|
A SPICE 2005 Program
Faith in the City
Center City Consortium
Archdiocese of Washington, DC
The Center City Consortium, the cornerstone of a project called “Faith in the City,” was formed in 1997 under the direction of James Cardinal Hickey, archbishop of Washington, D.C. It was the vision and commitment of Cardinal Hickey that Catholic schools in the inner-city neighborhoods of Washington would not just survive, but become centers of educational excellence servicing those in the neediest neighborhoods of the nation’s capital.
The program focuses on three areas: leadership, academics, and professional development. Since leadership of the principal and the pastor are key, leadership teams have been developed, which spread out the enormous administrative duties normally shouldered solely by the principal. This more collaborative model allows for more input and a greater variety of approaches to administrative problems, thus freeing up the chief administrator to be an educational leader.
Similarly, the leadership teams have enabled pastors of these schools to take on a more spiritual role. In addition, the program provides an administrative model that seeks to free principals to be strong educational leaders, and pastors to become more involved in pastoral matters rather than the usual financial concerns that plague them. The consortium has a fundraising goal of $30 million and has created a Patron’s Program that provides $200,000 per year to each school.
A professional development model approach has resulted in the creation of curriculum specialists, the provision of inter-school training, and a number of consultants to provide professional support to teachers and staff. Technology integration also has been provided in order to give teachers the most up-to-date instructional tools.
The Center City Consortium staff consists of an executive director, director of finance, director of development, and an administrative assistant. The consortium staff works with the principals to form a Leadership Team that carries out the daily operations of the schools involved in the program. The program has worked on curricular needs of inner-city children, as well as provided professional in-service to the teachers and staff of the schools. Standardized curriculum and procedures and a centralized development plan result in greater efficiency, reduced cost, increased income, additional educational programs, tuition assistance for students, teacher development, and higher quality instruction.
Back to the list of SPICE 2005 Programs
|
