tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22722223819323034062024-03-24T16:31:19.077-07:00Ideas for Catholic EducationFor leaders in Catholic education: ideas to promote the mission, future, and long term sustainability of our schools.Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-57468289672182230502024-02-17T03:51:00.000-08:002024-02-17T06:18:55.473-08:00Boards That Help Us<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRVu6J2qxEjjyiZ9VY7SLsftPTJaO1mmJRU0MqOz-pV20QQZGXLnCoXgFus7ermGAVjae7oYhkRkO2qfHNovjPpwvPml-cqSq9ArmLtOM3CQnqfMcLTx1sUrNvYjZ_5m3UV-MN-svYpqgj45OENONTdM_AWAbLha55CQZXOKkhwJUgx0z4IUy0fVt1Qs/s4032/IMG_4222.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFRVu6J2qxEjjyiZ9VY7SLsftPTJaO1mmJRU0MqOz-pV20QQZGXLnCoXgFus7ermGAVjae7oYhkRkO2qfHNovjPpwvPml-cqSq9ArmLtOM3CQnqfMcLTx1sUrNvYjZ_5m3UV-MN-svYpqgj45OENONTdM_AWAbLha55CQZXOKkhwJUgx0z4IUy0fVt1Qs/s320/IMG_4222.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Typically we have some very successful professionals on our Boards who want to help us become a better school. But often, they are quickly disillusioned because “they don’t do anything.” </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Absent meaningful work, meetings can easily become sniper sessions where members become critical of administrative decisions. Toxicity results. Principals often dread Board meetings as a result.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But that’s on us as school leaders. It’s our responsibility to bring forward meaningful work for our Boards, asking them to help us. We either “drive or get driven.” </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So here are tasks we can ask our Boards to assist us with:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">—Boards should help us draft a strategic plan for the school, focused on faith, academic programs, building/grounds, student life, and financial/advancement initiatives. Ideas can begin with Board sponsored “listening sessions” with parents, teachers and students.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Strategic plans keep Boards focused in the right direction: the future. It is liberating and exciting to imagine future possibilities. I recommend Boards take two years to finalize a plan.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also recommend NOT putting an implementation date for each recommendation. With timelines, the plan will be outdated within 2 years, as there will almost certainly be pieces that aren’t done within the hoped for dates. Rather, designate a meeting each year for an “annual review” of the strategic plan: What have we accomplished? Still to be done? Do we still believe X, Y and Z are worthy goals for us? Do we need to delete or revise? If we do this annually, the plan becomes a “living document” that informs future Board discussions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here’s an example of our <a href="https://files.ecatholic.com/11727/documents/2020/11/Vision2025.pdf">strategic plan, from St. Michael Catholic High</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Other suggestions for productive Board work:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">—Create a policy for wait lists. Who gets in first? Parishioners? Siblings of current families? Good families? Smart kids? Talented kids?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">—Recommend budgets, salary increases and tuition, of course. But get some financial folks on the Board to also run 5 year projections with similar assumptions! What does that tell us?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">—Rewrite your school mission statement. There’s a good chance it was written in the 1970’s/80’s and is too wordy. No one remembers it! Sharpen it to three key words or phrases!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">—Set maximum class sizes per grade. The principal should be the primary as the educational professional, but should bounce ideas off the Board who knows the community. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">—Ask Board members to serve as leaders of the annual fund, to devise new scholarship initiatives for financial aid, to help the school create an endowment fund and to provide gifts to initiate that endowment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Most importantly, as school leaders, we should continually share our thinking with the board, asking them to listen, ask questions and suggest revisions to our thoughts. I just previewed my “State of School” for parents with them, and they had some good ideas for improvement.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">They want us to succeed, but we must “let ‘em in.”</span></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-15772644715918396922024-02-17T03:16:00.000-08:002024-02-17T03:18:03.230-08:00A Magnanimous Life!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBn9Dx3Uo5hhugp8YCYs9W3XvWs60CG1zMHBPLCzS9AHRyhJ1H6tu-z6ZBVFO8ImYzAZZqS4pCh_wTnqJghLwtB4T2-9muRfvVj_5JxQNMrP1r6Kdu-dqTq2O-wpFaAQ5ySbg2-FUUA7SCwwmhFMDjB5D-FIPRdhKin2zMu8iVROKs7Rps2B5CNkmVsQ/s4032/IMG_4261.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBn9Dx3Uo5hhugp8YCYs9W3XvWs60CG1zMHBPLCzS9AHRyhJ1H6tu-z6ZBVFO8ImYzAZZqS4pCh_wTnqJghLwtB4T2-9muRfvVj_5JxQNMrP1r6Kdu-dqTq2O-wpFaAQ5ySbg2-FUUA7SCwwmhFMDjB5D-FIPRdhKin2zMu8iVROKs7Rps2B5CNkmVsQ/s320/IMG_4261.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>A <span style="font-family: georgia;">few years back, Pope Francis said this to an audience of elementary and high school students:</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>“The principle element of school is to learn to be magnanimous. What does it mean? To have a big heart, to have a great spirit; it means to have great ideals, the desire to do great things , to respond to that which God asks of us, and exactly this doing of daily things well, all of the daily acts, obligations, encounters with people; doing everyday small things with a big heart open to God and to others. It is important, therefore, to tend to human formation aimed at magnanimity. School not only expands your intellectual dimension, but also the human dimension.”</i> (Vatican Radio, June 7, 2013)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Great hearts and great minds to do great things for the Lord--what a powerful way to talk about the mission of our Catholic schools!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">"Magnanimity" comes from two Latin words, "magna" meaning "great" and "anima" meaning “mind” or “spirit.” Thus magnaminity means literally "great-mindedness." St. Thomas Aquinas defines it as a "stretching forth of the mind to do great things. " </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">He contrasts it with "pusillanimity," from "pusil," meaning "small.” A pusillanimous person is a small-minded one, without great aspirations or ideals. It makes sense that pusillanimity is a synonym for cowardice, since those without large vision or ideals are not moved to action and are inclined to "play it safe."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Aquinas believes the reason people tend toward pusillanimity is deep down, they don't believe they have the "qualifications" to be magnanimous. They believe that magnanimity is a virtue for the saints, perhaps, but not for ordinary people, like us. “If we aim low, we won't be disappointed."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And in fact, we live in a culture that consistently aims low for our youth: "We don't really believe you're capable of chastity, so practice safe sex." "We don't really expect you to be committed to scholarship, so we'll inflate your grades." "We don't think you can handle disappointment, so everyone will get a trophy."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But that’s NOT the message of Catholic schools! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We say: “You are a child of God”, “a temple of the Holy Spirit”, “infused with God's grace to do great things with your life for others!” “You are called to holiness! You are called to become a saint!”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">We believe children are hungry, deep down, to be challenged. They are utterly bored and uninspired by an accommodating, "lowest common denominator" approach to life. They want their lives to matter; they want to be challenged by the gospel, to believe that a heroic life is possible, and they are powerfully attracted to people who believe and live that way. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The culture of optimism and faith in our Catholic schools is contagious! Our children are told, over and over, “(They) can do all things in Christ who strengthens (them)“ (Philippians 4:13). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Let us never despair of the transformative power of God’s grace, working through our schools, to form magnanimous, happy and holy children!</span></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-4649295013666072672024-02-16T08:09:00.000-08:002024-02-16T08:09:53.515-08:00 A Chart is Worth a Thousand Words<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Kudos to Mike Juhas, Superintendent of Catholic Schools of Pensacola, Florida, who may have shown us the best possible way to present our test scores to our communities.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">He tracked the Iowa test scores of the current 8th graders of his diocese from when they were first graders all the way through to 8th grade, comparing their “grade equivalencies” to the national averages each year (see his chart below). As they matriculate through, his students beat the national averages by wider and wider margins.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">In this one easy to understand graph, Mike makes a compelling case for the academic “value proposition” of the schools in his diocese. Brilliant!</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">So now I am scrambling to put together similar charts for our previous 8th grade classes at Prince of Peace. I’m pleased to find out that the Iowa test folks give us the tools to do this without a lot of expertise required.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">It’s my sense that we don’t do this kind of thing enough for our schools. People have neither the expertise or patience to dig through data, but they will stop to look at a chart.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Let’s give ‘em charts, then!</span></span><div><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQY8un3GUxvKYRT-C-GGPxtsO7i8BMP-EuZwwsyAv_R_SHNoNYZeaaeyPPjeQCM0NY3qiN7xTagDwu75Ig1F7ymi0Q48D8EXopWIjgjL_o0OMKoaA65uLiV8hJsglWp4r1jGLCNyDZl-Ymdm8c5rDLiM0LCUe_CaC-wq4mtshpqihDQ-v8oErYSZ414Y/s800/1707825193729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQY8un3GUxvKYRT-C-GGPxtsO7i8BMP-EuZwwsyAv_R_SHNoNYZeaaeyPPjeQCM0NY3qiN7xTagDwu75Ig1F7ymi0Q48D8EXopWIjgjL_o0OMKoaA65uLiV8hJsglWp4r1jGLCNyDZl-Ymdm8c5rDLiM0LCUe_CaC-wq4mtshpqihDQ-v8oErYSZ414Y/s320/1707825193729.