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About Us
History
The NCEA Department of Elementary Schools has its roots in the Parish School Conference founded in 1902. With the Educational Conference of Seminary Faculties (1898) and the Association of Catholic Colleges (1899), the three organizations formed the Catholic Educational Association in 1904 and added the word "National" in 1927. The department is the largest department within NCEA serving over 7,000 schools with over 105,000 educators and their 2 million students.
Practices
We will enhance the Catholic identity of Catholic school communities by:
- Providing publications on this topic
- Including sessions on Catholic identity in all conferences
- Publishing articles in the National Catholic Educators ACCENT on Catholic identity
- Developing programs on the spiritual formation of teachers
- Assisting teachers to integrate Christian values into their lessons
- Assisting parents with the formation of their children through LINK, the monthly parent newsletter
We will foster effective Catholic educational leadership by:
- Conducting sessions on ways to foster educational leadership at NCEA Conventions
- Publicizing success stories of principals
- Directing an assistant principals’ academy each year
- Publishing materials on the cultivation of leadership
- Assisting members in the selection of principals
We will improve leadership practices by:
- Conducting academies for experienced principals and first-year principals
- Holding the fall conference of the National Forum for Catholic School Principals
- Publishing materials on leadership topics
- Offering practical suggestions for administrators on the department’s Web site
- Seeking funding for an administrator’s sabbatical program
- Keeping parent leaders informed through quarterly newsletters
We will address current and future educational needs by:
- Providing a yearly conference on meeting the needs of the special child
- Scheduling yearly conferences for early childhood directors
- Issuing reflection/guidance statements on key issues affecting Catholic schools
- Emphasizing curriculum renewal in all programs and publications
- Offering a curriculum strand at the NCEA Conventions
- Focusing on the integration of technology for communication and learning
- Challenging school/parish communities to provide wages to Catholic educators that reflect the principles enunciated in Economic Just for All
We will enable Catholic schools to attain greater human and financial support by:
- Enabling members to have comprehensive development programs through the Development Training Program
- Offering a development strand at NCEA Conventions
- Producing practical publications on financing Catholic schools
- Developing materials so school communities can effectively educate parents and parishioners regarding full and fair parental choice in education
- Publishing a biennial report on school finances
- Providing a Catholic educational newsletters to pastors
Membership
All Catholic elementary/middle schools are eligible for membership. Once a school is enrolled as an institution in the NCEA Department of Elementary Schools all those in that school community are members of the department. Individuals who are interested in the work of Catholic elementary/middle schools may have individual membership in the department. Diocesan Superintendents of Schools and school supervisors of religious communities who are members of the association and whose duties include supervision of elementary/middle school education possess the same rights and privileges as all other members of the department.
Membership E-Mailing Lists
Catholic Elementary Department Members Mailing List. ELEMEMBR is a message list for institutions, comprehensive members and general individuals recorded as department members in the membership office at NCEA. Enrollment is automatic when you join or renew your membership with NCEA. This list operates independently of the more general ELEMED Discussion List but there will be much duplication between the two. It is imperative that your email address be kept current with NCEA for you to continue receiving the electronic newsletters. In the future, the sole source of mail list addresses will be the department membership rolls. Department members may update their records, or see what we have recorded about you through the Membership menu [Go There Now].
Staff
The day-to-day activities of the department are carried out by:
- Robert Bimonte, FSC, Executive Director
- William J. Campbell, S.M., Associate Executive Director
- Shelly Biechman Administrative Assistant
- Janice Kraus, Administrative Assistant
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National Catholic Educational Association
