Trainings

Dr. Anika Prather provides professional development and consulting for schools seeking to cultivate communities where every student is known, valued, and challenged to flourish. Trainings are available at her office in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, virtually through Zoom, and, on a limited basis, at schools and organizations across the country.

Koinonia Education

For Christian schools, Dr. Prather has developed Koinonia Education, a framework for cultivating Christian Schools of Belonging. Grounded in the life of the early Church, Koinonia Education equips Christian schools to faithfully welcome students from diverse backgrounds while remaining firmly rooted in Scripture and centered on Christ. Rather than viewing diversity as a program or initiative, Koinonia Education invites schools to recover the biblical vision of koinonia, a community where believers are united in Christ, formed through authentic relationships, and committed to loving one another across differences. Because Koinonia Education is a framework rather than a curriculum, it can be implemented within any Christian educational philosophy, including Classical Christian, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, University-Model, and other Christian school models.

At The Living Water School, this framework is lived out through Koinonia Classical Education. Anika developed Koinonia Classical Education to distinguish her approach from classical education models that primarily center one human story. Koinonia Classical Education is rooted in the classical tradition while intentionally bringing the stories, ideas, and contributions of people from many cultures into conversation with the Great Books. The goal is not to replace the classical tradition but to help students experience it more fully by recognizing the many ways classical education has connected to all types of people throughout history and across cultures.

Schools that complete Koinonia Education training and demonstrate evidence that they have implemented the core pillars of the framework may become Certified Koinonia Schools. Certification recognizes a school’s commitment to cultivating a Christian School of Belonging by intentionally fostering Christ-centered community, welcoming diverse human stories, and living out the biblical vision of koinonia.

Dr. Prather’s forthcoming book, The Koinonia Theory (anticipated 2027 with Anthem Press), will provide Christian school leaders with practical guidance, biblical reflection, and discussion tools for evaluating how their schools embody the New Testament vision of Christian community. The book invites schools to engage in honest conversations about hospitality, discipleship, unity, and belonging, encouraging them to reflect God’s design for the Church as a community where people from every background grow together in Christ.

Diversity & Belonging Training

In addition to her work with Christian schools, Dr. Prather provides professional development for public, independent, charter, and other educational organizations. Her training emphasizes the importance of recognizing the dignity and humanity of every student while helping schools build cultures where students from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds experience genuine welcome and meaningful belonging. Dr. Prather equips educators with practical strategies for fostering communities where academic excellence and human flourishing go hand in hand.