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></span></div>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-13686522611325180982024-02-16T08:08:00.000-08:002024-02-16T08:08:20.046-08:00The “Six Commandments” For Effective Boards<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zKAjD1nKjrDnz2l-KfpQs5xhXrZFFd-x-BcOd2k_JGFcuqAycJlaPFq8buxRm8xyOgESGfHvddaekvofofbAzBlBd1JdqVWVOWVsCHWRbU7PQdPy4rM6oZ4OM6UPbQg7awclZkeW2UQuGcXvn5I07RTSKDMBc8t3gVL55i_Lr5FdGEqDIEvp3ZVE3qU/s1066/1707910492075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zKAjD1nKjrDnz2l-KfpQs5xhXrZFFd-x-BcOd2k_JGFcuqAycJlaPFq8buxRm8xyOgESGfHvddaekvofofbAzBlBd1JdqVWVOWVsCHWRbU7PQdPy4rM6oZ4OM6UPbQg7awclZkeW2UQuGcXvn5I07RTSKDMBc8t3gVL55i_Lr5FdGEqDIEvp3ZVE3qU/s320/1707910492075.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The greatest professional blessing of my life is to have been mentored for 12 years by Dr. Tom Doyle—he as president, and me as a young principal of Montgomery Catholic High School.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Among his many gifts, Tom became well known for his work with school boards, and was often asked to host workshops for dioceses around the country. He concluded each session with his “Six Commandments”—brilliant in their simplicity and wisdom:</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Boards Decide.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">The primary work of the Board is to make decisions—to vote, not to talk. Issues have been raised in previous meetings, they’ve been assigned to committees, committees have reported back to the Board, and now the Board either accepts, rejects or amends. Monthly meetings should take 75 minutes max for this reason.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Committees Work.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Standing committees do the “work” of the Board. The finance committee recommends the increase in salaries, tuition and budget for next year. Building and grounds committees might do annual inspections of the school, taking note of safety issues and where cosmetic improvements can be made. Marketing committees help with recruiting plans for the upcoming year. Each brings their recommendations to the Board for a vote .</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">The key to successful Boards is active committee work.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Agendas Govern.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">The Board meeting is directed by an agenda, and if it’s not on the agenda, it’s not discussed at that meeting. Is there a Board member who is hot-fired on the cause for something and wants to speak out about it? Then the executive committee decides whether his issue goes on the agenda for next month. This helps a Board stay future oriented and keeps it from being dragged into whatever the emotional issue of the day is. It also keeps the principal from being blind-sided at meetings.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Executive Committees Think.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">The executive committee of the Board (typically, the president, vice-president, with the president or principal) has two primary functions: To create an agenda for the meeting, deciding on which matters the Board will take up (and which ones it won’t), and to assign tasks to the committees, establishing the parameters of their work and a time-table for presenting interim and final reports to the Board.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Principals Share.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Every board meeting, principals should inform the Board of issues at the school—successes, issues of concern, new faculty, new programs, ideas of the faculty and staff—all those things that help the Board understand the life of the school through the principal’s eyes.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Everyone Writes.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">A funny thing about our memories: we all remember differently. That’s why one of the cardinal rules of good board practice is no oral reports. Committees write down their findings. Principals write down how they’re doing. The secretary records the minutes, which are then voted as “acceptable” in the next meeting. What if a committee doesn’t have a written report that month? Their work and all discussion is tabled for the next meeting.</span> </span></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-59405886918371464372024-02-16T08:06:00.000-08:002024-02-16T08:06:31.911-08:00 Improving Elementary School Math Scores<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzq_hfK-DG9PDScA5lzLsCglxP0Hr32UFjxHk1C3-JLsD1OG8aDaMvbqe4CBLJ_ryN-unSzz5oUtOx2DkzJAOz3K4TSAqg3C6WB3DabHocm2M90DVm1rt3sZhfCZtbViZsXJt04_e_r4tbj8zGr6_6O0dUO-tdf8R9pB8acM__JIXQZvnvubGewdPHDVQ/s800/1707053798948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzq_hfK-DG9PDScA5lzLsCglxP0Hr32UFjxHk1C3-JLsD1OG8aDaMvbqe4CBLJ_ryN-unSzz5oUtOx2DkzJAOz3K4TSAqg3C6WB3DabHocm2M90DVm1rt3sZhfCZtbViZsXJt04_e_r4tbj8zGr6_6O0dUO-tdf8R9pB8acM__JIXQZvnvubGewdPHDVQ/s320/1707053798948.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Typically Catholic school students outperform the national averages on normed testing, but our math scores usually lag behind our reading scores.<span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">My theory on that is most of our elementary teachers have more aptitude and interest in ELA than Math. They do their due diligence teaching Math, but their passion and creativity are poured into what they are best at. When was the last time you saw a math problem or project hanging in our hallways?</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">So as the new head of Pope John Paul II in Nashville in 2008, when I reviewed incoming placement test scores from tiny Sumner Academy in Gallatin, TN and saw their extraordinary math scores, I originally figured it was a statistical quirk. But when they scored just as high the next year, I was really curious, and asked Dr. Bill Hovenden, its head of school, if I could visit.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">He was gracious and welcomed me. This is my memory of our conversation:</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">“What are you doing here in Math?” I asked. “Your scores are incredible.”</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">He was pleased I noticed. “Well, I’ve done something here for 20 years most of my colleagues consider heresy. I departmentalize teachers, all the way down to kindergarten. I group our school into three units: K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. For each group I hire three teachers: a math/science teacher, an ELA teacher and a third teacher for everything else, depending on the age. Each teacher works with our kids for three years.”</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">“You mean you ring a bell and have kids change classes, like we do in high school? I asked.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">“Not quite,” he said. “Teachers change classrooms. Kids stay put in K-5. They change rooms in 6-8.”</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">“Why does it work?”</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">“Because most people with good minds in math are terrified to teach English and vice-versa. If I offer teacher candidates the chance to teach only math and science, they jump at the chance! So in my school, I have three really bright math and science people who bring a lot of energy and knowledge to those classes. What you see as they enter your high school is the 9-year impact of that.”</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">“Four other good things about the model,” he wanted me to know.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">“Because a teacher is with the same students for three years, he or she really knows their academic strengths and weaknesses to begin the year. That saves a lot of time.”</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">“Second, the bonds here become very strong, between teachers and students, and between teachers and parents, most of the time.”</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">“Third, vertical integration of the curriculum is better. We only have to coordinate 3 people for each discipline.”</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">“Finally, there is good collaboration among the teachers in each unit. I make sure they have the same free period. They teach the same kids, after all, so they can talk about what works for each one. And when one teacher gets sick or goes on maternity leave, it’s much easier to induct the substitute into the school. I ask the other two teachers to look after him or her.”</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">It works. Sumner Academy does good work with its kids.</span></span>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-48273985202622626312024-02-16T08:04:00.000-08:002024-02-16T08:04:47.150-08:00 Knowing Our Lanes: Boards, Principals, Pastors and Dioceses<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFQCVc4wayAYixMuiWMYoTDsRQP4LgzwkeX1Gn1sCm9Nq12m5Ox4VGzlJwhAVEWELdyrZ1ZN_pFYH63hJ0cma6t4NJDVlI1_pD3MRrVxi4TmNyvvwDWGTQY0DtiEAIblAYMRanUFIdDC-H9XsTVnXXFtCt57dMmIMrhkGBFKpQgkpxdELETii6V5Ewlk/s800/1707132495245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFQCVc4wayAYixMuiWMYoTDsRQP4LgzwkeX1Gn1sCm9Nq12m5Ox4VGzlJwhAVEWELdyrZ1ZN_pFYH63hJ0cma6t4NJDVlI1_pD3MRrVxi4TmNyvvwDWGTQY0DtiEAIblAYMRanUFIdDC-H9XsTVnXXFtCt57dMmIMrhkGBFKpQgkpxdELETii6V5Ewlk/s320/1707132495245.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Boards which serve our schools sometimes misunderstand their role, believing they have an authority they may not actually have. This leads to enormous tension between boards, principals, pastors and dioceses.<span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">My mentor, Dr. Tom Doyle, used to say, “A clear understanding of who makes which set of decisions is an absolute pre-requisite for organizations to function well.”</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">This is certainly the case with Boards, as there are different types of Boards, each with a different scope of authority. It’s important to understand which type our schools are in!</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">There are three:</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">A “Board of Trustees” (BOT) is typical of most independent schools. As its name implies, an “independent school” BOT operates distinct from any higher “authority,” like a pastor, bishop or superintendent. It hires, evaluates and sets the salary for the school head. It establishes tuitions, approves budgets, creates policies, and in rare circumstances, hears appeals of the head’s decisions.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">A “Board of Limited (or Specialized) Jurisdiction” (BLJ) is a model that might be seen in schools founded by a religious order, now sharing their authority with lay Boards. Typically, the order delegates specific areas of authority to the lay Board while retaining authority in all other areas. A religious order could delegate to the Board the authority to create the budget, for example, but keep its authority to hire the head. The bylaws or the constitution of the BLJ, signed by the order, make these distinctions explicit.