About
Job Board
Blog
Contact
Payments
Membership
Accreditation
Professional Learning Services
Instructional ResourcesVirtual Gatherings
In the Loop
In the Loop is a lineup of monthly gatherings and conversations for CSI member school leaders. This virtual format allows leaders in similar roles from our community of CSI schools to gather, grow, learn, and share.
Civic Hospitality: Teaching Dispositions for Living Well with Diversity
Tuesday, September 17 at 12:30 p.m. EST
Polarization is a significant societal problem and forms part of the context in which students are being shaped and in which they will live and work. Liberal models tend to recommend tolerance as the virtue needed for dealing with differences. Christianity asks for more, calling us to hospitality. How do we teach toward the capacity for exercising hospitality in diverse spaces? Examples from the Civic Hospitality Project will be explored.
- Presenter -
David I. Smith is director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning, coordinator of the de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development, and professor of Education at Calvin University. He writes and speaks widely on Christian education, including his forthcoming new book, Everyday Christian Teaching (Eerdmans, 2025).
Save the remaining 2024–2025 dates, which occur the third Thursday of each month:
November 21: Building Resilience for Sustainable Leadership
December 12: Christian School Outcomes: Delivering on Our Promises
January 16: How to “Reset” the Bible to Get Students Engaged
February 20: Deep Change Takes Community
March 20: Guiding Schools to Flourish: Board Governance and School Leadership
April 17: Setting (and Actually Accomplishing!) Your Strategic Enrollment Goals
Difference for Schools
Thursday, October 17 at 12:30 p.m. EST
Developed by educational experts, Difference for Schools aims to address the complexities and divisions of our societies by equipping young people with the tools to navigate difference, disagreement and fracture. The resource explores the example of Christ and will empower both educators and students, supporting them to develop empathy in everyday encounters.
- Presenters -
Alysia-Lara Ayonrinde is the national education lead for racial justice within the Church of England. Her distinguished career in education spans over fifteen years, encompassing senior leadership roles across the UK, West Africa, and South America. She brings unique, evidence- based perspectives that supportively challenge conventional norms to foster greater interfaith and intercultural understanding in schools, communities, and churches. Alysia-Lara is deeply committed to fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, evident through her transformative contributions to learning environments. She pioneers innovative strategies that empower leaders, teachers, and students from all backgrounds to flourish.
Lorraine Prince is the head of networks for The Church of England Education Office. Lorraine also co-leads the Difference Course, aimed at equipping pupils to bridge divides and build peacemaking skills in secondary schools. With twenty-five years of teaching experience in the UK and US, Lorraine holds a Master of Teaching degree from the Institute of Education in London and a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from The State University of New York in New Paltz.
Kiera Phyo works for the Archbishop of Canterbury in his Reconciliation ministry at Lambeth Palace. She is the director of the Reconciling Leaders Network with a vision to see a generation of peacemakers mobilized for a just and flourishing world. Kiera has co-pioneered the development of Difference, recently launching the programme for schools and youth groups. Difference explores following Jesus in a complex and divided world, equipping young people with skills to cross divides and navigate disagreement. Kiera previously led the youth engagement for an international Christian NGO; she is a faith contributor on BBC Radio and youth work volunteer at her local church.