Schools

December 3^rd marks the eighth Giving Tuesday since its inception in 2012.  In 2018, on Giving Tuesday, over 400 million dollars were raised online from over 150 different countries.  #GivingTuesday has created a movement.  Yet, hasn’t that movement of the spirit of generosity been planted in our hearts from our inception? As I reflect on the concept of Giving Tuesday and its mission to build a more just and generous world, I am reminded of a book that was given to me called Everyday Stewardship: Living An Extraordinary Life written by Tracy Early Welliver.  The book assisted me in recognizing that as a Christian I am called to be an everyday steward and not solely a Giving Tuesday steward.  For as a Christian I am called to live loudly the words of St. Teresa of Avila who said, “Christ has no body now on earth but yours; therefore, I am challenged to let the Christ in me recognize and respond to the Christ in you.” This message ruminating in my thoughts is juxtaposed with my recent attendance at the performance of Encounter: From the Heart of Pope Francis at my parish, Holy Apostles in New Berlin, Wisconsin.  The performance highlighted the message and lifestyle of Pope Francis, who “compels the global Church to a radically renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ.” This Advent, I will again participate in Giving Tuesday. I also commit myself to practicing everyday stewardship by developing more the traits of mindfulness, prayerfulness, gratitude, graciousness, and accountability so beautifully delineated by Tracy Earl Welliver in her writing on the stewardship journey.

May this year’s Giving Tuesday be a reminder to us of our call to generous stewardship.

Jackie Lichter, Ph.D.

As a company we have guided many dioceses through the process of merging, opening and regionalizing schools. The folks leading those efforts often feel a sense of frustration when people express anger, heartache and sadness upon hearing the news that their beloved Catholic school is closing, merging or reopening under a new name.  For those who have worked behind the scenes gathering the data to make an informed decision they have had time to process the news. Those learning of it for the first time have not.  Perhaps a better response may be-thanks for caring.  For many people, their Catholic school is the place in which they have grown up and come to know and experience Christ.  Aside from the family, their school is often one of the first “communities” to which they have belonged. The bishops of the United States in their 1972 pastoral message To Teach as Jesus Did expressed this reality:

Community is at the heart of Christian education not simply as a concept to be taught but as a reality to be lived. Through education, men must be moved to build community in all areas of life; they can do this best if they have learned the meaning of community by experiencing it.”

(National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1972, §23)

In 2005 this message was echoed and expanded upon in the USCCB’s Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools in the Third Millennium:

These Catholic schools afford the fullest and best opportunity to realize the fourfold purpose of Christian education, namely to provide an atmosphere in which the Gospel message is proclaimed, community in Christ is experienced, service to our sisters and brothers is the norm, and thanksgiving and worship of our God is cultivated.”

(p. 266)

It is no wonder families are often tossed into an initial state of grief at the news of closures, mergers and regionalizing schools.  Yet, just as the Christian story doesn’t end with death, nor does the story of our schools, for we as Christians believe in the Resurrection.  Just as the Apostles initially felt sadness, loss and fear following the death of Jesus but ultimately were moved by the Holy Spirit to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, so too are we as members of these schools going through a similar change and transformation.  We too are called by the Holy Spirit to move beyond our grief to trust in God’s continuous presence in our world and be people of hope and courage invigorated by the vision aimed at not only sustaining but growing our Catholic Schools.  Drawing on the writing of the saints, McNeill and Higgins (2002) wrote:

I had been looking at my life in one way… And then things happened to destroy it… To change it… And in the midst of the destruction, In the midst of the changes, I remained faithful to God. I held on, and God created something new.”

(pp. 252-264)

God indeed is creating something new in our schools today.  We at Meitler feel it in a very palpable way. In this past year not only have we helped with regionalizing schools, we have assisted in 8 new school studies!  So, while yes, there is sadness and loss associated with change, I pray my response remains a “thank you for caring” because without the love and care of one another there is the absence of community.

Dr. Jackie Lichter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Eleven Catholic School Principals Selected for National Mentor Program

Year-long Pilot Program to Provide Ongoing Coaching and Mentoring

Washington, D.C. (October 31, 2019) Catholic elementary school principals who demonstrate strong, transformational leadership were nominated by superintendents from all regions of the country to participate in a new National Catholic School Mentor Program. The program kicked off in August with a three-day Leadership Institute where the principals analyzed their current strategies for curriculum development, funding models, and enrollment management to identify areas of improvement.

The National Catholic School Mentor Program was developed in correlation with the 2016 research on parental perceptions of Catholic schools, The Catholic School Choice: Understanding the Perspectives of Parents and Opportunities for More Engagement. The program intends to equip principals with the skills and resources needed to apply the research and positively impact enrollment and retention in their respective schools.

The program’s sponsors, FADICA, (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities) and the National Catholic Educational Association selected the professional consultants at Meitler to lead the initiative. As experts in Catholic school planning and operational strategy, Meitler coordinated the Leadership Institute and will continue to provide ongoing mentoring and coaching to the principals throughout the 2019-2020 school year. All of these benefits are provided at no cost to the participant or the diocese, due to the generous support of project donors.

Although the program is national in scale, it is designed to impact real change at the local level in each principal’s community and school. To alleviate the isolation that principals often experience, the program utilizes a cohort model offering regular opportunities throughout the school year for principals to engage and support each other. 

The benefit from peer support was immediately observed by the eleven principals who gathered at the Carmelite Spiritual Center in Darien, Illinois for the Leadership Institute in August. [As one participant shared, the workshop provided “ample opportunity to collaborate with others. Because we were from such varied parts of the country, I felt comfortable being frank about the challenges my school faces.”] [NOTE TO DIOCESES: Quote in brackets may be replaced with a quote from your respective principal.]