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">An “Advisory Council” (AC) is the most common model in Catholic schools today. The Council’s authority is advisory only. The Council recommends actions to the pastor or bishop, who has the authority to veto the recommendation. If a Council is doing its work well, the vast majority of the time, the pastor or diocese accepts the recommendations of the Council, so the practical impact of the Advisory Council’s work ends up similar to the other models.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">With AC’s, the evaluation, hiring and firing of a principal (or president if the school is in a president-principal model) are the responsibility of the pastor (if a parish school) or the bishop/super (if a diocesan high school). Pastors (or supers) would typically ask for candid feedback from the Council as part of their evaluation.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">In all three models, the purpose of the Board/Council is to promote the mission of the school in terms of strategic planning, policy making, and securing and protecting the finances of the school.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">Wheres a Board/Council recommends policies that are broad in nature, indicating a direction--the "what?" and the "why?"--the principal’s job is to operationalize these policies in the day to day life of the school-- the "who?" and the "how?" and usually, the "when?"</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">When every group understands which lanes they’re in, Boards are a great blessing for our schools.</span></span>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-80316232811066624042024-02-16T08:01:00.000-08:002024-02-16T08:02:39.668-08:00Heart and Soul!<p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquWxsfZE6W59_888tqf5LGm8tJn7jsdghcOouXfRli3qyo1zlUc6f-BgdWGtMo9gZGT__X-zteHileoUcfolUE_dN3QUmdxjhyphenhyphen8zxm1keVGqh0bGnSJPmUPcd7pafTFRvb9sEETutYhgn-QqJ156Ma3QCdv3qvhxj8eecrIcOZ_ykwlby9hFDvixHeuc/s800/1707479117498.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquWxsfZE6W59_888tqf5LGm8tJn7jsdghcOouXfRli3qyo1zlUc6f-BgdWGtMo9gZGT__X-zteHileoUcfolUE_dN3QUmdxjhyphenhyphen8zxm1keVGqh0bGnSJPmUPcd7pafTFRvb9sEETutYhgn-QqJ156Ma3QCdv3qvhxj8eecrIcOZ_ykwlby9hFDvixHeuc/s320/1707479117498.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">A while back I visited a large parish in our diocese that had just completed construction of a new sanctuary. It was midafternoon on a sunny day, and the light poured through the stained glass windows, creating a serene, prayerful worship space, breath-taking in its beauty.</span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white;">Equally striking to me was how quiet things were. There was no one in the Church or chapel, just a few parish workers in the offices. It was midweek, and since the parish did not have a school, the gym was empty, as were the parish classrooms. There were no cars in the parking lot.</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white;">I drove back to my parish and school and was hit by the contrast.</span><span class="white-space-pre" color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre;"> </span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white;">School was just out. Kids were noisily playing outside on the playground. Cars were coming and going for late pickups. There was basketball practice starting in the gym and a faculty meeting next door in the cafeteria. Mothers were chatting in the parking lot, having just finished planning for the upcoming Gala. Our Christian Service Coordinator and custodians were loading donations into a car, the products of a successful effort involving about 150 volunteer students, parents and teachers a few nights earlier.</span><span class="white-space-pre" color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre;"> </span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white;">The whole place was pulsating with activity.</span><span class="white-space-pre" color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre;"> </span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white;">We often talk about Catholic schools as the FUTURE of our Church, and I think that’s true. But I’m not sure we appreciate how important they are for our PRESENT Church.</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white;">Our schools make our parishes the focal point of family life. Between pickups and drop-offs, ball practices, school masses, scout meetings, music and play rehearsals, classroom projects, after school club meetings, student performances and service projects, a parent might be at the school three, sometimes four times/day. Each time, that parent is being slowly drawn into our community, establishing friendships with other families similarly drawn, and becoming, perhaps without noticing, ever more part of the family of faith.</span><span class="white-space-pre" color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre;"> </span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white;">A healthy, vibrant Catholic school is the very heart and soul of its parish, its energizing force, its fire.</span><span class="white-space-pre" color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre;"> </span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" style="background-color: white;">May we who lead tend this fire with grace and wisdom! </span></span>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-53087188173676202742024-02-16T07:59:00.000-08:002024-02-16T08:31:32.370-08:00 The “Secret Sauce” of Successful School Leadership<p><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0XQVSIeLYxvsOtGfWwyYoaKU_XlmaDbL_GBS_6Hi6pib1GgiuahSLn1__bzxdUZZTVmU3Xx63XQ6wD7QJ8cWJK1O3azJNefQLTj_Cp7VMyqAPleqov5lWT4U3b0JVnHKgs82opoSCZZ7vYcwOfwJdnFzrynfjpXhTZwM9Yw-9w8lCm5RInEu3CkVLvI/s800/1707575055268.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0XQVSIeLYxvsOtGfWwyYoaKU_XlmaDbL_GBS_6Hi6pib1GgiuahSLn1__bzxdUZZTVmU3Xx63XQ6wD7QJ8cWJK1O3azJNefQLTj_Cp7VMyqAPleqov5lWT4U3b0JVnHKgs82opoSCZZ7vYcwOfwJdnFzrynfjpXhTZwM9Yw-9w8lCm5RInEu3CkVLvI/s320/1707575055268.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In my previous high school there was a 500 yard straight-away from our back student parking lot to the front street. That was just too much temptation for teenage boys! After school each day, one or two would rev up their cars and barrel down the straightaway.</span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">I spoke with the students about it at assembly. Didn’t matter. The same kids who followed the rules kept doing so. The ones who didn’t, didn’t.</span><span class="white-space-pre" color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre;"> </span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">So I placed speed limit signs down the stretch. They were ignored.</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Then I posted teachers after school down the drive, who reported transgressors. That made a dent, but only if the teachers were out there. What about after practice at 5 or 6 pm? And the teachers hated playing traffic cop.</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Then I put in speed bumps. Aha!</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">I think often about our back straightaway in my leadership of Catholic schools. As leaders, our job is to establish a strong culture. But how do we build momentum for the norms necessary to do that? Do we create detailed handbooks that address every possible transgression? Do we establish “gotcha” policies that try to regulate behavior through external force or threat?</span><span class="white-space-pre" color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre;"> </span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Or do we create policies and practices that help promote self regulation?</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">There’s a temptation for seniors in high to soften their schedules and avoid challenging classes. Their parents often support them. So without much comment from me, I announced that next year, seniors talking two or more A.P. classes would be given an optional study period in their schedules to “assist them in meeting the challenging demands of their academic load.” No one else had that option in our school. The following year A.P. enrollment swelled. Not surprisingly, so did the # of AP Scholars.</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">I noticed our school was giving too many A’s. Grade inflation is a rampant problem across the nation, but it was becoming an issue for us, too. So I talked about it with faculty, reminding them that an “A” was for superior achievement, not effort, and told them we were giving too many. An average student who worked hard should be able to “effort” their way to a B, I said, but the standard for an A may not be attainable for some.</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The needle barely moved in the next round of grades.</span><span class="white-space-pre" color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre;"> </span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">So I announced as a routine part of our post year planning, this year and in the foreseeable future, I would ask teachers to review grade distributions within their department, and to prep for this review, I would begin sending teachers the school’s grade distributions, listed by department and teacher, every time we ran report cards. Without any further carping from me, the # of A’s began trending lower and B’s trending higher.</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Can we create practices and policies that encourage our students and faculty to “choose the good” on their own, without threat or excessive regulation? That’s the “secret sauce,” really, to leading a successful school—really, to leading any organization.</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;" /></span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9)" face="-apple-system, system-ui, "system-ui", "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", "Fira Sans", Ubuntu, Oxygen, "Oxygen Sans", Cantarell, "Droid Sans", "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Lucida Grande", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Speed bumps > external regulations.</span></span>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-61947630528463423882023-11-30T13:24:00.000-08:002023-11-30T13:24:41.575-08:00Three Salary Ideas Worth Exploring<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4R5IMWyFiGZsDsF_XVynES5Gg_AxhwK6zD4L-PVYt893X4ZDXB_WKCt00FiCw0G5WObLWIxYyVYz1OrLBZYXuo9XrLx4YgVCZehqkCyRaWxneVzO9EPiiL23gIk7la89_ayoabqp0uxtRgMDIB5wAYsF1zOGNauujpqr_bxLtU7KZqqyF0eSQVgxay6U/s2831/B40E44DA-FF8A-4019-8AB7-B32930818408.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2579" data-original-width="2831" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4R5IMWyFiGZsDsF_XVynES5Gg_AxhwK6zD4L-PVYt893X4ZDXB_WKCt00FiCw0G5WObLWIxYyVYz1OrLBZYXuo9XrLx4YgVCZehqkCyRaWxneVzO9EPiiL23gIk7la89_ayoabqp0uxtRgMDIB5wAYsF1zOGNauujpqr_bxLtU7KZqqyF0eSQVgxay6U/s320/B40E44DA-FF8A-4019-8AB7-B32930818408.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The “salary chart” based on years of experience virtually guarantees we underpay our best teachers and overpay others. We can’t afford to do either.