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NCEA Convention
Addresses ‘Challenging’ Times;
Sessions Provide Insights Related to FCC Standards
By James Herzog,
Accreditation Program Manager
The last few
months have been busy for our Accreditation Program, and I
am sure it has been likewise hectic at each school or
office. As I write this article, there are many last-minute
items to cross off my “to-do” list such as sending out
reports to Accreditation Committee members. Nevertheless, I
would like to take to share a few thoughts gleaned from the
National Catholic Educators Association Convention in
Atlanta April 18-21.
With the theme “Charting
the Future in Challenging Times,” there was an enticing
“smorgasbord” of talks to choose from – as well as hundreds
of education booths to visit – at the Georgia World Congress
Center. I was blessed to be able to attend my first NCEA
Convention for one day on Thursday, April 20, and picked out
four sessions that I thought had at least some “tie-in” to
accreditation.
My first session
was: “The No Child Left Behind Act and Benefits for Catholic
School Students and Teachers.” (I had planned to attend
“Early Childhood Education Accreditation Program, a SPICE
Model Program,” but heard it was a last-minute
cancellation.) Dr. Maureen Dowling, a former Catholic
school Principal from Texas and current Education Program
Specialist with the U.S. Department of Education, gave a
detailed overview of 12 major programs that can provide
benefits or services to our Catholic school teachers and
students.
One example of a
possible “tie-in” to our Accreditation standards is a
program called “Title II: Preparing, Training and Recruiting
High-Quality Teachers and Principals.” This program could
be useful to some schools in meeting
professional-development needs, as specified in FCC
Accreditation Standard D15.
On a practical
note, Dr. Dowling gave at least two suggestions that may
prove helpful. First, the Office of Non-Public
Education provides a “listserv” that strives to limit
communications to updates of key issues or requirements.
The free, online service is available by visiting following
website:
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpublic/index.html.
To subscribe, be
sure to click on “Join Our Listserv” under the “More
Resources” box.
Another suggestion was to read an overview of the 12
programs called “The NCLB Act of 2001: Benefits to Private
School Students and Teachers.” This free booklet is
available in Word or PDF format at the following link:
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/nonpublic/nclbinfo.html.
The second session
I attended was “Faith Formation – Character, Compassion,
Values” by Sr. Patricia Helene Earl, IHM, Ph.D., Assistant
Professor at Marymount University in Arlington,VA. Sr.
Helene described a two-day “virtue seminar” used in the
Arlington Diocese for the past ten years.
According to Sr.
Patricia Helene, the program’s first focus is giving
teachers confidence to present topics such as the “Ten
Commandments” and “Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy” in
a way that the material truly “comes alive” for students.
Teachers also learn about the importance of meditation in
our busy day and age when times of quiet are often
unfamiliar to students. Practical ideas included creating a
“prayer table” for the classroom that reflects the
Liturgical calendar, and encouraging students and families
to “adopt” a similar prayer space at home. A program such
as this “virtue seminar” could be helpful to schools in
meeting our Area A, “Beliefs and Mission,” Standard 1, which
relates to “the integration of Catholic faith and Gospel
values … for the entire educational program.”
Here is an
overview from two other sessions I attended:
-
“Evangelization through the Rosary,” by Rev. John Phalen,
CSC, President of Holy Cross Family Ministries in North
Easton, MA. Fr. Phalen stressed how the Rosary was the
favorite prayer of Pope John Paul II, and how it helps
the principal events in the life of Jesus “unfold”
before our souls. The Rosary is a “catechism on a
string” that can help each of us to conform our lives to
Christ.
- “Creating the
21st Century School: If You Build It, Will
They
Come?” This session was presented by Sr. Elaine Poitras, CSC, Ph.D., Associate Superintendent of the
Diocese of Manchester, NH. Sr. Elaine stressed the need
to help students develop new skill sets, such as time
management, teamwork and ethical decision-making, and to
cope with technological changes or challenges (such as
the myspace.com site in which personal information can
be widely disseminated in ways harmful to families and
schools).
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