The eleven principals who are participating in the National Catholic School Mentor Program include:  

• Sister Marie Isaac Staub, O.P., St. Dominic Catholic School, Diocese of Joliet, IL;
• Ms. Teresa Matetich, St. Joseph’s School, Diocese of Duluth, MN;
• Ms. Jennifer Crombie, St. Katherine Drexel School, Diocese of Milwaukee, WI;
• Mr. Michael Kosar, Holy Spirit School, Diocese of Albany, NY;
• Ms. Jessica Walters, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School, Diocese of Providence, RI;
• Ms. Sandy Pizzolato, Ascension Catholic Diocesan Regional School, Diocese of Baton Rouge, LA;
• Mr. Lee Sayago, St. John Paul II, Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL;
• Dr. Mazi McCoy, Corpus Christi School, Diocese of Galveston/Houston, TX;
• Ms. Lilly Samaniego, Ss. Cyril and Methodius School, Diocese of Corpus Christi, TX;
• Mr. Paul Richardson, Butte Central Schools, Diocese of Great Falls/Helena, MT; and
• Ms. Patricia Provo, St. Kieran Catholic School, Diocese of San Diego, CA.

About FADICA

Since its establishment in 1976, FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities) has become the leading philanthropic peer network which serves as a catalyst for a vital Catholic Church, Catholic ministries, and the common good. The organization promotes the growth and effectiveness of Catholic philanthropy inspired by the joy of the Gospel and the Catholic social tradition.

About NCEA

The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is the largest, private professional education association in the world. NCEA works with Catholic educators to support ongoing faith formation and the teaching mission of the Catholic Church. Their membership includes more than 150,000 educators serving 1.8 million students in Catholic education.

About Meitler

Meitler was founded in 1971 to respond to the needs of faith-based institutions for professional planning. Nearly 50 years later, Meitler has consulted with more than 2,000 Catholic schools, parishes, dioceses, and religious congregations across the United States to create transformational strategies driven by data and fueled by faith.

Learn more about the Program

October 31, 2019 Press Release (PDF)

When performing market research for a school, it is very common to interview older alumni and hear how the school should be more like when the alum was attending.  Questions like: Why isn’t the school enrollment as large as when I went here?  Why don’t you get more nuns/priests/brothers? Why does it cost so much more than when I went here?  The school administration sighs and wishes the alums would face the realities of today.

The other thing that often happens when I am interviewing constituencies, especially parents, is they complain about directions the school is taking: Why did they change the math textbook?  What’s with this silly new furniture?  Why is my child watching videos instead of doing homework?

What has occurred to me is the school administrators will object about alumni living in the past, and then they themselves will continue to operate the school as in the old days – when parents assumed what the school did was appropriate and never thought to challenge curricular issues.  Well, it’s a new day all around.  Parents are much more savvy consumers and much more interested in even minute details about their child’s life – especially as regards education.

In focus groups I lead where these type of questions occur, and if appropriate, I explain why bouncy chairs help concentration or briefly explain the philosophy behind a flipped classroom.  Almost universally, the parents ask: Why didn’t they tell us that?  Or even better, say: Well, that makes sense.  We can’t make changes, even seemingly simple ones, without letting the appropriate constituency (this often applies to the faculty and staff as well) know what is happening, when and why.  It takes extra work and might seem “unnecessary” because certainly the administrator knows what she/he is doing, but to operate without detailed and timely communication is not facing the realities of today.

Rick Pendergast

In today’s digital age, there is in my opinion, an appropriate amount of emphasis placed on increasing student engagement. Wonderful tools, such as the eleot, exist to accurately measure student engagement in the learning process. As an educational consultant, my research in schools typically uncovers a common reality: many teachers utilize web 1.0 tools and dip their toes into the water of web 2.0 tools while students are masters of web 2.0 tools and are dipping their toes into the water of web 3.0. 

Peppered within school are teachers who have taken a deep dive into the digital water and are using web 2.0 tools to  impact  learning in the classroom.  However, in some cases teachers may find a web 2.0 tool and then use it unceasingly. The overuse makes it less effective in increasing student engagement. This was often the case when Prezi replaced Power Point in classrooms across the country.  Even more common is the practice of having students put away their devices so they can better pay attention to the teacher.  Certainly, access to a device alone doesn’t increase student engagement. Key to effective use of web 2.0 tools is teachers and students being co-creators of content and partners in the learning process.

Whenever I observe, reflect on, or provide feedback to a school on their use of technology to increase student engagement and enhance learning, I often reference the work of Eric Sheninger. His book, Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times, provides wonderful examples of the technological trends and how the use of technology can impact the learning taking place in classrooms today.  Even the often-confused understanding of the difference between web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 is broken down simply as: web 1.0 is informational, 2.0 is relational and 3.0 is anticipatory (preface, xxi).

Perhaps this is our starting point within a school. Schools leaders that have been successful in this area utilize a common metric to provide teachers with feedback such as the RAT framework used in conjunction with a tool such as the eleot to support teachers in achieving a baseline of information to assess their own use of web 2.0 tools. From there they empower them to seek out best practices and give them the time necessary to learn how to integrate the digital tools into their classroom instruction. 

As much as we may want to resist it and ask the students to put away their devices, we need to better prepare students to work in a technology rich and technology driven world. What resources are you finding helpful in this area of challenge and promise?

Dr. Jackie Lichter