<span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">So here are three ideas worth exploring:</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">—Broad salary bands—Create “benchmarks” based on years of experience, but leave a lot of flexibility on either side of that benchmark. So for example, the benchmark for a starting teacher might be 50k, plus or minus 5k, whereas the five year benchmark might be 55k, +/- 5k, the ten year mark 60, +/- 5k, up to the 20 year mark of 70k.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">The scale depends on the market and the school’s resources. But I believe we should make it as wide as possible, starting with the lowest salary necessary to secure a young teacher and the highest possible on the back end. When young people join us, they can afford the low wages. But after marriage and kids, our salaries don’t keep pace with their exploding expenses. We lose a lot of talented teachers in their late 20’s, right when they’re hitting their stride!</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">The wider our scale, the faster we can accelerate salaries. It’s a mistake to raise salaries by focusing on the entry salary, pushing everything up from there. Rather, we should focus on widening step increases.</span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">—Teachers as “Partners”—In law firms, new lawyers are “associates” who receive annual salaries. But after 8 years or so (it varies by firm), if chosen, they can become “partners” (owners, really) who share in the company profits. At year end, the firm distributes its revenue over expense to the partners depending on their “share.” Junior partners own a tinier portion of the firm than senior partners. If they are not chosen to become partners within a certain window, they leave.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">How might this work in our schools? Full disclaimer: I’ve never done this. But what if our Council designated a certain number—let’s say, 30K– that if our school had a good year, with revenues exceeding expense by 30k or more, we would “revenue share” that 30k with our “partner” teachers, in addition to their salaries? We would have to set up some rigorous requirements for becoming “partners,” just as law firms do. But it would be a way to incentivize and reward long time teachers.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">—More intermediate leadership positions-We typically only have two “levels” of leadership: assistant principals and principals. We may have talented teachers whom we’d like to pay more, but don’t have “positions” that justify the bumps they need for us to do so.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">For large schools with multiple classrooms per grade, I like the idea of “lead teachers” for each grade, with extra curricular responsibilities.</span><span class="white-space-pre" style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline); white-space: pre !important;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; border: var(--artdeco-reset-base-border-zero); box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9); line-height: inherit !important; margin: var(--artdeco-reset-base-margin-zero); outline: var(--artdeco-reset-base-outline-zero); padding: var(--artdeco-reset-base-padding-zero); vertical-align: var(--artdeco-reset-base-vertical-align-baseline);"><br style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit !important;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.9);">I’ve known many small schools, led by beleaguered principals in need of admin help, but without the means to hire an AP. I’ve recommended they segment as K-2, 3-5, 6-8 “units” and then appoint a teacher as “unit leader” for each. They can then give these teachers a substantial bump in salaries for their additional responsibilities.</span></span>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-80554221450293023502023-11-29T19:24:00.000-08:002023-12-02T05:28:57.795-08:00Five Contrarian Views Concerning Catholic Schools<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_0lnUjuvuRkqPN7H4C86ibMIzb8TC75v0TwgjIHTf1AclfmbR9C9dO09802Ljz_xo8YGeAO2JTRSTI4dt8A33Gn3wj-dxTstgQWZiDCT57G8lIMaaBr4vXtIl4DW4mdq4BKPy-jwGVhxDKF9LOU8gIyuKmZyukJpZfmlYP1vbRg0orZ7U7bbaHm7PW4/s3264/IMG_1273.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_0lnUjuvuRkqPN7H4C86ibMIzb8TC75v0TwgjIHTf1AclfmbR9C9dO09802Ljz_xo8YGeAO2JTRSTI4dt8A33Gn3wj-dxTstgQWZiDCT57G8lIMaaBr4vXtIl4DW4mdq4BKPy-jwGVhxDKF9LOU8gIyuKmZyukJpZfmlYP1vbRg0orZ7U7bbaHm7PW4/s320/IMG_1273.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We have operated our schools with certain assumptions that I believe no longer help us—indeed, holding onto them may even be hurting us.<span> </span></span><p></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here are a five, with brief comments:</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Our tuitions should be low, consistent with the gospel mandate to protect the least among us.”</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A noble sentiment, but we have a competing obligation to pay our teachers a just wage, and if we don’t, we won’t be able to sustain their long term commitment, to the detriment of our mission and our competitiveness. Better to aim our tuitions at mid-market rates and then assist our most vulnerable families with financial aid. </span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Diocesan schools should be very similar, with the same calendar, roughly similar times, the same curriculum, teacher requirements, etc.”</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Insisting so only makes our under-resourced schools less competitive—why wouldn’t parents drive a few extra minutes to the school offering the same program with better resources? Instead, we should give these schools a fighting chance by encouraging them to offer unique programs: Why not dual-language? Year round? Classical? Extended day? Diocesan central offices should view themselves as laboratories for innovation, not as regulatory agencies to protect diocesan liability. </span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“We should pay our teachers according to a strict pay scale based on degrees and years of experience.”</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This virtually guarantees we are under-paying our best teachers and overpaying others. I haven’t used a strict salary scale in twenty years. I use benchmark numbers—for example, I might say 45K for a first year teacher with a B.A., but consider a range of plus or minus five thousand off that benchmark depending on how difficult it is to fill that position and how competitive the candidate or important to the life of the school. </span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Principals should protect and defend our least gifted teachers from our most demanding parents.”</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Principals should defend teachers when they are right, not when they’re wrong or because they’re mediocre and need us as advocates. Of course, even our best teachers can be off their game for a while due to difficult circumstances, like a death in the family, an issue in their marriage, or health issues. Those are temporary circumstances and the community will have to trust the principal. But our first obligation as principals is to our kids and families. Often, our parents are rightfully upset about a mediocre teacher. That doesn’t mean we take a public position against that teacher, but behind the scenes we should give these teachers a specific improvement plan. If they can’t hit those marks, we must let them go, sooner than later. </span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Principals must do what they think best, independent of what parents think or want.”</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">While it is true that the mission of the school takes precedence over any one’s preferences, a principal who discounts parent preferences leads foolishly. Yes, I understand that parental love can skew objectivity. But I’m not talking here about specific situations involving someone’s child as much as what the parents hope and dream about the school more generally. Do they want us to invest more in our athletic programs? In a fence to protect their kids? Is there a general consensus on a coach or teacher? We must listen to our parents and deliver where we can. “Parents are the primary educators” isn’t just nice talk. It means they are partners with us. </span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-21475192811684398582023-11-28T03:53:00.000-08:002023-11-29T03:08:01.008-08:00Improving Salaries!<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusUPtaqPcx4Dw3bAf_t5pUo_E8H9LYO19j-Kwb-TOq86u6QiG4o2fwAmnnlKwZsA9VPESpYsZJDFBcd2GJof4ZglKzXUqo4EMvuJT-lGbrxh5ufLe5FoNtO9m9-yggnLAxPLuHBZdw8AUOYKuaeZi8sZNqyAKINjYE_B_H3l3z1Dnix8BhkJ5rWoI-2Q/s4032/AE6B5A01-E71E-4100-BFB0-D23D43AD18A4.heic" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusUPtaqPcx4Dw3bAf_t5pUo_E8H9LYO19j-Kwb-TOq86u6QiG4o2fwAmnnlKwZsA9VPESpYsZJDFBcd2GJof4ZglKzXUqo4EMvuJT-lGbrxh5ufLe5FoNtO9m9-yggnLAxPLuHBZdw8AUOYKuaeZi8sZNqyAKINjYE_B_H3l3z1Dnix8BhkJ5rWoI-2Q/s320/AE6B5A01-E71E-4100-BFB0-D23D43AD18A4.heic" width="320" /></a></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">How can we pay our teachers better and at the same time, make our schools more affordable to our families? I believe this is the central dilemma facing our schools just about everywhere.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But rather than viewing these as opposing tensions, I believe we can use one to help the other— if we structure our advancement program correctly. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Here’s how I tried to do that when I was principal of St. Michael in Fairhope, AL:</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Whatever our actual total financial aid gifts were each year—after all the dust settled— we listed it as a line item under expense. On the revenue side, we coded tuition as if everyone was paying full freight.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At St. Michael, that aid number was about $600,000, given to 30% of our 350 students.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I also had a line item under income for our annual fund appeal at $250,000. I considered this our "ordinary” philanthropic income and tasked our advancement director to raise this each year. If we were successful with our annual fund, together with tuition, fees and subsidies, I could offer our teachers modest raises each year. That was our “baseline.” </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But if I wanted to make real headway on salaries—which I believe is THE challenge for our schools—I needed to spend my limited time as school principal on "extraordinary” philanthropy. What is the most powerful way to do that? </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I believe it's by asking wealthy Catholic families to give students "the gift of a Catholic education." I have found they're receptive to appeal that if they are <b>convinced </b>the money is going directly to families for this purpose. