Partnerships with Catholic Colleges Support Schools Susan M

University of Dayton eCommons

Center for Catholic Education Publications Center for Catholic Education

3-2013 Partnerships with Catholic Colleges Support Schools Susan M. Ferguson University of Dayton, [email protected]

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This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Catholic Education at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Center for Catholic Education Publications by an authorized administrator of eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. RESEARCH <- Susan M. Ferguson, M.S.

Partnerships with Catholic colleges support schools

nimating our faith and hope Catholic higher education involve research activities that demonstrate for our church and our future, ment include the Association of Cath cooperation and success between P-12 A Catholic higher education and olic Leadership Programs (ACLP) and Catholic schools and Catholic colleges P-12 Catholic school partnerships are University Consortium for Catholic and universities. Whipp and Scanlan growing in number and variety. New Education (UCCE). "Encouraged by (2009) note the following: times call for new measures grounded the National Catholic Educational As Boston College and St. Columb in respect and recognition of our deep sociation (NCEA), the ACLP, founded kille School collaborate in matters and lasting traditions. Recent events in 1983, aggressively worked to of "leadership, finance, enrollment seem to show the way to new endeav develop, standardize, and support the management, student development, ors that will bring innovative means preparation of.schoolleaders through curriculum, facilities management and to cultivate formation in faith and its collegial network" (Schuttloffel, religious formation" as it regards St. heighten academic excellence for stu 2010). In recent years ACLP became Columbkille School. dents in our nation's Catholic schools. Catholic Higher Education Support The Catholic University of Ameri Critically considering partnership ing Catholic Schools (CHESCS). ca provides training for special educa formation, sustainability and impact tion assistants to work in archdiocesan creates excitement and spurs action. Recent events seem to elementary and secondary schools to show the way to new "improve service delivery options for Bishops' commitment endeavors that will bring students with special needs." The United States Conference of innovative means to The University of Dayton hosts the Catholic Bishops has called Catholic Urban Child Development Resource cultivate formation in faith higher education to prepare teach- Center, a team of mental health thera ers and administrators for Catholic and heighten academic pists and social workers who "address schools. In "Renewing Our Com excellence for students students' emotional, physical, and mitment to Catholic Elementary in our nation's Catholic spiritual needs." and Secondary Schools in the Third schools. The University of Notre Dame and Millennium" (2005) the bishops state, three Magnificat elementary schools "We must provide a sufficient number The UCCE, an organization of are tackling together "comprehensive of programs of the highest quality to teacher service programs at mostly school reform that includes systematic recruit and prepare our future dioc Catholic colleges and universities, was data collection and analysis of student esan and local school administrators formally named in 2004. The UCCE achievement, instructional coaching" and teachers so that they are knowl works hand-in-hand with the dioceses and a host of other school improve edgeable in matters of our faith, are and archdioceses in which teachers are ment processes. professionally prepared, and are com placed. Teachers from these programs These represent a very small mitted to the Church." serve in under-resourced Catholic sample of the cooperative work of The bishops also call for "ongoing schools, nurtured in communities Catholic colleges and universities and faith formation and professional de through which teachers affirm each P-12 Catholic schools. velopment programs ... [that] will in other in hope and in best practice troduce new and effective initiatives, teaching and learning methodology. Catholic Higher Education educational models anp approaches These teachers are supported by college Collaborative (CHEC) and while always maintaining a sound and university directors. Archdioceses CHESCS Catholic identity in our schools." In and dioceses supply mentor teachers Two more recently founded orga light of recent collaborative efforts and housing for the participants in nizations that promote partnerships among Catholic institutions of higher these programs (Hunt, Carper, 2012). and research are CHEC and CHESCS. education, these requests are being In September 2007, the Carnegie answered. Programs, services, Foundation for the Advancement of professional development and Teaching, along with the University Power of UCCE and CHESCS research of Notre Dame sponsored a confer Two organizations that have The literature highlights many ence on "Building a Movement and brought light to the possibilities for activities, programs, services and Strengthening a Field: The Revitaliza-

