In this episode, Matt asks the question, “Are we in danger of, or have we made excellence an idol in Christian education?” We we discuss how school mission statements are structured—and how often excellence is named as part of the mission. We think through the meaning of rigor in academics, and the purpose of school as an institution. We wonder about excellence as a learning target for Christian schools; is this what we are aiming for? We get specific about things like assignments, feedback to students, and the way we use grades as a way of trying to measure excellence. As usual, we have lots of questions, and perhaps fewer answers, but through the conversation we clarify our own thinking about the role of excellence in Christian education.