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In other words, my aim was to begin to offset the 600K number listed as an expense for financial aid with gifts and scholarships. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We did that in three ways:</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">First, we asked older Catholic parishioners to consider becoming “Guardian Angels” for younger Catholic families, inviting them to “pay the gift of their Catholic education forward.” Every August we would take kids (in uniform) and talk at the end of masses to ask for pledges or a donation to help families. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The money would go into a “Guardian Angel” fund available for the next year. If parents applied for financial aid, I would give them what I could through the school’s budget. But if they needed more, they went to their pastor, who could then ask me to withdraw GA funds and apply it to their student account. I didn’t spend that money—only the pastors did. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The pastors appreciated it, because they were able to help their families directly, without tapping into parish money. They were the "good guys," and I was happy with that. It also opened them to us making that appeal each year in their churches. Pastors are rightfully hesitant to see donation dollars leave their parish for other causes! </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Older Catholics responded generously. I didn’t transfer money into a student’s account until I received a thank you from the student to their anonymous guardian angel, and then I would send that letter to the donor. The donors thus knew their money wasn’t going to an administrative “black hole.” Each year we would receive about 150K in GA donations. When we withdrew money from this account, we would list that "income" in our operations. I never used all of it in a single year, figuring the appeal might become less successful down the line, perhaps with even a long term goal of morphing it into an endowment fund. When I left the school in 2022, the number had grown to about 300K. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The second way we offset the financial aid number was through recurring scholarships. For a minimum gift of 25K and a commitment to re-supply the gift to that level each year, we would offer a deserving student a half tuition scholarship named after a loved one (see here: <a href="https://stmichaelchs.org/scholarships-to-st-michael">https://stmichaelchs.org/scholarships-to-st-michael</a>). These were roughly 5k each. I would ask the family to restore the fund that by 5K each year, minimum. Or, a family could “endow” a scholarship that paid a 5K scholarship if they made a gift for100K. I placed these gifts in a Catholic foundation account and anticipated a 5% yearly return.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In early May we would host a “scholarship breakfast,” inviting both the donor families, the student and the students’ parents to meet each other. I would say a few words about each scholarship and the person for whom it was named. Hearing those words about a loved one, and meeting the child they were helping in that loved one's name meant a lot to our donors. It also gave the recipient a chance to say thank you face to face!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Finally, we sought legacy gifts aimed at assisting students with financial aid. The largest came from a donor whom I met originally as a Guardian Angel donor. (I wasn't smart enough to understand this when we first started the GA program, but it turned out to give me fantastic “leads” on people who were supportive of our schools, open to the idea of creating family scholarships and possibly open to a legacy gift.) His gift to us upon his death endowed ten half tuition scholarships each year</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Sum total, after six years as a school, we were offsetting the 600k of financial aid with almost 250K of scholarship or GA income each year, which really allowed us to do more for our teachers. Alas, not all of that went to them, as other needs arose. But it helped a great deal!</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I don’t presume this “template” works for every school. As the expression goes, “Once you know ONE Catholic school, you know…<u>one</u> Catholic school.” I do think the Guardian Angel appeal could have traction elsewhere, as the piety of “guardian angels” appeals to an older generation of Catholics, and I believe connects to an altruistic instinct to pass on the gift they have received from their Catholic schooling. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The fella who endowed the ten scholarships was an older man, in his 80’s, and had difficulty standing. When he called me to his home and told me of his intent to give St. Michael everything he possessed upon his death, I got choked up, and asked him why he was doing that.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I will never forget his response. He rose to his feet, a little wobbly, but with fire in his eyes, and said, “When I went to St. Joseph elementary school, my parents paid the sisters five dollars a month for tuition. When I went to the McGill Institute (high school), they paid the brothers one hundred dollars a year. Those schools changed my life! It’s PAYBACK time!”</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;">In summary: Aim your efforts to raise extraordinary gifts at financial aid. It will give you the best means to pay your teachers more substantially. </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It works! </p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><br /></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-49802608060742373472023-11-08T03:33:00.010-08:002023-11-10T03:57:58.826-08:00My Pre-Prom Letter to Parents<p><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">How do we communicate what we know as principal to parents about what teens are doing during their watch without intruding upon their rightful sovereignty, or coming off as paternalistic or preachy? It isn’t easy. What I’ve done </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">is share stories of how other parents in my career have handled similar situations, using both good and bad examples. Here’s a letter I’ve sent to parents about after-Prom parties as an example.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dear senior parents,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The school prom is a just three Saturdays away—on April 13. The official prom hours are between 7-11 p.m. It’s likely that many students will leave prior to 11, but even if they stay, the million dollar question will be: What will they do next? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I do not presume to tell you how to handle your children that evening—in my view, that’s a parent’s decision. But part of my job as principal is to be a repository of information, sharing with you what parents have done in the past. So let me me share three approaches parents have taken: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The “default”—Kids were on their own. Some students “camped out” all night on someone’s property, with dates sharing tents. Others rented hotel rooms. Some kids were home by a certain time as their parents instructed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The “good”—Three or four families organized a series of progressive “after-parties.” Recognizing their homes could not hold 100 kids at a time, they divided things up, and organized the night in two stages: with 3 “stage one” parties at their homes from 12-1:30, and then a “stage 2” big breakfast from 2–3 a.m. in the school cafeteria for everyone. The parents knew their kids should be home by 3:30. The “pact” the parents made with each other was there would be no drinking allowed at any of these venues. The parents invited everyone in the class so that no seniors were left out. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The “bad”— Years ago in a previous school, a parent thought it would be OK to host a “small party” for 20 of their child’s “closest friends” at barn on their property, allowing them to drink if they turned in their car keys. But word got out around town, students began arriving from other schools, and soon there were 100+ kids, most of whom the parents didn’t know. Alcohol flowed freely. Propriety and confidentiality prevent me from becoming too specific about all that happened, but crimes were committed, arrests were made, things were posted on social media, parents from our school and other schools were outraged, and I was besieged with angry letters and phone calls. I spent the entire next week dealing with police, calling parents from other schools, and suspending students, with one expulsion. It was a calamity. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Please know we are here to support you. I am happy to offer the school cafeteria if three or four families want to host an after prom event. Give me a call to set something up. May God bless you these next few months—graduation is almost here! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Onward and upward,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Faustin</span></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-41519939262411797412023-11-05T04:22:00.014-08:002023-11-06T03:19:29.820-08:00The Crazy Life We Expect of our Student-Athletes—How High Schools Can Help Them Balance<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LFf6d1oABbetY-Y6OK6WKpouXQZYKui-OHAuJiqEDy5gPiLr6eBsh7x3SrMl6d7-M8ZuwsjLO_FS_ItTxV0JC8FYSw2nMAYM7Pdv64PiMrWilLNhgHDdvL0Ozo5jEor5Jzh9myYYk1HQ3t-ixsS95AygauouwOPLkci9eeAAyTAaRaaAhEM5R5Se5DM/s4032/IMG_2141.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LFf6d1oABbetY-Y6OK6WKpouXQZYKui-OHAuJiqEDy5gPiLr6eBsh7x3SrMl6d7-M8ZuwsjLO_FS_ItTxV0JC8FYSw2nMAYM7Pdv64PiMrWilLNhgHDdvL0Ozo5jEor5Jzh9myYYk1HQ3t-ixsS95AygauouwOPLkci9eeAAyTAaRaaAhEM5R5Se5DM/w320-h240/IMG_2141.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />At 6 a.m. every weekday, the lights to the nearby high school stadium turn on so that basketball players can begin their weightlifting and conditioning. Inquiring, I learned that access to the gym is too precious to waste time on conditioning—there they must run plays and hone their shooting and passing skills. So on a typical day, a player wakes up at 5 a.m., conditions and weight-trains from 6-7:30, showers up, eats breakfast, attends school from 8:30 to 3:30, goes to practice from 4-6 p.m, comes home, showers, eats, does homework from 7:30 p.m to 9 or 10, then goes to sleep in time to be rested enough for the 5 am —9:30 p.m. gauntlet the next day. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">That’s the “new normal” for high school athletes in big time athletic programs. And on one level, it’s a beautiful, disciplined life for a kid, which keeps him out or her out of trouble. And look, I think there is tremendous value to high school athletics! Students learn to delay gratification, sacrifice for the good of the team, put themselves second, win and lose with grace, and build virtue in so doing. As my football coach in a former school once quipped: “My most important ‘trophies’ are letters from former players, thanking me for their experience, the memories they have, the brotherhood they formed with teammates, the values they learned that made them better husbands, fathers, and employees.” Summarizing, he said. “It’s a lot more important than football.” </span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I agree with that!