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Fr. Michael J McGivney Memorial Fund
2008-2009
In February, 2008 grants were awarded to six projects, for a total of $100,000. Brief descriptions follow. Click on the project name for more detail.
Diocese of Joliet
The Diocese of Joliet is about to begin a strategic planning process, with initial focus on the Catholic schools in two urban areas which are suffering higher student loss than others in the diocese. A total of fourteen Catholic elementary schools are involved. Among other outcomes, this project will result in a long-term funding plan for schools that is developed at the diocesan level.
Gesu Institute and Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Leaders in Urban Education is a comprehensive 24-month leadership initiative, offered to principals of 25 schools, many of which serve low income communities. The goal is to enable Catholic school leaders to more fully assess their current situation, while expanding their knowledge and acquiring the necessary skills to effectively position Catholic schools as viable and sustainable institutions that deliver outstanding outcomes.
Washington, DC
SPICE (Selected Programs for Improving Catholic Education) is an annual NCEA/Boston College venture aimed at honoring and disseminating exemplary Catholic school programs. SPICE 2008 will identify and recognize Catholic school initiatives that have created innovative new models for sustaining quality Catholic education in struggling inner-city and urban Catholic schools.
NCEA Elementary and Secondary Departments
Washington, DC
The program addresses explicitly the multi-faceted funding issues associated with urban Catholic education. The goal of the project is to equip the leaders of the schools with new skills so that they are more confident in their ability to overcome obstacles and be more self sufficient from a fiscal viewpoint.
Diocese of Columbus
Based on the success of a “Survival Spanish for Education” in-service at one school last year, we will offer the in-service to two other urban schools with a significant Spanish-speaking enrollment. We will also provide the next level of training to the faculty and parish staff of the initial school.
Diocese of Springfield
The main objective of the newly formed Unified Catholic School Marketing Council is to increase enrollment in all Springfield Catholic schools by highlighting the positives and intangible values of Catholic education. We will undertake a concerted marketing effort that will target all Catholic families in the city and surrounding communities, as well as the general population in Springfield.
McGivney Project Summaries
Catholic Schools: A Steady and Continuing Light
Diocese of Joliet
The Diocese of Joliet is about to begin a strategic planning process, with initial focus on the Catholic schools in two urban areas which are suffering higher student loss than others in the diocese. A total of fourteen Catholic elementary schools are involved.
The strategic plan will be completed through a comprehensive study of present and projected demographic trends that affect Catholic schools. Enrollment trends will be evaluated based on demographics, parish data, costs, level of funding, quality of education and local situations. The process will involve stakeholders in the Diocese, parishes, and schools in order to create a high potential for success at implementation.
The intended outcome of this project is to provide the tools to help achieve financial viability. The strategic plan may result in the consolidation, restructuring and closing of some schools and the establishment of new schools.
In the past, decisions related to schools have typically been addressed at the parish level. This project will result in a long-term funding plan for schools that is developed at the diocesan level. The plan will address institutional advancement at the diocesan and local school levels, quality of facilities, and funding for capital projects. We believe the results of this project will be useful in other dioceses that have a history of independent parish-level decision making but wish to move to a more co-operative, collaborative model for viable Catholic schools.
Leaders in Urban Education
Gesu Institute and Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Leaders in Urban Education is a comprehensive 24-month leadership initiative. The goal is to enable Catholic school leaders to more fully assess their current situation, while expanding their knowledge and acquiring the necessary skills to effectively position Catholic schools as viable and sustainable institutions that deliver outstanding outcomes.
The Gesu Institute and the Philadelphia Office of Catholic Education will jointly extend an invitation to 25 schools (many of which serve low income communities) to attend. They will begin with a week-long intensive program that will address best practices in capacity building, marketing and communications, fundraising, advancement and curriculum development. Each principal will create a strategic plan with benchmarks and a timeline for attaining goals.
Participants will receive ongoing support throughout the project, including roundtable discussions and on-site visits. Professional development programs for faculty and staff will focus on attaining curriculum objectives as outlined by the Office of Catholic Education. Development, marketing and communication objectives (as outlined in the strategic plan) will be implemented under the guidance of the Gesu Institute.
SPICE 2008: Design for Success: New Configuration for Catholic Schools
Washington, DC
SPICE (Selected Programs for Improving Catholic Education) is an annual NCEA/Boston College venture aimed at honoring and disseminating exemplary Catholic school programs. SPICE 2008 will identify and recognize Catholic school initiatives that have created innovative new models for sustaining quality Catholic education.
