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10 Reasons Why Adventist Education Makes Sense

Jay Wintermeyer
By Jay Wintermeyer, December 25, 2021

Adventist education provides families and students with a robust learning platform. Here are ten reasons why Adventist schools are a good choice.

Spiritual Focus

Seventh-day Adventist schools focus on preparing students not just for success in this life, but for eternity. The ultimate goal of each teacher is to see each student in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Student-Teacher Ratio

Most Seventh-day Adventist schools have a low student-teacher ratio. This allows for more individualized attention and instruction. “The benefits of smaller classes extend beyond test scores and student engagement. In addition to the longer-term positive attributes of small class sizes in the early grades, benefits include continued academic and life success.” https://ncte.org/statement/why-class-size-matters/ 

Academic Achievement

CognitiveGenesis, a four-year study of 30,000 students enrolled in Seventh-day Adventist schools across North America, found that students in Seventh-day Adventist schools achieve an average of half a grade above predicted ability in all subjects.

Tailored Curriculum

Seventh-day Adventist schools benefit from a curriculum especially designed for single and multigrade classrooms. The North American Division Office of Education has developed excellent, high-quality, standards-based materials for all classrooms. The curriculum is designed so that students are constantly connected with Christ and the possibilities He has for each life.

Family Atmosphere

Seventh-day Adventist schools have a family atmosphere that is similar to what students encounter in the real world outside the classroom. “The range of social relationship students build in a multilevel classroom more closely reflects the social situations individuals encounter in workplaces, communities and families.” https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/multilevel/chap1.pdf

Involved Parents

Parents appreciate the stable learning community of Adventist schools and the stronger relationships they are able to develop with their child’s teacher. There are more opportunities for parents to be involved whether it is volunteering in the classroom, assisting with a field trip or serving on the local school board.

Peer Tutoring

“The benefits of having older students offer assistance to younger students are supported by research. Studies show that both the student being tutored and the student doing the tutoring improve academically.”  Anderson, R.H. and B. Paven. Nongradeness: Helping it Happen

Community Service

Students in Seventh-day Adventist schools are encouraged to become active members of the local community through various community service projects. From putting on a musical program at the nursing home to raking leaves for an elderly person in the school neighborhood, students are actively engaged in showing God’s love to the world.

Higher Education

Students who attend Seventh-day Adventist schools are more likely to attend college. Over 85% of graduates from Seventh-day Adventist high schools attend college and over 80% of them complete college degrees. This is compared to 66% and 14% of public high school students respectively. Bridgeland, John M. The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts

Remediation and Enrichment

In single and multigrade classrooms, remediation and enrichment activities can be more discreetly arranged than in traditional classrooms.

Find an Adventist school near you.

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Author

Jay Wintermeyer

Jay Wintermeyer

North Pacific Union assistant to the president for communication and Gleaner editor

Featured in: January/February 2022

Section
Feature
Tags
Education, Adventist Education

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The Gleaner is a gathering place with news and inspiration for Seventh-day Adventist members and friends throughout the northwestern United States. It is an important communication channel for the North Pacific Union Conference — the regional church support headquarters for Adventist ministry throughout Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The original printed Gleaner was first published in 1906, and has since expanded to a full magazine with a monthly circulation of more than 40,000. Through its extended online and social media presence, the Gleaner also provides valuable content and connections for interested individuals around the world.

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