</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But on another level, expecting this much from high school kids is greatly worrisome to me, for it demands such allegiance and sacrifice that kids have very little time for anything else. </span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I want our student athletes to be competitive. I want our coaches to feel like they have the means to build programs that can win state championships. But I also want our schools to help our kids live balanced lives, where they can branch out into other areas, such as music, or student government, or service clubs, or participate in religious initiatives. I want them to have room in their schedules to take classes that are demanding if they are capable, without ramping down because of their athletic commitments. I believe students flourish when they are encouraged to become “Renaissance” young men and women, active in many things, the more different, the better.</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdDzcz5W8GImaRGcczOwAAoezHL_cX8s65g8ysxYZxz1kqUcWb9OePbXf4eizNoMIATeOeUr22tXKzEz70NtP9ciy3Pw8VDRKNtYojvHONcRa3XS05Wgso_8xcoLChHcCqGGjh3b48WJ7wftrG33zzKOsHweH4epEeUT0f3UhN9qLLrIH-Sk0RMvYxI0/s1921/IMG_0386.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1921" data-original-width="1441" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdDzcz5W8GImaRGcczOwAAoezHL_cX8s65g8ysxYZxz1kqUcWb9OePbXf4eizNoMIATeOeUr22tXKzEz70NtP9ciy3Pw8VDRKNtYojvHONcRa3XS05Wgso_8xcoLChHcCqGGjh3b48WJ7wftrG33zzKOsHweH4epEeUT0f3UhN9qLLrIH-Sk0RMvYxI0/s320/IMG_0386.jpeg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />But am I just adding to their stress by asking them to juggle even more? Possibly! But here’s how I tried to help things stay balanced when I was a high school principal:</span><p></p>
<ol>
<li style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">First, an 8-period schedule was essential. This gave athletes a chance to take weight-lifting and conditioning during the school day as part of their normal schedule. They met in multiple periods. Our coaches would have preferred having them all at once in an “Athletic P.E.,” but the schedule wouldn’t allow it. However, they realized they could be more efficient rotating through weights —less standing around—with smaller classes.</span></li>
<li style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Because of this extra period, I would not allow pre-school practices. Sleep matters, especially over time!</span></li>
<li style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I would not allow Sunday practices for any reason. We “Kept holy the Sabbath” which allowed everyone, including our families, a chance to recharge.</span></li>
<li style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">All students were required to take two years of the Arts. Most of our athletes were in choir—some opted for a third and fourth year because they enjoyed it. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some even took band (see pic). This requirement helped bring some healthy variety to their lives.</span></li>
<li style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We built “club time” into our weekly schedule, 25 minutes every Thursday, so that participation in other clubs was possible for our athletes and others with after school commitments.</span></li>
<li style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tutorials for classes were everyday after school, Monday through Thursday, 3:15-3:45. The teachers went from 7:30-4 p.m. No practices could begin until 4 p.m. so that student-athletes could attend them. No tutorials on Fridays. </span></li><li style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The school day was a bit longer to fit everything in: 7:45 to 3:10 M—Th and 7:45-2:45 on Fridays. Everyone, including teachers, could leave 30 minutes earlier on Friday. It felt like a “bonus” each week!</span></li>
<li style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For students taking three or more A.P. classes in their senior year, I assigned them one period a day, no more than two students at a time, to another teacher, where they could work quietly in the back of the class, while the teacher taught other students. This “study period” incentivized A.P. enrollments, gave our kids extra time for homework, and didn’t cost us another teaching unit to host a study hall. (It also helped me create a working master schedule, as these periods could land anywhere on a student’s schedule, which helped since seniors </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">taking A.P, classes had so many singletons in their schedule.)</span></li>
</ol>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13.1px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">These practices helped our student-athletes live less crazy lives. I’m including </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">our bell schedule to show how it all fit together. Was it perfect? No! But it helped. </span></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-85354549558469861692023-09-08T04:57:00.008-07:002023-09-09T02:31:30.687-07:00The Future of Our Schools<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5HE7b11ADO-qPb5UEsv2h9a9lBOZ4Ynvdd8JKJBBBY-ZB3fBJdDvCARjcDZRtag9XqnjiAit9cfqehCMCwrHSo_sTMrFmuPhBE8vSLnXl33FVz3Vq9BGTEtHKtXTW9oAB8VM-Qj8jKfEexmxDPzQtBcy24nfTjap4A7cKtRK-W010GnY3iqiXDgdOKo/s848/IMG_0002.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="848" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5HE7b11ADO-qPb5UEsv2h9a9lBOZ4Ynvdd8JKJBBBY-ZB3fBJdDvCARjcDZRtag9XqnjiAit9cfqehCMCwrHSo_sTMrFmuPhBE8vSLnXl33FVz3Vq9BGTEtHKtXTW9oAB8VM-Qj8jKfEexmxDPzQtBcy24nfTjap4A7cKtRK-W010GnY3iqiXDgdOKo/s320/IMG_0002.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 11pt; text-size-adjust: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: georgia; text-size-adjust: auto; white-space: pre-wrap;">magine the following:</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You’re a Corporate Turn-around Specialist, hired by a national company to save it from insolvency. Here’s what your looking at:</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">• In 1960, the company had approximately 13,000 franchises around the country and a customer base of 5.2 million.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">• By 2000, those numbers had fallen off precipitously: 8600 franchises, with only 2.6 million customers.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">• Today there are just less than 6,000 franchises and 1.7 million customers.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What’s driving the decline? You track four fundamental causes:</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-In 1960, this company was one of the few privately held companies in its field. Over the last decades, many new privately supported ventures and new public initiatives have increased competition.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Prior to 1960, the company was able to pull its best employees from a training center that didn’t charge the company for its training. Now the company must employ independent contractors who demand higher wages and who must be trained at company expense.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Each franchise must invest heavily in buildings and infrastructure to deliver its product. Unfortunately, changing demographics now leave many stores in neighborhoods with those unable to afford their product.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Most troubling of all, a cultural shift has pulled potential customers away from the company’s core product. </span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, Mr. or Mrs. Turnaround Specialist, what do you recommend?</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">——-</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ouch! Of course I am talking about Catholic schools. But I find it helpful to step back and pretend, for a moment, this was just any other business, facing these trends. What on earth would a turn around expert recommend?</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One thing he or she would NOT recommend: tinkering! Marginal improvements (newer tech, better P.D., improved fundraising, etc.) won’t get to root causes.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The reality is our schools are run separately by dioceses, so there is no "CEO" at the top of the hierarchy than can issue directives for all our schools. But I believe a turn-around specialist would make these fundamental recommendations, applicable to all dioceses: </span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span><ol style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Schools serving our most disadvantaged students will continue to close. Rather than allow this kind of Darwinian evolution to continue without any planning, dioceses must make hard choices and decide which few of these schools it can truly support and then go “all in” with these few. The parish model will not work—they must be supported by the whole church as a measure of its historical commitment to the poor. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The K-8, 9-12 model is not competitive vs. K-12 schools, except for the wealthiest parish schools. K12 privates leverage the strength of their athletic programs, facilities, lab facilities, advancement and admission offices, etc. to offer more value than our stand alone K8’s can provide. We will need to compete more often as K12’s.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our schools will need to adopt a “college model” for funding, increasing tuitions and financial aid considerably. We will not be able to sustain excellent teachers unless they can afford to support themselves and their families. They cannot do so at 40, 50 or 60K a year.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Principal and leadership salaries must increase dramatically. We will not have strong schools without smart, creative and confident leaders. Programs like Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education bring young teachers into our schools who fit this profile, but most leave within five years because they can’t afford to raise families. That kind of “talent bleed” will kill us! At minimum, if X = the avg salary of teachers, principals should make 2X or even 2.5X. Heads of NAIS schools make an average of 4.5X!</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Schools must be focused on their fundamental mission to create disciples, fully aligned with their Church, staffed by joyful, practicing people of faith, with aspirational goals for all of their students to become saints and scholars! Any “mission-drift” to be all things to all people or compromises in staffing or goal-setting due to expediency are cancerous to this vision.