At a recent meeting of the White House Faith Office in Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to visit with Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, about a concern that weighs heavily on my heart: How do we raise strong, grounded leaders in the age of AI?
Today’s children face a relentless torrent of information—much of it untethered from truth—rushing toward them every day, subtly shaping their beliefs, values, and identity. I shared my conviction that if we are not intentional, the culture will gladly conform them to something far from a biblical worldview.
Jim’s response was energizing. He told me about a 13-week initiative they support called Raising Highly Capable Kids, built around 40 developmental assets identified by the Search Institute. As I reviewed those assets, I was struck by how closely they align with what truly builds resilient, confident, faith-rooted children—exactly the kind of formation we are pursuing at Christian Crossroads Academy. ~ Danita Bye
Here is the list:
The 40 Developmental Assets
Search Institute has identified the following building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up healthy, caring and responsible.
EXTERNAL ASSETS
Support
Family support - Family life provides high levels of love and support.
Positive family communication - Parent(s) and child communicate positively.
Child feels comfortable seeking advice and counsel from parent(s). Other adult relationships - Child receives support from adults other than her or his parent(s).
Caring neighborhood - Child experiences caring neighbors.
Caring school climate - Relationships with teachers and peers provide a caring, encouraging environment.
Parent involvement in schooling - Parent(s) are actively involved in helping the child succeed in school.
Empowerment
7. Community values youth—Child feels valued and appreciated by adults in the community.
8. Children as resources—Child is included in decisions at home and in the community.
9. Service to others—Child has opportunities to help others in the community.
10. Safety—Child feels safe at home, at school, and in his or her neighborhood.
Boundaries & Expectations
11. Family boundaries—Family has clear and consistent rules and consequences and monitors the child’s whereabouts.
12. School boundaries—School provides clear rules and consequences.
13. Neighborhood boundaries—Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring the child’s behavior.
14. Adult role models—Parent(s) and other adults in the child’s family, as well as non-family adults, model positive, responsible behavior.
15. Positive peer iluence—Child’s closest friends model positive, responsible behavior.
16. High expectations—Parent(s) and teachers expect the child to do her or his best at school and in other activities.
Constructive Use of Time
17. Creative activities—Child participates in music, art, drama, or creative writing two or more times per week.
18. Youth programs—Child participates two or more times per week in curricular school activities or structured community programs for children.
19. Religious community—Child attends religious programs or services one or more times per week.
20. Time at home—Child spends some time most days both in high-quality interaction with parents and doing things at home other than watching TV or playing video games.
INTERNAL ASSETS
Commitment to Learning
21. Achievement motivation—Child is motivated and strives to do well in school.
22. Learning engagement—Child is responsive, attentive, and actively engaged in learning at school and enjoys participating in learning activities outside of school.
23. Homework—Child usually hands in homework on time.
24. Bonding to school—Child cares about teachers and other adults at school.
25. Reading for pleasure—Child enjoys and engages in reading for fun most days of the week.
Positive Values
26. Caring—Parent(s) tell the child it is important to help other people.
27. Equality and social justice—Parent(s) tell the child it is important to speak up for equal rights for all people.
28. Integrity—Parent(s) tell the child it is important to stand up for one’s beliefs.
29. Honesty—Parent(s) tell the child it is important to tell the truth.
30. Responsibility—Parent(s) tell the child it is important to accept personal responsibility for behavior.
31. Restraint—Parent(s) tell the child it is important to have good health habits and an understanding of healthy sexuality.
Social Competencies
32. Planning and decision making—Child thinks about decisions and is usually happy with results of her or his decisions.33. Interpersonal competence—Child cares about and is affected by other people’s feelings, enjoys making friends, and, when frustrated or angry, tries to calm her - or himself.
34. Cultural competence—Child knows and is comfortable with people of different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds and with her or his own cultural identity.
35. Resistance skills—Child can stay away from people who are likely to get her or him in trouble and are able to say no to doing wrong or dangerous things.
36. Peaceful conflict resolution—Child seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently.
Positive Identity
37. Personal power—Child feels he or she has some influence over things that happen in her or his life.
38. Self-esteem—Child likes and is proud to be the person that he or she is.
39. Sense of purpose—Child sometimes thinks about what life means and whether there is a purpose for her or his life.
40. Positive view of personal future—Child is optimistic about her or his personal future.Danita Bye is a Leadership Futurist, Author, and Founding Board Member of Christian Crossroads Academy. She’s committed to restoring virtue-centered formation in education. Her work focuses on empowering leaders in an age of rapid technological change, where wisdom and discernment matter more than ever.
She partners with Christian leaders across education, business, and civic life who believe character ultimately determines impact. Danita serves on many boards in North Dakota and nationally that are focused on leadership and ethics. She is the author of Millennials Matter and the forthcoming Character Mandate, and a TEDx speaker passionate about forming leaders rooted in truth, courage, and faith.
Danita has a master’s in transformational leadership from Bethel University, MN. She currently lives near the TTT Ranch, in Stanley, North Dakota, where she grew up. She’s been married for 42 years and has six grandchildren.