About
ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE FOR FAITH & EDUCATION
At the Leadership Initiative for Faith & Education (LIFE), we envision an education system that reduces educational disparities by embracing 1) partnerships between schools and faith organizations (while respecting the essential separation of church and state), as well as 2) the spiritual lives of students and educators.
There Are Two Parts to Our Vision
Part 1:
At the institutional level, there are over 350,000 faith communities in the United States - mosques, temples, churches, and more - and there are just under 100,000 public schools. While there are powerful examples of faith communities partnering with public schools to achieve student outcomes, these partnerships represent a tiny fraction of the potential. We want to see the number and impact of those institutional partnerships expand dramatically in the years ahead.
Part 2:
At the individual level, school systems must begin to create the conditions to inclusively integrate the spiritual lives of educators and students in order to reap academic and social benefits.
Just imagine...
Imagine if every public school in the United States was partnered directly to one or more faith communities to address specific needs.
Imagine if public schools were places in which young people and educators alike shared their expressions of faith and spirituality in ways that increased understanding, cultivated empathy, and expanded our definition of learning and human development.
This New Vision Inspired Our Theory of Change
If partnerships between faith communities and schools grew and matured and the spiritual lives of educators and students were embraced, we would expect to see:
Increases in academic outcomes especially for our most marginalized students
Decreases in depression and other mental health disorders
Increases in teacher recruitment, satisfaction and longevity in the field
We Know it Can Be Done
There are extraordinary organizations already doing this kind of work and leaders that are proving what’s possible.
Memphis Teacher Residency is a teacher preparation program in Tennessee that integrates faith into its methods and model. Out of 42 teacher preparation programs in the state with complete results, Memphis Teacher Residency was the top scoring program in 2023 and has been the top program four of the last five years.
In Arizona, hundreds of schools are linked with nearby community partners, including faith-based organizations, to build partnerships that leverage community strengths to meet school-based needs.
The Collaborative for Spirituality in Education - founded by Dr. Lisa Miller - builds new research to increase the evidence base focused on the role of spirituality in education while running an institute to help education leaders build more spiritually-supportive environments.
LIFE Leadership
April Finlayson
Irvin Scott
Judy Touzin
LIFE is housed at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, a unique platform for convening practitioners, partnering with crossdisciplinary researchers, and training next generation education leaders.
