SPICE 2010 Model Descriptions
"Leadership for New Ways of Learning"
Catholic Educators’ Academy – The Holy Spirit Alive in the Classroom:
A Diocesan-wide Approach
Diocese of Toledo
1933 Spielbusch
Toledo, OH 43604
The “Catholic Educators’ Academies” (four held over two summers) were two-day gatherings of principals and teachers from all schools in the Diocese of Toledo. The focus was on the importance of making the following diocesan-wide mission statement come alive inside our grade school and high school classrooms:
Through Christ, we come together as a Catholic community to immerse our students in profound, holy learning that calls them as Disciples of Christ to embrace the Kingdom of God, thereby transforming the world.
Our diocesan set of belief statements about Catholic education called the “Credo” was used as a basis for the work done at the academies.
The two days consisted of actual classroom lessons incorporating elements of our Credo. The lessons demonstrated ways to make the mission statement “come alive.” The event also provided time for teams from each school to begin formulating a plan to take back to their faculties. In addition, the academies incorporated guest speakers, including a talk by our bishop on the importance of the Catholicity of our schools.
Our logo says we are “…different by design…” The academies showed teachers how to incorporate Catholicity into their lessons so that their classrooms are indeed “…different by design…”
Extreme School Makeover—How Administrators Can Master the Leadership of Change
John F. Kennedy Junior and Senior High School
2550 Central Parkway, SE
Warren, OH 44484
Through a multimedia presentation and mini-parables we will discuss the tips, tricks, and cautions involved in engaging a school community in the process of change and transformation. With the leadership and vision of a new administrative team, the following elements of the school culture were thoughtfully created or evaluated and transformed within a two year time period through a dynamic process involving faculty, students, parents, and educational leaders: curriculum and academic policies, business office operations, integrated technological instruction, campus ministry, professional development, school organization and structure. We believe that the leadership competencies that enabled us to lead our school transformation are grounded in the following categories:
- Understanding the change process and how it originates with “pulling the weeds before planting the flowers”
- Managing the agents of change and the four human responses to change
- Leading as Jesus did: modeling and mentoring
- Communicating effectively
These competencies have allowed us to effectively transform our school culture to the point where faculty, students, and parents truly believe it is not an improved school, it is a new school. We look forward to sharing with other Catholic school leaders the leadership tools we found helpful in our extreme school makeover!
Teachers, Leaders and Learners: The Professional Learning Community
Risen Christ School
1120 East 37th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55407
The teachers at Risen Christ Catholic School have been involved in Professional Learning Communities since 2002. They began with a school-wide initiative to change their discipline program. In 2005 they were part of the federally funded program Reading First. Barbara Taylor at the University of Minnesota designed the professional development portion, including the professional learning communities. Currently they are involved in an archdiocesan initiative that involves five other schools.
Each model has provided insights into key elements that are needed to design a professional learning community. Each model had a different funding source that will be identified. The story will be told from the administrative viewpoint and from the teacher’s viewpoint.
Additional materials include a Protocol for Video Sharing, a Protocol for Examining Student work, a professional development rubric, and a letter of agreement between the administration and staff.
Developing Program with the Spiritual Leadership of Charism and Mission
Notre Dame High School
596 South Second Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Notre Dame High School provides a Catholic college preparatory education to young women in San Jose, California. Established in 1851, the school possesses an educational legacy rooted in the charism of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdN). This legacy calls for the education of the whole person and the community’s dedication to spirituality, social justice, and diversity.
In 2002, the administration, faculty, and staff committed to prophetically carry on the mission of the school and its longstanding heritage without any sisters on campus. Notre Dame’s effort to infuse the SNDdN charism within the learning community and align the educational program with the mission is the particular work of these last eight years. The spiritual leadership provided by the charism propels us to innovation, integration of learning experiences, and the mission formation of our educators.
With diminishing numbers of religious women and men, how can a Catholic school continue the charism of the sponsoring congregation? How does an educational program embrace the legacy of its particular Catholic identity? What does the spiritual formation of lay educators look like so as to enable and empower them as “Bearers of the Mission” for years to come? This presentation aims to explore the journey of the past eight years, best practices for the development of spiritual leadership and Catholic identity in educators, and the potential for other learning communities to embrace their own prophetic voices.