The Barnabas Initiative

Overview

There are approximately 200 international Christian schools (ICSs) around the world serving the missionary, diplomatic and international business communities. The rich experiences, perspectives, values, and even aptitudes that characterize our TCK students have uniquely prepared them to have a disproportionate influence on the world. The potential of our schools to shape the world for Christ is, therefore, significantly greater than our modest numbers would suggest.

A primary obstacle to maximizing impact for many international Christian schools is resources. On our own, many of our schools lack the financial and human capital needed to regularly envision, and then implement, the school improvements they believe will help them develop the potential that arrives on their campuses each year.

The Barnabas Initiative seeks to help our schools move from surviving to thriving, by encouraging mutual support and collaboration amongst the international Christian schools community as they pursue Christ-like excellence, through increased sharing of ideas and resources.

Goals

As it develops, we expect the Barnabas Initiative to include, among others, the following elements:

The Fresh Eyes Project

Developing pools of experts from various ICSs who would be willing to visit schools (at no cost to the receiving school) in Africa and around the world, who are seeking external feedback, or fresh ideas and practices from experienced peers who understand the unique challenges faced by ICSs.

The Fresh Eyes Project in Action

Paths to School Improvement (PSI) is a visionary program started by ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) to provide training in school improvement planning to local Christian schools in Africa. Barnabas Initiative funding has been critical in allowing several Rosslyn staff to play a leading role in this effort in Kenya. In 2018-19, Rosslyn teachers, James Nyagetiria and Angela Gitonga, became PSI trainers and launched the first PSI training cohorts in Nairobi and Kisumu. Rosslyn's commitment to the development of the PSI program in Kenya is long-term.

In September of 2019, funding from the Barnabas Initiative allowed Rosslyn to partner with sister-school Dakar Academy in its three-day professional development training. In this case, Rosslyn's Superintendent collaborated with Harvard Project Zero's Mark Church (Making Thinking Visible) to present three days on the practical links between Intellectual Virtue and Thinking Routines.

In 2019, thanks to Barnabas Initiative funding, Rosslyn English teacher, Dr. Tim Shea, was able to travel to Istanbul to provide several successful days of teacher training for International Gateway Academy (IGA). IGA's Director of Teaching and Learning, Mrs. Gail Edoni, noted, "As a school we are grateful to the Barnabas Project at Rosslyn Academy for releasing Dr. Shea and providing our school with such a strategic and valuable training in professional development."

In both 2016 and 2017, Barnabas Initiative funding allowed Rosslyn to partner with sister-school KICS (Kigali International Community School) in "Policy Governance" training. In the first trip to Kigali, Rosslyn's Board Chair and Superintendent shared Rosslyn's experience with Policy Governance and in the second visit, RA's Superintendent and the KICS board looked at practical steps towards becoming a Policy Governance school.

The Sabbatical Project

Utilizing Rosslyn Academy, and any other willing schools, as a temporary (sabbatical) home for international Christian school educators (ICSEs) to come, rest, think, collaborate, and dream, away from their work homes, but within a vibrant educational context.

The Strategic Conference Project

Regularly bringing together teachers and administrators from international Christian schools for strategic mini-conferences on specific topics related to producing excellence in international Christian schooling (both academically and operationally).

The Research Project

Regularly turn out academically robust, but practically engaged, studies that are of particular relevance and importance to the international Christian schools community.

The Teacher Tithe Project

Creating a platform through which well-resourced schools might tithe one or two excellent teachers, each year, for a year (at minimal to no cost to the receiving schools), to ICSs with significant staffing needs. (Ideally this teacher tithe would be to schools seeking to implement innovative Christian educational strategies or practices that are already being implemented well at the sending school.)