From the National Association of University-Model Schools
®
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION FOR UNIVERSITY-MODEL SCHOOLING
®
University-Model Schooling (UMS) was developed as a result of two guiding objectives:
- to offer students the opportunity to acquire a high degree of academic achievement and
- to preserve and strengthen the God-ordained family relationships in which the Christian faith is most effectively fostered.
The structure in which these two concerns are brought together, University-Model Schooling,
provides an academically challenging education while integrating the home and school in the
common goal of Christ-centered discipling of children.
University-Model Schooling is designed for those families in which parents take an active
role in the oversight and implementation of their children’s education. As the level of
parental involvement progresses from being a private tutor in the elementary years to a
guide for dependent study in Junior High to more of a course monitor in the Senior
High courses, parents are expected to continue exercising loving and active responsibility
for their children all the way through graduation. In partnership with these committed
parents, the school is then able to integrate the home and school effectively toward
the common goal of Christian character development and solid academic preparation for college.
The key to success for the UMS model is the integration of a biblically based, parentally guided,
Christian faith and a sound, teacher-facilitated, academic environment. The Bible gives parents
authority and responsibility for raising their children with the goal of becoming disciples of
Jesus Christ. In matters of education, that parental authority and responsibility, although
not surrendered, may be shared with an educational institution when the parents consider it
desirable or necessary. In such cases, a University-Model School®
will assist, and not supplant, parents in their work of training and educating their children.
The University-Model School, on the other hand, will operate under the umbrella of parental authority
by offering a challenging academic track in the context of Christian values. The school will
unapologetically speak and teach in a manner consistent with the school’s
statement of faith,
emphasizing the necessity of a personal relationship with Christ and growth in Christ-like
character.* In addition, the school will develop and implement academically challenging,
college-preparatory courses that integrate an appropriate level of parental involvement into
each student’s out-of-class study. The school will encourage and expect the student to learn
the material assigned and will provide regular feedback to both the student and parents concerning
the student’s progress in each class enrolled. Finally, the school will integrate the Christian
faith and a biblical worldview into the context of the various subject areas made available, to
the end that Christian character building will receive support and enhancement outside the home.
*According to information gathered by well-known pollster George Barna, the most critical period
when 94% of all boys and girls come to a saving faith in Christ is before the age of 18;
90% before the age of 14! Only 6% will make that soul-saving decision between the age of 18
and their death. Since parents are the most influential factor in this decision, it is vital
that models of education available that recognize the significance of keeping parents involved
with their children during the early, critical years of a child’s education.
Reference: http://www.naums.net/images/UMS_Philosophy.pdf
