Cardus

Founding and building independent schools is an immensely challenging undertaking. So why would school founders create their own schools, with public education as an option? This reality "signals that a diversity of [educational] options is not a luxury, but rather it is a necessity," says Cardus's Jeneya Ko.

Ko and co-author Joanna VanHof's latest report surveys leaders and educators associated with the 300+ new independent schools founded in Ontario in the past few years, to learn what drives them, how they sustain their schools, and what policymakers need to know about this extraordinary movement of educational entrepreneurialism. Read the full report here ➡️ https://bit.ly/3ReVX6c

What does it actually look like to run or lead in a business as a Christian? What role can Christian business leadership play in the renewal of society and the building of the common good?

These are the animating questions behind the Cardus Entrepreneurial NextGEN (ENG) Fellowship, a one-year formation program for Canadian business leaders who believe their work is more than a balance sheet. Twelve fellows are selected each year to journey together through an integrated curriculum of learning, reflection, and practice, guided by seasoned mentors and shaped by the deep tradition of Christian social thought.

The curriculum is built around six core themes:

➡️ Faith, Funds, and Entrepreneurship — What does it mean to treat business as a vocation? Fellows explore the biblical vision for enterprise and the theology of work.

➡️ Leadership Essentials — Strategy, decision-making, and what it takes to build organizations that are both excellent and healthy. This is formation for the hard choices leaders actually face.

➡️ Business and Community — Business doesn't happen in a vacuum. This theme examines the public role of enterprise in civic life, and how leaders can shape communities, culture, and institutions — for better or worse.

➡️ Character Matters — What kind of person does your organization need you to be? Fellows dig into the moral and institutional dimensions of leadership, exploring how character shapes culture from the top down.

➡️ Hot Topics — From AI to the ethics of contemporary capitalism, this theme engages the live debates that business leaders can't afford to sidestep, and equips Fellows to navigate them with clarity and conviction.

➡️ Looking Forward — The final theme is integration: how do you carry what you've learned back into your business, your life, and your public influence?

The program runs in a blended format designed for busy leaders: five in-person gatherings across Canada aligned with flagship Cardus events, plus four online sessions connecting faith, business, and leadership throughout the year.

Applications close June 15, 2026. The first cohort begins September 2026.

Learn more and apply at https://bit.ly/4eBoxIT

Public education in Ontario was conceived of as a project of assimilation. "That mindset, and the ways in which it lives on today, is something for my progressive friends to grapple with," says Cardus Education Program Director Joanna VanHof.

Educational pluralism, instead—as expressed in the boom of new independent schools across Ontario in the last several years—creates space for other pedagogies, faith traditions, and cultures to flourish, while remaining accountable for high educational standards and forming engaged citizens that contribute to the richness of our society.

VanHof and co-author Jeneya Ko's latest report surveys the 300+ new independent schools in Ontario and how they reflect the search for educational alternatives. What do these schools offer that public education doesn't, leading so many founders, educators, families, and students to pour their hearts and hard work into the immense project of founding a new school? Discover the answer by reading the report here ➡️ https://bit.ly/4u6xKh7