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Biblical foundation for parent responsibility

Following is a selection of biblical references that build a doctrine of parental responsibility to raise children with an all-of-life perspective of God and His lordship:

My people, hear my teaching;
    listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,
    and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget his deeds
    but would keep his commands.
They would not be like their ancestors—
    a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
    whose spirits were not faithful to him.

Psalm 78

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:4

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Parent governance

Many Christian schools, in recognising the core responsibility of parents in the raising of children over and above the responsibilities of the church and and the government, will seek to establish and govern the local Christian school. Hence the formation of parent-governed Christian schools over the last five decades in Australia.

There are amazing stories about communities of parents who were so strong in their convictions and commitments in establishing Christian schools to educate their children with a biblical understanding, and in alignment with the values and beliefs of their family, who faithfully and sacrificially raised funds and physically built the schools for this kind of Christian education to happen. For some Christian Education National (CEN) schools, these parents worked tirelessly for many years before the first class ever took place!

A school governed by parents is unique in many ways. How does it work? What does 'parent governance' mean in today's highly regulated culture? The video below explains the rich expression and heart of parent-governed schooling.

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This video clearly explains the core governance structure of most of our Christian Education National member schools. Whilst regulatory requirements for schools help to monitor the performance and practices of school boards and how schools run and meet community expectations, one of the core values and indeed distinctive features of CEN schools is the concept of 'partnership' with parents.

Another important point to highlight is the need for school boards to be well-trained in governance practices. CEN offers both online, in print and face to face training in support of all school boards that is free to access. For more information on this training, feel free to explore the Board Training Resources page on the Christian Education National website.

Partnership IS...

Partnership involves parents supporting the school in their provision of Christian education by getting involved in the school's association, volunteering for camps and excursions, communicating encouragement and appropriate feedback using the right channels and praying for the school consistently. This relationship should be grounded in a shared understanding of the purpose of Christian education and a covenantal agreement about the task of formation of students through a biblical understanding of God's world, preparing them for the life and and purposeful work God has planned for each child (Ephesians 2:10).

Partnership IS NOT...

Partnership with Christian parents does not mean that parents can tell principals or teachers how to do their job, or make specific demands about their child's education in that school. There are government bodies whose role it is to regulate a school's learning programs, curriculum standards, child and workplace safety policies, registration of teachers and accountability for their suitability to teach.

As you can see, 'partnership' is a significant relationship between a Christian school and the parents in the school. Whilst the oversight and operational responsibilities of running a Christian school has shifted towards government regulated bodies, the parents' association and board are indeed the 'keepers of the mission and purpose' of the school, and together with the school must work in unity to cultivate and perpetuate a shared vision and understanding of Christian education.

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Click "Next" below and complete the short reflection on this module.