AACS Today

The AACS National Competition was held April 12-14 in Greenville, SC. In this episode, Jamison and Matt recap the week plus they discuss why competition is important and how to help our students think biblically about competition. There is also rigorous debate about the best cheese curds!To view the list of winners from this year's competition, be sure to visit this link.

Does an organization's status as tax exempt make it a recipient of Federal Financial Aid?  An affirmative answer to this question has big implications for Christian schools and ministries. In this episode, Jamison and Matt discuss a recent court victory on this issue as well as some other cases making their way through the courts. They also share a proposed piece of legislation that could bring much-needed clarity to this issue.

In part 2 of their discussion, Jamison and Matt tackle how the negative use of the Christian Nationalist label shows up in culture against Christians who are vocal about their faith. They close the discussion by answering whether or not Christians should embrace the term.

In part 1 of their discussion on Christian Nationalism, Jamison and Matt seek to provide a definition of the term to help listeners understand what an individual might mean when they use the term, "Christian Nationalism." Christians who are vocal about applying their beliefs to all aspects of life should be prepared to be called a Christian Nationalist.

For a Christian school to thrive, there is no relationship more important than between the pastor and school administrator.  In this episode, listeners will glean relational nuggets from Pastor Redlin's three decades of ministry experience.  For nine years, co-host, Jamison Coppola and Pastor Redlin served together at a church in Colorado, and this conversation reflects back on their time together and sheds light on how pastors and school administrators can be effective together as they seek to serve the Lord in Christian school ministry.

The AACS Youth Legislative Training Conference (YLTC) is just around the corner. In this episode, YLTC alumnus, Peter Holland, joins Jamison and Matt to talk about the impact the program had on him and how it has helped shape his career in Washington, D.C. The application deadline for this summer's program is March 25, so be sure to get applications to your state office today!Click here for more information about YLTC!

As a representative for Ohio's 88th District, Gary Click has been a fierce advocate for religious liberty and protecting children. In this episode, Rep. Click provides insight into the passage of a recent constitutional amendment in Ohio. Rep. Click also shares some important updates on what's happening in the battle for school choice in his state.

As a representative for Ohio's 88th District, Gary Click has been a fierce advocate for religious liberty and protecting children. In this episode, Rep. Click provides insight into the passage of the SAFE (Save Adolescents from Experimentation) Act in Ohio. Rep. Click also shares some of the important background information that led to the bill's creation as well as what the bill prohibits.

While border policy is not an area of major focus for the Washington office, much of the energy in the Capitol has been focused on the border bill that has been recently presented. Jamison provides some perspective on the bill to help us better understand the larger implications of this proposed legislative compromise.

By a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors and Board of State Representatives, Dr. Richard Callahan has been elected to serve as the next President of the AACS. Dr. Callahan serves as the Senior Pastor of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Archdale, North Carolina, and he has been actively involved in Christian education for more than four decades through his leadership of Mount Calvary Christian School and his involvement with the North Carolina Christian School Association.On this episode of the podcast, Jamison and Matt interview Dr. Callahan so that AACS members can get to know their new President.

In this episode, get to know Hannah DeBruler, Policy Analyst for Higher Education for the AACS. Jamison, Matt and Hannah discuss why higher education has become the "tip of the policy spear" for issues related to education. 

As Americans, we love our choices. Have you visited the ice cream aisle lately? In this episode, Jamison and Matt discuss school choice and specifically what is happening with school choice in the state of Texas.

In this episode, you'll get to know Olivia Summers, who joined joined the AACS Washington office as the Government Relations Assistant in the summer of 2023. Olivia has many responsibilities including helping to make the Youth Legislative Training Conference a success. 

The post-Christmas political drama on Capitol Hill is in full swing. Jamison and Matt discuss the the latest on spending talks, possible impeachment hearings, foreign aid,  the possibility of a tax bill in the coming year, and even a Hunter Biden sighting at a recent hearing in the House. This episode will get you up-to-speed on the latest from D.C.!

Jamison and Matt break down the top 3 issues Congress will be wrestling with in the new year. Will Congress return to regular order, or will it be business as usual in the D.C.?

Has it really been 2 years since our last podcast? We've missed connecting with you via the podcast, so we're bringing it back to you on a more regular basis. Join Jamison and Matt as they reintroduce the podcast and explain the 4 areas where the Washington office advocates on behalf of our members.

In this episode, the AACS Executive Director, Government Relations Director, and legal counsel join Matt to discuss Christian school responses to mask mandates and other requirements from health departments.

Lions, and tigers, and EANS, oh my!  There's an alphabet soup of acronyms for different COVID-19 funding programs available to private schools.  In this episode, Jamison and Matt discuss the primary differences between EANS 1 and EANS 2.  "EANS" stands for Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools, and these programs are getting a lot of attention in the education world right now.  After listening to this episode, you'll have a better understanding of the difference between the two programs.  During the show, Jamison referenced the Frequently Asked Questions (updated March 19, 2021) document about the EANS 1 program.

What's your plan to address the COVID gap at your school?  Undoubtedly, many students transferring to your school experienced learning loss due to the conditions surrounding the pandemic.  Do you have a plan to address this challenge as you prepare for the 2021–2022 school year?Join host Matt Ticzkus,  Dr. Jeff Walton, AACS Executive Director, and Bryan Wilson, Administrator at Harford Christian School, as they discuss what the data is telling us about learning loss and how Harford Christian is proactively meeting the needs of incoming students through their COVID Gap Remediation program.Resources from the podcast:COVID Gap Remediation Considerations documentCOVID Gap Remediation example brochure First Grade Readiness example test from Harford Christian (please do not submit this form) Tutorial from Jotform on turning your form into a quiz or testTestPoint Placement TestingPoints of interest about Jotform:Integrates with Google Drive so you get all responses and attachments immediately upon submission.Can set Jotform to email answers immediately.Includes many other types of questions using built-in widgets.

Religious liberty is undoubtedly under attack in our nation. Sherri Huston from the Alliance Defending Freedom joins Matt and Jamison to discuss ADF's Ministry Alliance partnership with AACS.  The Ministry Alliance provides schools with access to attorneys and legal resources as well as proactive measures like document review.  ADF will be mailing out 4 legal guides to all AACS schools the week of March 1, 2021, and the guides will provide broad guidance on health insurance, admissions, athletics, and employment.  Please visit https://www.adfministryalliance.org/partners/american-association-of-christian-schools for more information about the ADF Ministry Alliance partnership.  Please reach out directly to Sherri, shuston@adflegal.org for questions about the program.