Two Key Drivers of Student Retention
This week is Catholic Schools Week, and the communities of over 5,000 Catholic schools across the country are celebrating what makes Catholic schools outstanding. Most Catholic schools are also in the middle of re-enrolling their current students and recruiting new students for next year. On a practical level, enrollment is...
Connecting People to Purpose
Over the years, a number of studies have shown that Protestants give more to their churches than Catholics do. For example, a national study in 2003 showed that Protestants give an average of 2.6% of their income to their church, while Catholics give an average of only 1.2%. A similar...
The “What” of Professional Learning
(Part two of a two-part series) The previous blog focused on the "how" of professional learning (PL) as researched and proposed by Heather Hill and John Papay in Building a Better PL: How to strengthen Teacher Learning, with a primary focus on well-structured collaboration, good coaching, and timely follow up...
Three Synodal Priorities for Catholic School Boards
In Meitler's work across the country, we find some unique elements in each of the schools, parishes, or dioceses we partner with, but we also see many commonalities or trends. One trend we encounter in multiple locations around the country is a desire to explore different governance models for Catholic...
New Synodal Models for Parish Pastoral Councils
The gathering of representatives from around the world to the 2023 Synod on Synodality suggested that parish pastoral councils should, like parish finance councils, be mandatory in canon law rather than elective as they currently are. Now, it is up to the local bishop in consultation with the presbyteral council...
The “How” of Professional Learning
(Part one in a two-part series) When searching for information on professional development and what works for teachers, an inquiry will surface titles such as "effective professional development in 5 easy steps…" or "strategies for effective professional development…" These beg the question, "Would I want to offer ineffective professional development...
A Living Faith – Part Two
This post is part of a series that reflects on how the idea of a living faith can help us look at the challenges of faith formation of faculty and staff in Catholic schools in new and productive ways. Part One explored the insight that a living adult faith is developed...
A Living Faith – Part One
Faith is at the heart of the mission of Catholic schools. We know that. We also know that the key to making faith the anchor of school culture and the lifeblood of school relationships is to have faculty and staff who themselves are well-formed and filled with faith. Forming faculty...
New Schools: A Story of Growth and New Life
As far as many people know, the story of Catholic education in the United States over the last two decades is a story of declining enrollment and closing schools. That story does fit the reality in some places. According to the NCEA Statistical Report on Schools 2023-24, enrollment in Catholic...
Value Proposition Part Two: Which Proposition?
In the first part of this blog post, we looked at one key idea about value propositions (Whose value?). This part of the blog post explores another key idea that flows from the first. We tend to talk about "value proposition" in the singular, as if a school should have...
Women’s Leadership in Catholic Ministries and the Movie Cabrini
A number of years ago, I was giving a presentation to Catholic school teachers about the history of Catholic education in the United States. To get things started, I asked them to imagine a movie about the story of Catholic schools and come up with a tagline to summarize the...
Value Proposition Part One: Whose Value?
In our work with Catholic schools, we find that more and more Catholic school leaders are familiar with the concept of a value proposition and its importance to their school's marketing and recruitment. A value proposition is a series of statements that clearly communicate the benefits of your school to...
Measurables For Your Parish Ministries
The effectiveness of parish strategic plans and parish ministries are best determined by identifying quantifiable or measurable goals. Calling for "increased registrations" is not as beneficial as placing a number or a percentage on that increase. Adding one new person is an increase. Numerical and/or percentage goals are the most...
Strategic Growth Planning Update: Diocese of Green Bay
In 2017, the Diocese of Green Bay, in partnership with Meitler, completed its diocesan strategic growth plan, "Disciples on the Way." This comprehensive plan, based on the National Standards and Benchmarks of Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools, provides the pathway used to enhance and grow the reach of the...
Strategic Growth Planning Update: Diocese of Davenport – Scott County Catholic Schools
"Beginning in 2020, Catholic leaders in the Scott County, Iowa community began the process of forming a regionalized school system to better serve students in Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa and throughout the Quad Cities area. Upon completion, the regionalized schools model will lead to even greater educational and spiritual benefits...
Latin Mass Communities
In early May of 2022, Pope Francis spoke to instructors and students of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome and reiterated his concern that the Latin Mass communities were divisive to the Church, opposed to the reforms of Vatican II, and are politicizing the liturgy. In order to gain some...
10 Key Metrics for Your Parish
Finance councils have become adept at reading financial statements and determining courses of action based on the numbers. Parish pastoral councils need to become as proficient with the use of parish data points. Most parishes will discover that they have a wealth of information at their fingertips from reports which...
Trends in Catholicism
The largest study in the United States of religious belief, behavior, and practice is conducted every 4 to 5 years by MissionInsite. MissionInsite is a technology-based research group that provides data to thousands of organizations, mainly religious ones, around the country. They operate under the premise that "to love your...
Fourth Source Funding for Schools
In Catholic schools, like other schools affiliated with a religious congregation, revenue comes from different sources. Primarily, tuition supplies the cash needed to operate a school. For elementary schools in particular and some high schools, parishes affiliated with the school provide subsidy to cover the gap between expenses and tuition...
The Role of Ministry Committees and Teams
Over the years I have heard pastors comment on their councils with words similar to these, "our parish council is all talk and no action." The pastoral council's role is to assist the pastor with planning for pastoral activity. In order for them to plan, the council needs working groups....