Over the last several years, inner-city and urban parishes have seen membership dwindle as parishioners move to the suburbs. This departure results in a loss of financial support that, along with escalating building maintenance costs, has forced many parish schools to close. Thus, struggling inner-city and urban schools need new models for delivering Catholic education.
The SPICE 2008 symposium, Conversations in Excellence, will address this need by furnishing educators and administrators from across the country with vital information on reconfiguring Catholic schools. Representatives from five exemplary Catholic school initiatives will present their successful approaches for building stronger, more financially stable schools.
The primary intention of SPICE is for successful programs to be communicated from educator to educator. In addition, NCEA facilitates several other ways in which program designs and methodologies are shared, including:
- Information posted on the SPICE website
- SPICE presentation at the NCEA Annual Convention and at the CACE annual meeting
- Articles in NCEA publications
- A book based on the symposium proceedings
- A CD-ROM of the proceedings
Strengthening Our Schools (SOS)
NCEA Elementary and Secondary Departments
Washington, DC
The focus of SOS is “development training with a defined emphasis on the annual fund” aimed specifically at leaders of struggling, urban Catholic elementary and secondary schools. The foundational goal of SOS is “to work with the schools effectively so that each will have established a level of fiscal self-sufficiency at the completion of the program.”
The program addresses explicitly the multi-faceted funding issues associated with urban Catholic education. The goal of the project is to equip the leaders of the schools with new skills so that they are more confident in their ability to overcome obstacles and be more self sufficient from a fiscal viewpoint.
The framework includes two group meetings and individual mentoring and coaching as needed at the schools’ site or at NCEA. As the leaders of frail schools gain confidence and skill in the annual fund, a tone-setting effect takes place in the school and diocese: increased morale, a greater sense of direction and focus on the future. A kind of transformation occurs as funds are generated. Knowledge and money bring power.
TUS: To Teach, Understand and Speak – Building Bridges to our Spanish Speaking Families
Diocese of Columbus
Through the State of Ohio’s EdChoice program (scholarships for students who would be attending a public school in “Academic Emergency” to attend participating private schools), a significant number of Spanish-speaking students from the metro Latino community have enrolled in diocesan schools, particularly in three diocesan K-8 urban schools with a transitioning population. None of these schools has an English Language Learner program and only two teachers across the three schools speak Spanish.
Last year the teachers at one of the schools attended a two day Survival Spanish for Education in-service, delivered by Command Spanish, Inc. This helped turn the tide from a declining enrollment to a school now flourishing. This year we would like to extend that opportunity to teachers at the other two schools and provide the next phase of the program to the first school: in-depth teacher leadership with cultural training through Command Spanish® programs for teachers and parish staff.
The goals for the project are:
- To rigorously evaluate the use and impact of Command Spanish® training
- To expand Command Spanish® to all three schools
- To involve Latino parents in the program and provide a direct benefit for families
- To provide translated materials to support students at school and at home
- To integrate the program fully into existing schools and parish programs
- To partner with diocesan and greater community resources to support the overall diocesan building of the Hispanic ministry
Even without the opportunity provided by EdChoice, we view our project as a pilot program for creating schools that can avoid merger or closure by attracting and retaining students from one of the fastest-growing urban Catholic populations.
Unified Marketing Council for Springfield, IL Catholic Schools
Diocese of Springfield
The main objective of the newly formed Unified Catholic School Marketing Council is to increase enrollment in all Springfield Catholic schools by highlighting the positives and intangible values of Catholic education. We will undertake a concerted marketing effort that will target all Catholic families in the city and surrounding communities, as well as the general population in Springfield.
The formation and work of the council will address the following concerns currently facing our urban/inner-city schools:
- Declining enrollment
- Flight to suburban schools
- Increasing costs of operation
- Financial burden placed on our current families
- Image of Catholic education as cost prohibitive by prospective families
- Aging facilities (increased awareness/financial support)
To train those serving on the Council and to enhance marketing efforts, we plan to rely on the expertise of outside, experienced entities to provide workshop/seminar training. If funding allows, we will also utilize the services of an experienced local marketing firm to direct the campaign and provide an overall marketing plan with proven strategies honed from experience with Sacred Heart-Griffin High School and other local entities.
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National Catholic Educational Association