</span></p></li></ol><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Will these five recommendation reverse things? They'll help! In some situations, maybe not. But the old paradigms must change for us to have a chance. May God give us the creativity and courage to embrace the challenges ahead! </span></span></div><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" />Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-47855355943080220522023-08-28T13:50:00.014-07:002024-01-26T13:06:16.936-08:00Must the Head of a Catholic School Be a Practicing Catholic?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Perhaps not.”</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />So suggests Bob Regan, then a senior search consultant for Carney-Sandoe, who wrote on the subject a few years back (“The 22% Factor: Hard Choices for Catholic Schools”).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUnv5LkR1nfeKtjNZHSEznC2anPrLA0plJlgexmYf1khN2-6UBQPBhTEdOV1Q46E8A8Y6oJ1d3m6urAwqNvA6N1kf_O9ksiXUQADbWArK8iBJz84jtExXe-tFRZOQamBZgTVB4kbO-CPCwnokofgVeGDVxPJZMm2RTrhhaAMZNjt5oSJBkuNbpeaej_Y/s1200/hello_im_catholic.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUnv5LkR1nfeKtjNZHSEznC2anPrLA0plJlgexmYf1khN2-6UBQPBhTEdOV1Q46E8A8Y6oJ1d3m6urAwqNvA6N1kf_O9ksiXUQADbWArK8iBJz84jtExXe-tFRZOQamBZgTVB4kbO-CPCwnokofgVeGDVxPJZMm2RTrhhaAMZNjt5oSJBkuNbpeaej_Y/w400-h210/hello_im_catholic.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Regan’s argument was both practical and philosophical. Practically, he pointed out that only 22% of the country considered themselves “practicing Catholics.“ Precisely at a time when so many Catholic schools needed entrepreneurial, innovative leadership, did it make sense to eliminate 78% of the talent pool? Could a faith-filled, serious minded ecumenical candidate do the job?</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Philosophically, Regan raised the intriguing metaphor of “the ship of Theseus.” Theseus was the mythical king and founder of Athens, who rescued the children of Athens from King <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minos"><span class="s1" style="color: #0013a9;">Minos</span></a> after slaying the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur"><span class="s1" style="color: #0013a9;">minotaur</span></a>, and escaped onto a ship going to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delos"><span class="s1" style="color: #0013a9;">Delos</span></a>. Each year, the Athenians commemorated this victory by taking that ship on a pilgrimage to Delos to honor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo"><span class="s1" style="color: #0013a9;">Apollo</span></a>. But as the ship aged and the wood rotted, as it harbored in the Athenian port over the ages, planks had to be replaced, one at a time, to keep the vessel seaworthy. Ancient philosophers asked: After centuries of maintenance, if each individual part of the ship had been replaced, was it still the ship of Theseus?</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Regan asked, what are the “planks” of our schools that make us “Catholic?” Was it the sisters, who are no longer with us? Was it lay Catholic ministers? But now we have many non-Catholic teachers in our schools. Is it the students we serve? But now we have a broad ecumenical outreach; there Catholic schools today that are less than 50% Catholic. Despite these tectonic changes, we are still “Catholic schools.” Perhaps, Regan suggested, the faith of the head of school is another “plank” that could be replaced without changing the essence of our institutions.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Though he wrote this article in 2016, let’s give Regan his due: His arguments are even more poignant today! Few people would better understand the landscape of independent and Catholic school leadership than him, as he was head of the “Catholic practice” for Carney-Sandoe for many years. I met him when my school hired him to search for my successor at Pope John Paul II in Nashville. I found him to be a thoughtful, committed advocate for our schools.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And indeed, good leaders for our schools are hard to find! Perhaps it is the post-Covid effect, but I cannot remember a time when there were so many open school leader positions as there have been these last few years. It doesn’t help that Catholic schools pay dramatically less for its leaders than some of our private school counterparts. According to the National Association of Independent Schools, the median salary of school “heads” in their schools was $288,000 in 2022-23! Some make more than $700,000 in the Dallas area!</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also find Regan’s philosophical argument intriguing. There’s no question that shifting the leadership in our schools from the nuns to the laity has jolted us in fundamental ways—but do we claim that we are no longer “Catholic” as a consequence? I suppose some might get snarky and shout “Yes!” but I don’t believe that’s what most people believe. We work hard to carry on the heroic work the sisters began. </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the end, however, I disagree with Regan! </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think it is wrong to understand the Catholicity of the school as a "component part” of the operation that can be outsourced by the leader to another person, such as a "Director of Mission Effectiveness," or made the responsibility of the principal if the school uses the president-principal model. Building a joyful, authentic Catholic culture is the very essence of creating a Catholic school, the whole “kit and caboodle” that makes us distinctive from other schools. To be the architect in building such a culture requires someone who understands the Catholic faith--its idiosyncrasies, rituals, feast days, sacramental practices, songs, and common prayers--from the “inside-out” --that is to say, someone who has lived it and who has been formed by it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">There are hundreds of decisions a school leader makes which tell the tale: how that person evaluates a prospective teacher or coach, what that person talks about in school assemblies, what is prioritized in professional development, how that person leads his or her school through a tragedy, what that person chooses to celebrate as a school, what he or she prioritizes in spending, whether the leader builds a partnership with priests or bishops, how actively the school leader supports the efforts of the parish or the diocese. All of these “tributary” decisions flow into a larger “river” that becomes the culture of the school and the air that students breathe.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tasking a person to lead our schools without this lived experience would be like hiring a GM of a baseball team who had corporate leadership experience but didn’t know anything about baseball. He may have executive skills, but ultimately, he wouldn’t have the slightest idea how to evaluate talent, or fathom what ignites the passions of its fans, or understand baseball’s reverence for its history. </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Could he task his manager with all of those “baseball specific” things? No, the manager is too preoccupied with handling players and strategizing for games—in other words, the day to day.</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If Catholic schools were just about what occurs in the classroom like any other school, then perhaps an ecumenical leader might have the technical skills to lead it well. But Catholic education is fundamentally about <span class="s2" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration: underline;">formation </span>as the end goal. The classroom teaching and what occurs in the daily life of the school is a means to this end.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">Let me add this comment, too, at least for diocesan schools: We don’t lead our schools apart from the bishop or pastors! We are institutions of the Church, not Boards of Trustees. We must communicate well with the Church and try to speak in one voice. It strikes me that trying to do this as a non-Catholic would be analogous to having a native speaker and non native person trying to communicate, with the non native person having only a rudimentary vocabulary and little comprehension for the nuances of the dialect. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">It would be quite hard for an ecclesial leader to hand over the “keys” to such an important “vehicle” for raising kids in the faith to someone who isn’t of that same faith! Frankly, I don’t know of any pastor or bishop who would do so. I don’t think it’s a good idea for independent Catholic schools, either, but whatever theoretical argument one may make for them, it’s a non-negotiable from the diocesan side. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And what of the ship of Theseus? My response to the conundrum is this: It ceases to be the ship of Theseus when it is no longer commanded by Theseus. Without its leader, it becomes a relic, a museum piece, a part of Athenian history.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Still, we would do well to pay heed to what Regan has told us. There is burning need for good Catholic leaders. Dioceses would do well to think through innovative means to improve the pipeline, perhaps by incentivizing assistant principals with better pay and on-the-job certification, requiring only a minimum of classwork. Moving toward the president-principal governance model, even for elementary schools, is also a great way to onboard new principals, if the president has principal experience.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Whatever works! But we cannot let supply and demand issues change the fundamental nature of our schools. If we’re willing to do that, we may as well close up shop now.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><br /><p></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-19320378224837272062023-07-22T03:48:00.009-07:002023-08-24T01:55:35.844-07:00The "Green Eggs and Ham Hypothesis" and Tight Budgets<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRYzYM4qTKDiPVPntyvZu4HGML-v3zxEfrKDpiY0cGd4K8MCuROX8hf5fMKBpIFQ5Kw1LLMFRUUNJufFYLZQgRbdxmaT4ysoJIAf0RAPRxzpcSlGN3u3BhelOkKq003NA61MoT4mheVcXWdJQiYWPqoMJegxb1iRlUIc9m3bIAzRMAIRDniLkBcGAXfs/s620/IMG_0322.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="620" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRYzYM4qTKDiPVPntyvZu4HGML-v3zxEfrKDpiY0cGd4K8MCuROX8hf5fMKBpIFQ5Kw1LLMFRUUNJufFYLZQgRbdxmaT4ysoJIAf0RAPRxzpcSlGN3u3BhelOkKq003NA61MoT4mheVcXWdJQiYWPqoMJegxb1iRlUIc9m3bIAzRMAIRDniLkBcGAXfs/s320/IMG_0322.png" width="320" /></a></div>Many of us assume that the best setting for artistic expression and creativity is one that is free of all external constraints. Without these constraints to inhibit us, the thinking goes, the artist is at liberty to create according to where-ever his genius leads him, unshackled by convention. Fewer constraints = more freedom = more creativity = greater originality. </span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Except, that’s wrong. </span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1957, Theodore Geisel published one of the best selling children’s book of all time. His publisher challenged him to write his next children's book using only 50 or fewer distinct words. Geisel agonized over this challenge, according to his biographer, “putting maps on the wall, vocabulary words, and flow charts.” Three years later, he prevailed. Theodore Seuss Geisel, or "Dr. Seuss" as he was more popularly known, published “Green Eggs and Ham” in 1960. It<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>turned out to be his most successful book, outselling <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“The Cat in the Hat” by several million copies.