Paul

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Global Perspectives01
Adventist Education and its Growth Potential for
the New Millennium Is the Glass Half Empty or
Half Full?
Paul Brantley Andrews University April, 2001
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Larsons Four Basic Temperament Types
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Over 1,000,000 students!
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Is the glass half empty or half full?
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Why?

• Why is there flat school growth?
• What can we as a global system do about it?

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How did we attempt to find the answers?

• Survey of union directors, world field
• Purposes of Seventh-day Adventist Education
• Proportion of SDA youth in SDA schools
• Impediments to growth within their fields
• Suggested solutions for increasing enrollment
• Ideas about SDA philosophy and practice
• Best uses of distance education
• Survey of selected congregations from around the
  world
• Suggested solutions for increasing enrollment

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Response Rate by DivisionsUnion Directors of
Education
Division Total number Number Retd Return
North American 9 9 100
No Asia Pacific 4 4 100
South African 1 1 100
Tran-European 16 14 88
So Asia Pacific 10 8 80
Southern Asia 4 3 75
Euro-Africa 14 10 71
South American 11 7 64
South Pacific 5 3 60
African-Indian 9 5 56
Inter-American 12 6 50
Euro-Asia 7 3 43
Eastern Africa 10 4 40
TOTAL (3 more arrived as of 4-8-01 makes 72 or 71) 112 77 69
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Responses from Selected Congregations
Church(es) Total number














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What SDA Education Can Do to Increase School
Enrollment? World Education Directors of Union
Conferences and Missions
Solutions Elementary Elementary Secondary Secondary Higher Higher
Solutions N N N
Access (3 items combined) 53 75 58 82 75 114
Quality (4 items comb) 50 70 60 85 47 71
Finance 43 61 43 61 45 68
Promotion 39 55 36 51 23 35
Reform (Philosophy) 7 10 8 11 7 11
TOTAL totalgt100 mult choice 71 100 71 100 66 100
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What SDA Education Can Do to Increase Elementary
and Secondary School Enrollment views from
Selected Congregations
Suggested Ideas Church A Holland, MI, USA Church B Chicgo, Korean Church C San Paulo, Brazil Church D Australia Church E Mexico City Church F Abijan W. Africa
Excellence 45 72 58 52 57 51
Finance 87 50 72 67 58 71
Expand 25 31 38 39 44 38
Reform (Philosophy) 29 34 27 37 53 34
Climate 32 34 40 62 41 22
Promote 45 19 33 25 25 25
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What SDA Education Can Do to Increase University
EnrollmentViews from Selected Congregations
Suggested Ideas Church A Holland, MI, USA Church B Chicago, Korean Church C San Paulo, Brazil Church D Australia Church E Mexico City Church F Abidjan W. Africa Philosophy Conference Attendees
Excellence 33 (56) 21 (66)
Finance 49 (83) 18 (56)
Expand 16 (27) 6 (19)
Reform (Philosophy) 24 (41) 9 (28)
Climate 16 (28) 6 (19)
Promote 18 (31) 7 (22)
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The Big Six

• Finance
• Quality
• Promotion
• Access
• Reform (Philosophy)
• Climate

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PHILOSOPHY What is the primary purpose of SDA
education (1 Ranks)Union Directors
To evangelize non-SDA youth To nurture SDA youth To help anyone (SDA or non-SDA) TOTAL
Elem 9 51 40 100
Sec 13 48 39 100
Higher Educ 13 38 50 100
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Ideas about PHILOSOPHY of Adventist
EducationUnion Education Directors World Field

• Is there a unique PHILOSOPHY of Adventist
  education that is distinct from that of other
  Christian churches?

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What is different about an Adventist philosophy
of education distinct from other Christian
churches? Union Directors______________________
____________________________

• 22 Holistic, harmonious development
• 14 Salvation, preparation for heaven
• 14 Service
• 9 Lifestyle
• 9 Other explanations (manual work, temperance,
  etc)
• 8 Redemption, Restoration
• 8 Sabbath
• 7 Bible
• 4 Spirituality
• 3 E.G. White

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IDEAS About Philosophy of Adventist
EducationUnion Education Directors, World Field

• In general, has the Seventh-day Adventist Church
  articulated a clear philosophy of education to
  guide practice in schools and colleges throughout
  the world?

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IDEAS About Philosophy of Adventist
EducationUnion Education Directors, World Field

• In general, do you feel that Adventist schools
  are putting their educational philosophy into
  practice?

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What is the most urgent need of Seventh-day
Adventist education in the world today? Union
Directors

• 17 Financial Support
• 17 Good dedicated teachers
• 15 To be guided by a philosophy, a faith
• 13 Put belief into practice
• 10 Other ideas
• 6 Parent/Church Commitment
• 6 Promotion
• 6 Expand curriculum
• 3 Help students accent Christ form character
• 3 Leadership

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Back to the Initial Question Is the glass half
empty or half full when it comes to prospects for
Adventist education? My final answer?
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• On one handI believe the glass is half FULL
  when it comes to Adventist education
• We have over 1,000,000 students around the
  world!!
• Were the largest single system of Christian
  education on the planet
• Children have a better ideas of salvation
  (Habenicht)
• Teens express higher levels of spirituality
  (Gane)
• Many Adventist young adults who stop attending
  Church will return (Dudley)
• Adventist leaders, members agree on the
  importance of academic qualitymaking our schools
  excellent (Brantley).

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• On the other handI believe the glass is half
  EMPTY.
• Per Cent of SDA youth in SDA schools shrinking
• Too many SDA children come from broken homes
• Teens report reading the Bible less (Gane)
• Too many Adventist young adults feel estranged
  from their local churches (Dudley)
• Adventist leaders fail to sufficiently promote
  Adventist education (Brantley)
• Adventist teachers often feel isolated and alone
  (Brantley)

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• Have you heard this conversation before?
• THE REASON OUR SCHOOLS ARE IN TROUBLE IS
• Pastors just dont promote Christian education
  (promotion)
• This assumes that Promotion--------------------gtGr
  owth
• SDA education has priced itself out the market!
  (finance)
• This assumes that Finances-----------------------gt
  Growth
• We dont have a SDA school or college here
  (access)
• This assumes that Access-------------------------gt
  Growth
• ALL of these are simplistic explanations.
• WHAT is the best source of true growth?

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Student Outcomes
Operations
Leadership
Finance
Access
Philosophy (reform)
Quality
Growth
Promotion
Climate
My proposal? A New Kind of Marketing Model A
Reform-based Marketing Model
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Lets fill up the glass!! God has
promised-- Seek you first the kingdom of God,
and all these things shall be added unto
you. Ask and it shall be given unto you . . .
Pressed down and running over.
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An Appeal
Though in many respects our institutions of
learning have swung into worldly conformity, they
are prisoners of hope. . . P. 145 We need now
to begin again. Reforms must be entered in with
heart and soul and will. . . . Test. Vol. 6, p.
142 It is the degree of moral power pervading a
school that is a test of its prosperity. . . p.
143 May God give us the wisdom to know His will
and the courage to do it!
Paul S. Brantley 2001