12 I NCEA NOTES I March 2013 tion of American Catholic Education," The third meeting of CHEC, • Crisis can make collaboration to address the future of Catholic K-12 held at Loyola University stronger. Remember the impor education. As a follow-up to this Chicago, resulted in tance of facilitation. conversation, eight Catholic colleges ground-breaking work • If in doubt, do it anyway. It will be and universities formed a partnership that eventually led to worth the effort." to explore and develop collaborative the recently launched initiatives in support of Catholic el Assessment "Standards and Benchmarks ementary and secondary schools in the In light of the current world of United States. The founding members for Effective Catholic data and funders' quests for investment of this group were named the Catho Elementary and Secondary in "what works," assessment of the lic Higher Education Collaborative Schools." outcomes of partnership is imperative. (CHEC). Founding members came Whipp and Scanlan (2009) suggest to include other Catholic colleges and University of Dayton's Fitz Center for scholarship that explores "the effective universities in subsequent meetings. Leadership in Community fosters col ness ofiHE/school partnerships and (http:/ I soe.lum.edu, 20 13) laboration between the university and their impact on schooling for social The third meeting of CHEC, community partners. Their work is not justice in Catholic schools." There are held at Loyola University of Chicago, unlike ours a~ we forge solid relation likely "implications both within the resulted in ground-breaking work that ships to move Catholic education Catholic education community" and eventually led to the recently launched forward. The Fitz Center is founded beyond. Standards and Benchmarks for Effec on many tenets of servant leadership. With hope and faith our partner tive Catholic Elementary and Second Consider the following as you are ships can and will bring faith, excel ary Schools. encouraged to work together, P-12 lence, spirit, and a bright future to Catholic schools and Catholic colleges students in Catholic schools. oOo National standards and and universities. resources When the Center undertakes Susan M. Ferguson, M.S. The recently launched National initiatives with these partners, we do Director, Center for Catholic Education, Standards and Benchmarks for Effec so with a shared notion of the desired University of Dayton, tive Catholic Elementary and Second outcome- sometimes articulated in sferguson 1@udayton . edu ary Schools will be the foundation for writing. We also insist on mutuality. accreditation of Catholic schools in Is there something in the initiative a number of regions in the country. that will generate community (school Rubrics have been developed to assist or diocese) value? Is there something in References school leaders in assessing effective the initiative that will generate univer Catholic School Standards. Retrieved from http://catholicschoolstandards. org/standards. ness to include mission and Catholic sity value? (Ferguson and Fitz, 2003) Ferguson, S. M., & Lloyd, R. A. (2012). identity, academic excellence, and Walls (2000) recommends the Universiry Consortium for Catholic Educa operational vitality (http:/ /www.catho following and more from a servant tion. InT. Hunt & J. Carper (Eds.), 7he Praeger licschoolstandards.org/ standards). leadership perspective: handbook offaith-based schools in the United Through the leadership of Dr. • "Build relationships at every op Sates, K-12 (408-414). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Lorraine Ozar and Dr. Patrica Weitzel portunity. They could result in im Schuttloffel, M.J.(2010). Deja vu all over O'Neil!, work among Catholic higher portant collaborations later. Allow again: Commentary on the Catholic higher education institutions continues. At time for good ideas to emerge .... education collaborative conference on leader the October 2012 CACE meeting • Risk is inherent in collaboration. ship at Loyola Universiry Chicago. Catholic Education: A journal oflnq~iry and Practice, 14, a number of college and university Without it, you can have no re 107-113. leaders committed to collaborating for ward. It is not change people fear, United States Conference of Catholic purposes of better disseminating the it is loss. Meaningful communica Bishops. (2005). Renewing out commitment to standards and creating resources that tion is critical. Catholic elementary and seconckzry schools in the will assist dioceses and schools in fully • Put hard stuff in writing early. third millennium. Retrieved from old.usccb.org/ bishops/schools. pdf. realizing the standards. Leave everything else as loose as Whipp, J. L. & Scanlan, M.(2009). you can. Catholic institutions of higher education and How to partner • Differences are as important as K-12 schools partnering for social justice: A call With standards now in place and similarities. They are the source of for scholarship. Catholic Education: A journal of Inquiry and Practice 13(2), 205-223. organizations to foster these partner creativity, discovery and change. ships some guidelines for formulat Invest the necessary time and ing partnerships come to mind. The energy to understand them.