Giving you more time with your children.
Our mission is to partner with parents in the education and spiritual formation of their children by providing a collaborative education taught from a Biblical worldview.
Our Education Model
ECA is Collaborative
The HOW of education. A school where teachers partner with parents (the co-teachers) to provide an education that both allows students to be deeply influenced and formed by discipleship in the home and also equips them with life skills that are primarily developed within the classroom/group education setting.
ECA is Curricular with Classical Enrichment
The WHAT of education. This school is curricular, meaning that we provide curriculum to students and parents (co-teachers). While our primary model is not fully classical, elements of classical education will be used for enrichment at each level of education to cultivate wisdom and virtue by engaging students with timeless texts and ideas.
ECA is Christian
The WHY or TO WHAT END of education. As an intentionally Christian school, we integrate faith and academics, teaching students from a biblical worldview that emphasizes God's truth in every subject. Our approach seeks to develop both the mind and character of students, encouraging spiritual growth alongside academic excellence. This model fosters a Christ-centered environment where biblical principles guide learning, relationships, and moral development.
Our School Values
The Gospel is central in all we do. The message that salvation is found in Jesus alone really does change everything (Colossians 1:15). As such, we seek to embed the message of the gospel in every aspect of what we do so that our education isn’t just about information, but about formation of the young hearts and minds entrusted to us.
Relationships matter because people matter. We believe in building strong relationships between parents (co-teachers), teachers and students so that every aspect of a student’s education is relational in nature. To this end, we maintain small class sizes and encourage a collaborative learning environment within the central classroom and the home classroom. We also believe that it is good for families to be together, which is why our model exists in the first place; we want parents and kids, as well as siblings, to develop deep and bonding relationships with one another.
Screen-free education that allows students to engage with each other and their teachers in a more meaningful way; when technology is utilized for a unique learning experience, it is always governed by a teacher and strategic for learning (never for entertainment). As students enter middle school, technology may be used to teach essential skills like typing, research, written communication, and more, but is always for learning purposes and overseen by an educator. The school will, at all grade levels, be a phone free zone.
Cultivating curiosity so as to develop life-long learners. This means we seek to include (in these early stages) as much exploration and play-based learning as possible. We desire to implement classical education elements for enrichment at each level to train kids to seek what is good, true, and beautiful as they grow to be disciples of Christ who walk in wisdom.
Discipleship begins in the home, and we want to come alongside parents in this, their primary calling. We believe that parents (not the school) are the primary discipleship force in a child’s life, but we want to support parents as they lead their kids in the Lord.
Local church involvement is essential for families to grow in the Lord, which is why we require our families to be involved in a local church. The school can never replace the church in terms of providing Christian community, discipleship, teaching, and more, and we expect that our families will serve and grow in the context of the local church first, and at ECA in a secondary way.
Developing resilience in students who are critical thinkers and who know they can do hard things. We want to breed independence and grit through giving students increasing responsibility and autonomy as they grow. We will partner with parents first as co-teachers (elementary), then as tutors (middle school), and finally as supervisors (high school) of their children’s education; with increasing maturity will come increased responsibility and freedom for students.
At-Home Days
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are on-campus school days for all students. Lessons will be taught in the home on Mondays and Fridays. For all home education days, parents (co-teachers) are responsible for the delivery of new material, overseeing the completion of assignments or worksheets, and grading any assignments.
Parental Roles
We believe that as students grow and mature, they are able to be given increased responsibility for their education. Because of this, parents will take on different roles in their students’ education as their student progresses. Of course, parents know their students best and should engage with their students in the way they see to be most effective, but our hope is to see parents progress from being co-teachers, to tutors, to supervisors.
The kindergarten through fifth grade years provide a foundation for academic success. The student will learn to read fluently with comprehension and master basic math facts in the beginning years and will then start applying that knowledge in more difficult scenarios that will still need guidance. Responsibilities are divided between the classroom teacher and the co-teacher at home.
Co-teacher: Elementary
Courses involving this role are made successful because each student has a private tutor, the parent, willing and ready to assist. Parents will receive instructions from the classroom teacher on a regular basis outlining homework assignments, follow-up study over covered material, and any preparation or review needed for their next class.
Tutor: Middle School
Students at a high school level should be capable of managing their assignments and lessons with increased independence. This means that the parent takes on the role of supervising their education, empowering them to complete assignments and lessons as assigned by the classroom teacher. They should check in with their student, as a good supervisor would, on their student’s assignments and progress.
Supervisor: High School
Collaborative Academics
“At-Home Work” is not busy work. Meaningful assignments offer preparation, practice and extension at home on a schedule that accommodates the demands of each family. Well-planned assignments have three purposes:
to preview and develop a basic understanding of material before it is presented in class (science and history)
to practice new concepts, skills or vocabulary (math, spelling, grammar)
to show achievement (preparing book reports, working on individual or group projects, and studying for tests)
ECA sets high academic standards for its students. Success in a collaborative- style school requires significant and consistent effort by both students and their parents to complete assignments outside of class. For that reason “At-Home Work” is an integral part of academic success at Evergreen, and should be understood as different from traditional homework.
Homework vs. “At-Home-Work”
ECA does not assign evening homework as would be assigned in traditional schools. We believe that between the central classroom studies and home classroom studies, students will be adequately equipped. Some of their at- home-work can be done independently and during the home classroom time as the parent sees fit, but on school days no assignments will be given for students to complete after the school day has concluded.
Co-Teacher Training
Every co-teacher is required to attend a 1-day co-teacher training event in August before the school year begins. This training day will cover various topics in order to ensure that all our families are successful in the unique collaborative model of schooling. The date for this training event will be announced in the spring and parents should plan ahead to ensure that at least one of them (the parent primarily tasked with their child’s homeschool days) is able to attend for the full day. Both parents are welcome.
