Education Partnership
The Reach America Christian Education Partnership “Partnering with parents to prepare young people for life!”
Reach America is partnering with parents to prepare youth for life. It is our belief that the public school system is failing our youth and our community. The majority of Christian education programs have “baptized” the public school model. Although current Christian school education is far superior to the public schools, it lacks the critical elements necessary to prepare youth for life in this current culture. DNA matters.
Our Biblical Values/DNA
Whole Person
In John 10:10, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life.” Without a doubt, the formal education of our children is of immense importance; our kids must be ready for further education; college and/or vocational goals. However, a child’s formal education is only a slice of the life development pie. Other slices include; family, spiritual development, church involvement, preparation for marriage, play, healthy relationship development, spiritual and vocational mentoring, leadership training and community impact.
Parent-Directed and Family Focused
A child’s primary educators are their parents. At the direction of the parents, others such as teachers, spiritual and vocational mentors can be employed. Environment and personnel play a vital role in education. Where our children are educated and by whom matters. The Apostle Paul wrote in Acts 17:28, “In him, we live and move and have our being.” In short, where our kids live and move they become. Family is important to the healthy development of youth. Thus, our goal is no home work and school work completed by Thursday each week. We don’t enroll youth in our program, we enroll families. Parents need help. The culture is too invasive in our kid’s life.
Church-Centered
After the family, the local church is a key institution in raising godly, culturally relevant and impacting youth. Healthy family development and effective involvement in the local church need not be sacrificed at the altar of formal education.
Individual Plan/Study
Under the direction of their parents, students will develop an education plan based on the student and the unique way God has gifted them. We will use the internet as a tool for our independent study. Students will use IVA or a Christian online program.
College/Vocational Prep
Youth in our program will be ready for the next step in their life. Because of our unique, whole person approach, students will be ready for college and have time to enjoy their youth and their family. They will also be able to participate in their church’s activities.
Self-Teach
Another important aspect of our partnership is the emphasis on “self-teaching.” While current education models are built around the teacher, our program is built around the student. For example; in the traditional model, a teacher teaches algebra to a room full of students. In our program, the teacher trains each student to teach his or herself algebra.
Leadership Training
An overlooked aspect of our youth’s educational development is leadership training and development. Once a student learns how to self-teach, our students will develop the skills to teach others to self-teach. Learning to lead others is a skill few Christians possess. In this age of cultural upheaval young people not only need to learn a biblical worldview, they also need to be able to effectively defend a biblical worldview and persuade others.
The Launch of our Education Partnership: We are looking for pioneers!
Reach America is launching a pilot program in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in September, 2012. Our goal is to start the program with 25 students and their families. It is important to point out that we are enrolling families, not just students.
Reach America has been given the use of a building by Highway Evangelism at 1602 Lee Court in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The building is next door (west side) to the Sower Christian Bookstore on Appleway Avenue, across from Lowe’s.
Gary Brown will be the Director of the program. Gary has 35 years of experience as a pastor. For 19 of those years, Pastor Brown was a national education consultant. Five years prior to moving to Idaho, he was a trusted advisor to many in the US Congress in the area of education. Mr. Brown studied history and political science at the Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom and is a graduate of Howard Payne University and the New Orleans Baptist Seminary.
Cindy Brown will be the Administrator for the program. Mrs. Brown has 17 years of administrative experience as a vision and hearing specialist, an elementary and middle school lead secretary and as an administrative assistant to the Associate Superintendent of schools in Covington, Georgia.
Melinda Brown is the Lead Teacher for the program. Ms. Brown is a certified teacher. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia where she received her undergraduate degree and teaching credentials in math and science. She also received her master’s degree from UGA in language arts and social sciences. Melinda is completing her fourth year of teaching in Georgia and will be relocating to north Idaho this summer. Ms. Brown is the daughter of Gary and Cindy Brown, the founders of Reach America.
As stated earlier, our goal is to recruit 25 youth (6-12 grades) and their families to our pilot program. The process will be as follows. Interested families will interview with the Reach America staff. Upon acceptance, parents will enroll their student(s) in the IVA or the NWC online program, paying any and all fees related to the online program of their choice. Parents and their student(s) will meet with RA Staff to develop an individualized plan for each young person in the family. Students will complete their online assignments at the Reach America House. The online program will be supplemented with classes taught by our staff. Students will attend each week, Monday through Thursday, during the regular school year. There will be an occasional field trip on Fridays.
This program must be affordable and reproducible to be successful. We have compared our fees with other Christian schools and we have developed the following fee scale. Even with these low fees, scholarships will still be necessary.
The cost for each student/family is as follows:
- First student: $2,400 annually/$200 per month
- Second student: $1,800 annually/$150 per month
- Third student: $1,200 annually/$100 per month
For more information call Gary Brown at 208-660-1727 or mail us at gary@letsreachamerica.org
