The Board of the Friends Council on Education affirms that its membership is comprised only of religious schools based on the faith and practice of the Religious Society of Friends. In order to encourage and welcome the diversity of Quaker education that exists within the Religious Society of Friends, the Council established, in l996, three ways for schools to enter membership. These three pathways equally assure the religious nature of any given Friends school. As in monthly meetings of the Religious Society of Friends, weekly Meeting for Worship is fundamental to the Quaker essence and character of our schools.
Member institutions are those Friends schools that have been approved by the Board of the Friends Council on Education for membership. All member schools meet the criteria for membership, A – G, below.
A) The school has followed at least one of three pathways to membership See “Pathways” above.
- Board Pathway
- Meeting Pathway
- Membership Assessment Process (MAP) Pathway
B) The school acknowledges in its catalogues and other published statements of purpose the intent to be guided by the basic tenets and educational aims of The Religious Society of Friends.
C) The school has given evidence of putting those aims and tenets into practice including:
- Weekly Meeting for Worship is fundamental to the Quaker essence and character of the school.
- Some members of the school’s board participate in a committee or task group whose function is to nurture the Quaker dimension of the school
D) The school’s by-laws or other documents clearly stipulate the way in which the trustees are nominated and approved for the board with attention to the nomination of Quaker members.
E) A team from the Friends Council has visited the school, made recommendations to the school and to the Friends Council board, and the board has approved the school for membership.
F) The school has been in operation with students in attendance for at least two years prior to its first team visit for membership.
G) The school completes the annual school governance survey and contributes annual membership dues to the Friends Council on Education.
