November-December 2007 Issue    

A new look for NCEA Notes premiered with the September 2007 issue. Also, NCEA has gone Green. The new, improved NCEA Notes is printed on recycled paper with 100% soy ink. We hope you enjoy this issue.

 Front Cover                                                       

Dr. Karen Ristau looks ahead to the NCEA Convention in Indianapolis, a surprisingly vital city with a vibrant arts scene. The convention expects to draw thousands.

The recipients of the Seton Award and the President's Award were honored at the annual Seton Gala. See the back cover for photos or visit www.ncea.org.

 Department of Elementary Schools            

Robert Bimonte, FSC salutes the 40 Catholic schools named as "No Child Left Behind/Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence." and honors the three Catholic school leaders named as National Distinguished Principals.

William Campbell, SM reflects on the feelings of sadness and futility that often plague educators in November, and looks to Mother Teresa's faithfulness in spite of her 50-year struggle with doubt and desolation as a means to find hope and inspiration during times of discontent.

Sustaining Our Schools - this new feature debuted in September. The authors discuss metaphors and their ability to forge deep connections between two concepts or ideas. To learn more, go to: www.luc.edu/ccse

 Department of Secondary Schools             

Mary Frances Taymans, SND reviews the findings of NAEP's 2006 study of economic literacy among 12th graders, and connects economic literacy with faithful citizenship.

Gary Meyerl states that now is the right time to identify the next generation of school leaders and offers ideas to start "succession planning."

Michael Termini discusses ways to help struggling students achieve success by using an accommodations and modifications checklist.

Department of Chief Administrators           

Daniel Curtin urges us to educate children on poverty awareness, using materials prepared by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development as a way to raise up the church's social teachings. Visit www.povertyusa.org or www.pobrezausa.org (Spanish).

Department of Boards and Councils          

Dr. Regina Haney examines the evolution of boards in recent decades from advisory roles to consultative roles. Today, many schools use a shared leadership/collaborative model between administrators and board members. Thompson  Faller discusses whether boards should be concerned with the "micro-details" of school governance.

Public Policy                                                      

Dale McDonald, PBVM urges schools to participate in federal education programs, and to establish positive working relationships with their local public school district and the federal LEA programs coordinator. Her article from page 12 is continued below:

Title II funds may help pay for NCEA convention attendance
NCLB funds, Title II, Part A, are available to pay for professional development activities for private and religious school teachers. How these funds are to be expended should be part of the consultation requirements guiding the negotiations between the public school officials (LEA) and the representatives of the private schools. The guidance document issued by the U.S. Department of Education pertaining to attendance at a professional conference sponsored or conducted by a faith-based organization contains this approval:

Advancement                                                    

Mary Tracy, SNJM discusses how to evaluate the performance of solicitors and encourages schools to focus on upgrading annual gifts, so that the annual campaign continues to advance.

Legal Issues                                                       

Mary Angela Shaughnessy, SCN reviews the legal issues pertaining to student immunizations.

Research                                                            

Dr. Mary Gautier reviews recent studies and lists the many demonstrated benefits of a Catholic education. The information below is a continuation of her article found on page 15:

Benefits of a Catholic Education
References

1. D’Antonio, W.V., Davidson, J.D., Hoge, D.R., & Gautier, M.G. (2007). American Catholics Today: New Realities of Their Faith and Their Church. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

2.      Center for Applied Research in the apostolate (2003). “CARA Catholic Poll.” Washington, DC: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

3.       Perl, P.M. and Gray, M.M. (2007). “Catholic Schooling and Disaffiliation from Catholicism.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 46(2), 269-280.