2019 NCEA Institute for Catholic School Leaders (ICSL 2019)

July 14-17, 2019
Hyatt Regency Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN

The 2019 NCEA Institute for Catholic School Leaders (ICSL 2019) is the foremost annual gathering dedicated to serving current elementary and secondary principals, presidents, pastors, and school board leadership in Catholic schools. Additionally, ICSL 2019 is an excellent opportunity for professional development in the preparation of the next generation of leaders in these positions desiring to serve in Catholic schools.

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The ICSL 2019 online registration system can accept and process registrations in a number of payment methods; via check, via credit card or via purchase order.  Instructions for each method are found during the checkout step of registration.

Schedule At-a-Glance

Institute Sessions

ICSL 2019 will feature professional development sessions specific to Catholic school  principals, assistant principals, presidents and pastors. Break-out session topics include: 

Registration Fees

Housing

Reserve your hotel as soon as possible for the best rates! Housing is available at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis for a discounted rate of $159/night. To reserve your hotel room within the block, please use the link below or call 1-877-803-7534 and reference the NCEA Institute for Catholic School Leaders to receive the group rate.  The discounted group rate will be available through June 13, 2019 or until the block is full; whichever comes first.

RESERVE YOUR ROOM

Invited Focused Content Sessions

At this year’s Institute for Catholic School Leaders, NCEA is offering Focused Content Sessions, which are designed for a more in-depth professional development experience.  These collaborative sessions have been created so that attendees glean a more thorough professional development experience through actionable and practical work sessions.  Be ready to take off with great ideas and the start of a workable plan for the new school year!

The Moral Compass: Navigating Ethical Challenges and Conflict

Speaker: Timothy Uhl, Ph.D.

Participants will be introduced to theories of leadership and conflict to gain a fuller understanding of the drivers’ underlying decision-making and to develop a framework for problem-solving.  Through a review of case studies, engagement in group problem- solving activities and role playing, participants will have the opportunity to tackle challenging issues and gain confidence with their approach to problem-solving when guided by their ethical judgment or moral compass.

Building Leadership Capacity through Ten Mindful Practices 

Speaker: Phyllis Cavallone-Jurek; Dan Foertsch, Ph.D.

Current expectations from the competitive educational marketplace and the increasingly resource intensive nature of modern education require Catholic schools to deliver more than a historically successful legacy. Building capacity is an essential component to address the pivotal challenges needed to ensure the future vitality of Catholic education. Recently, educators and others have found incorporating mindfulness practices yield many benefits, including increasing personal and organizational capacity. Workshop participants, both new and veteran school leaders, will benefit from seeing how applying a mindfulness approach can greatly enhance ten capacity building practices. Participants will review examples/samples of best practices and draft an action plan for their own schools. Becoming a mindful school leader is one way to help ensure the future of Catholic education!

Administrators and Boards: Cultivating Relationships for Success

Speakers: Regina M. Haney, Ed.D.; Dan Ryan, Ed.D.

Participants will be grouped according to models of governance (Advisory/Consultative, Board of Limited Jurisdiction or Board of Trustees) and developmental stages (Start-up, Novice, Stretch, Stuck, High-Functioning) using a board rubric.  Each member of the group will assess his/her strengths and weaknesses as a facilitator of the board's leadership and identity commonalities.  Group members will use the Governance for a New Era Assessment Tool that is based on the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools to create a joint assessment of their boards.  Together they will create a plan that benefits all group members which integrates strategies for the growth of the board with group members' growth as a facilitator of a board.  The plan will focus on ways the heads of school in collaboration with their boards respond to today's Catholic education demands with strategic thinking and vision that will have a major impact on the institution's success.  At the conclusion of the session, each group will share generalized best practices including resources/tools that will have the most impact for all models, but specific to certain developmental stages.

Purpose and Emotion: Transforming from Manager to Leader

Speaker(s): T. Jeffrey Hannah, J.D.; Jeffery Kaufman, Ph.D.

Imagine everyone in your school community showing up every day with purpose, curiosity and energy.  Challenges are met with determination and creativity.  Disappointment is met with understanding and renewal.  Obligations are met with perseverance and grace.  Think about how that could truly transform lives!  It's not an impossible dream, but it does require intentional leaders.  Every day, all day, how we show up as a professional leader either creates engagement and energy or kills them.   This session will examine key patterns of thought and help you develop action plans to engage in a more holistic way; liberating your school to unleash its full potential. This Focused Content Session will explore life-giving leadership tools and practices that help create a purpose-driven culture including: motivation and engagement, understanding self and others, using emotion for wisdom and energy and how to be present as a “wholly” leader.

Expanding Innovative Practice through Robust STEM /STREAM Program 

Speaker(s): Pam Bernards, Ed.D.; Mary Baier; Susan Ferguson

Results from the National Market Research Study completed through a partnership with NCEA & FADICA have shown that robust STEM programs are a priority for today's prospective Catholic school parent. Attendees will learn how to effectively facilitate the design and delivery of a comprehensive STREAM program which not only emphasizes a robust STEM program but ensures intentional integration of the arts and values. Updated STREAM education indicators will be presented. The session is designed to be collaborative, provide for sharing information and best practices and the development of a STREAM implementation plan. Attendees are asked to bring a personal device, such as a laptop or tablet and the most recent copy of either the school's strategic plan or annual goals.

Showcasing Our Schools through Best Practices in Marketing 

Speaker: Jaclyn Day; Nick Regina

Participants in the "Showcasing Our Schools through Best Practices in Marketing" will have the opportunity to learn the data-driven techniques that support marketing their schools or dioceses for image, enrollment and resources. Participants will understand three integral plans that can drive enrollment, communication and advancement strategies in a positive direction. This hands-on session will include multiple activities and time to build an enrollment management plan, social media plan, and a comprehensive advancement plan.

Keynote Speakers

Gene M. Kerns, Ed. D.
Educator, Author, and Chief Academic Officer
Renaissance

Unlocking Talent: The Science of Expertise

Educators help students build expertise. Despite their critical role in the overall process, many teachers are unaware of the research on how expertise is truly developed.  Guided by the inaccurate folklore around talent, we unconsciously limit the aspirations of our students and ourselves and fail to align our schools and classrooms for optimal growth.  You can promote expertise systematically and consistently, and research documents this.  During this event, we will review the research on world-class performance with the particular goal of distilling it for educators. 

Thomas J. Kiely, MA, MALS, DHL
Director
Institute for Catholic Leadership 
Marquette University 

Tom Kiely directs the Institute for Catholic Leadership at Marquette University.  The Institute helps develop the mission effectiveness, strategic and innovative visioning and leadership practices of Catholic school leaders and teachers.  For 30 years, Tom has served Catholic schools in administrative capacities, faculty positions, and governing roles.  He holds degrees from Georgetown University, the Catholic University of America, and Mt. St. Mary’s University.  He has written about contemplation and action in the Catholic tradition, the interplay of different advocacies and public policy in Catholic education, integral education in Catholic schools, and the primacy of student-teacher relationships in developing a Catholic school’s religious identity.

Opening Mass Celebrant

Msgr. William Stumpf 
Vicar General of Indianapolis
Marian University

Title II-A Funds

Contact Us

Jennifer Stewart, CMP
Events Manager
(571) 206-1527
Registration Questions

Thomas Pigg,
Project Coordinator
(571) 257-0021
Speaker & Session Questions