The Adventist Edge

The Southern Union of Seventh-Day Adventist has responded to the North American Division's "Journey to Excellence" by creating the initiative of the Adventist EDGE - Educators Delivering GREAT Education, where GREAT stands for

• God-centered
• Results oriented
• Environment that nurtures
• Aligned with Adventist and national standards with a
• Team effort.

Our philosophy is to meet the needs of the whole child, Adventist EDGE teachers honor the natural cycle of learning. The natural cycle begins by connecting with the child’s experience, moving on to provide information and instruction before allowing students to practice and celebrate new learning. In keeping with the SDA philosophy of encouraging students to be “thinkers and not mere reflectors of other men’s thoughts”, EDGE teachers follow a constructivist philosophy*, encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to expand their knowledge and enhance their understanding of the world. Dialogue and collaboration are crucial to the process. In EDGE classrooms, children talk about what they are doing and reflect on how their understanding is changing.

See Adventist Edge Performance Standards

See North American Division's "Journey to Excellence" Key Learnings

Cognitive Genesis

CognitiveGenesis;is a groundbreaking study that indicates that students in U.S. Adventist schools perform a half-grade level better than the national average regardless of school size. And the longer they attend, the greater their academic success!

Cognitive Genesis Research Findings & Resources

• 2011 Union Report for the United States Powerpoint and Explanation here
• Watch the 2006-2007 First Year Results video
• View media coverage and downloadable materials on the CognitiveGenesis Study