School
School operations are the day-to-day systems and processes of a school. When looking at school operations, it is important to look at planning, execution, and optimization of processes to ensure that your school runs smoothly.
Soaring Resources
Your school’s curriculum is more than just the textbooks it uses. Its foundationally what you will teach your students, rather standards or content or both.
Soaring Resources
Having a team is critical to the success of your school. While you may be able to handle a lot of things, having one or more people to collaborate with will help as you make decisions going forward. Building a team isn’t just about finding a principal or school leader, it is about finding your “people” who will come alongside you as you cast your vision. They may even help you clarify your vision as well.
Soaring Resources
Understanding the real cost of educating a student is important to the success of your school. It is also important to know when it might be better to hire someone outside your organization to complete a task such as HR or teaching an elective.
Soaring Resrouces
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment are all necessary items for your school. However, the amount you spend on FFE can vary greatly, depending on where you get things or the type of learning space you hope to achieve. Will you purchase from a thrift store or will you go for the Steelcase look to make it the most advanced school in your area? Likely, you will end up somewhere in between but it is important to understand that costs can vary greatly.
Soaring Resources
Selecting the education model for your school is a very important step in building your school. It is imperative that you have first identified your mission, vision and values so that educational decisions are made on the understanding of key components of your school.
Soaring Resources
Launch Your School
“If you build it, they (he) will come,” may be a great quote from an iconic 1980’s movie (Field of Dreams), but it doesn’t fit the narrative when it comes to opening a Christian school. When preparing to enroll (or re-enroll) students in a school, having a strategy and taking the time to think through enrollment steps, from beginning to end, is imperative. These strategies and steps will ensure a successful start to your school and will help create enrollment that lasts. Much like any other business that wants to make and keep customers as “raving fans” schools must implement planned enrollment strategies.
Soaring Resources
Community engagement has two parts, engagement with the school community and engagement with the community at large. In order to have an effective school, you need to have effective engagement with both of these groups.
Families-You want to connect with your families to make sure they feel like they are an important part of the school community. This includes hosting family events, communicating regularly, and asking for feedback about the school.
Larger Community-You want to connect with the larger community so that they can help you with your school. Both financially and as volunteers and/or raving fans.
Soaring Resources
Develop Your School
Marketing your school is more than just having a website or posting on Facebook. It is important to market your school, both within the school community and in the community at large as well. Doing this will lead to increased enrollment, enhanced reputation, stronger identity and hopefully give you a competitive edge in this competitive educational landscape.
Soaring Resources
Professional development is crucial for teachers because it:
- Improves Teaching Practices: It equips teachers with new strategies, techniques, and knowledge to enhance their teaching effectiveness.
- Stays Up-to-Date: It allows teachers to stay current with the latest educational trends, research, and technologies.
- Boosts Student Achievement: Effective professional development can directly impact student learning outcomes by providing teachers with the tools to better engage and support their students.
- Increases Job Satisfaction: It can help teachers feel more motivated and fulfilled in their roles by providing opportunities for growth and development.
- Enhances Collaboration: Professional development can foster collaboration among teachers, leading to shared learning and improved school culture.
Ultimately, professional development is an investment in both teachers and students, as it helps create a more dynamic, effective, and supportive learning environment.
Funding is often a roadblock for people as they are starting schools. There is a somewhat fixed cost for educating a student and that cost has to be covered by revenue, either earned or donative. Looking for grants or third-source funding options can be a great way to make your school sustainable.
More Resources
This section contains additional, comprehensive resources for launching your Christian school.
*While many sources come from diverse organizations, our experts have ensured the information is accurate and beneficial.