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“The Green Eggs and Ham hypothesis,” so named by psychologist Catrinol Crump of Rider University, holds that when we face a completely open ended problem—a blank page or empty canvas—we reach for associations that come first to mind, gravitating to the solutions that have worked well for us in the past. Constraints, on the other hand, force us to look deeper and further to satisfy the demands placed on us. We tap into knowledge that was previously underdeveloped and re-organize and re-structure the information to make connections we otherwise wouldn’t have considered.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Constraints, according to Crump and supported by the research of many others, ENHANCE creativity.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I find that to be true in my professional career. I’ve been principal or president of four different schools. By far the school with the least amount of resources was my first school, Montgomery Catholic High. We ran a very tight ship out of necessity—a “good year” for us financially meant we broke even. And yet, we were truly a laboratory of innovation, due partly to the genius of the school’s president, Dr. Thomas Doyle, but also because necessity required it for us to remain competitive with schools that were far wealthier.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Every other year, we’d host a “Legislative Convention,” whereby the parents and faculty comprised the “Senate” and the students comprised the “House of Representatives.” Any “Senator” or “Congressman” could propose any bill he or she wanted about any rule in the school, and if it passed both chambers, it would become instant school law. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“Anything we want ?” a wide-eyed freshman once asked me, with a huge smile on his face. “Suppose I introduced a bill saying we will abolish uniforms?"<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“Yes, you can write a bill that says that,” I said, “but remember, for a bill to become law, you also have to get it through the Senate.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> I saw him a few days later. "It died in a Senate committee," he said, flustered. "The Senate never even voted on it." </span>It was a fabulous learning opportunity for the kids, and the whole process created real ownership across all levels of our community. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />We had a unique grading system, where every test was tiered into three parts: a “C level” portion, a “B level,” and an “A level,” all based upon Blooms Taxonomy, with each level requiring a successively higher form of thinking. To get the A, a student had to first pass the “C” and “B” levels. It had a profoundly positive effect on our students' ability to think. We did a “January Interim” semester, whereby students went to school for just 3 1/2 hours in January, taking just one class, which allowed them to take field trips, do extended science experiments, and really dive deeply into the subject area. One year we tried a four day week, with each day lasting 10 hours, taking off Fridays. We hated it almost right away and ditched it at the end of the year. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">We required “performance assessments” as 50% of the final exam in each core class.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the early 2000’s, we changed our governance structure, taking two parish K-8 schools and making them into K-6 schools, building a new middle school on the high school campus, and renaming them all as “Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School,” explaining it as “one school on three campuses,” led by a single president and Board. Twenty years later, MCPS is thriving. Every other year or so, we did something brand new.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some ideas flopped, like the 4 day week, but we regarded these as “noble failures.” Some ideas were fantastic! The net effect was we were very highly regarded, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">able to "punch above our weight class" with area private schools that charged two or three times what we charged. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s easy to let pessimism creep into our language when our resources are limited. “Our hands are tied,” we might say. Or “If we had the same money as school X down the street, we would…” or “We can ask that of our families—but they can’t afford it.” But each time we say these things, we communicate to our families that we are puny, sowing doubt that we are able to deliver on our mission. And when we start communicating our powerlessness, we will find ourselves in a death spiral that is hard to pull out of.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Instead, let us accept the “givens” of our situation and work creatively to do great things within these givens! If we lean into our constraints rather than curse them, there’s a kind of liberation that can inspire us to act boldly. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">May God give us the boldness to </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">do his will!</span> </p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"> </p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 19px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 23px;"><br /></p></div>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-40007542007892646082023-06-06T08:52:00.242-07:002023-07-11T11:33:38.725-07:00The Future of Catholic Schools: Ten Essential Traits<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrxWGp9xzEePw5RVlZPvWdIlrWuhbmJQnx7wuVpt3ndsS5mJnI03X7IfTe2A-syiLCuYf7R-cEHO0DyxOHF_kvqf0-niSQA9wbSC6o0eLhC1HhOLzY9dtNZRwD03OKt7tYT8RRiqFBem3VU348ZCTuGTVJLUo82HuoWMQkAMr3Iaj5qsWIgY/s1200/img1_127c7a58-5f6f-41dd-8c90-65ce91ad2081.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrxWGp9xzEePw5RVlZPvWdIlrWuhbmJQnx7wuVpt3ndsS5mJnI03X7IfTe2A-syiLCuYf7R-cEHO0DyxOHF_kvqf0-niSQA9wbSC6o0eLhC1HhOLzY9dtNZRwD03OKt7tYT8RRiqFBem3VU348ZCTuGTVJLUo82HuoWMQkAMr3Iaj5qsWIgY/s320/img1_127c7a58-5f6f-41dd-8c90-65ce91ad2081.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Will our parish and diocesan Catholic schools survive? Many have not over the last few decades and many will not in the decades to come. </span><span>As a person whose life's work has been attending, teaching in or leading Catholic schools, that's a sobering, depressing thought. </span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">But the future of our schools is not a 'fait accompli!' Much will depend on the principles we live by, how we perceive ourselves, and how our schools are managed by both school and diocesan leaders. We have real agency in how the future unfolds! Here’s my take on ten traits which will be essential for us to both survive and prosper: </span></div><div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">1. Our schools must embrace the evangelical mission of our Church in a full-throated, joyful way. We exist to form disciples of Jesus Christ!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Leadership, in particular, must be consistently on point here. The life of faith is not one of the “pillars” of the school, alongside other pillars like academics, the arts or athletics. It is the foundation upon which all the other pillars stand, the lens through which all else is focused. We must talk about it, establish rituals that help weld our purpose into everyone’s minds, and spend time honing our language to talk about our mission with eloquence and power. As an example, I’ve asked our choir to lead us in one stanza of “Lord Prepare Me (To Be A Sanctuary)” at our school masses, which we sing at the end of communion each week. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">To hear 770 kids sing “</span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living, sanctuary, for you</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">” </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> is quite moving.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As part of our mission emphasis, we must be welcoming to all people of good will who desire an excellent education for their children, rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. But our ecumenical outreach should not aim </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">for the "lowest common denominator" to share in our Christian life together. Rather, we should practice our Catholic faith, with all of its quirky distinctiveness, in a robust and joyful way. When non-Catholic parents enroll their children in “Pope John Paul II High School” or “Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Elementary School” they know what they are signing up for! They do so because they want a lively, authentic community of faith for their children. Let us welcome their participation in building joyful, faithful schools with us! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>2. Our schools must demonstrate an unwavering commitment to the institutional Church, to the authority of its bishop and pastors, to the teachings and doctrines of the faith, to the diocese and to its policies and decisions. We are a ministry of the parish and/or diocese. If we drift from this, we lose our moorings and will quickly become indistinguishable from other private schools. Such is the sad history of countless schools and universities with Christian origins. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Most of us had this experience as children when we went to the ocean with our families: Our parents would establish a base camp with towels and chairs along the shore, and then we would go running out into the ocean, playing in the waves</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">, splashing each other, completely oblivious to everything else. After 15 minutes or so, we’d hear our parents call “Come back!” and look up, startled that we were thirty yards down shore, swept along by currents that up until that point, we didn’t realize were there. How could we have known, since all of us were pulled down shore by the same currents? </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I once had a difficult meeting with a mother who was upset that we didn’t “respect” her daughter’s desire to dress in a boy’s uniform. I told her we loved her daughter, but ultimately, her disagreement was not with our school, but with our Church and its teachings on sexuality. Do we fully appreciate what a gift it is to be aligned with a “base camp” that helps us navigate these cultural waters? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>3. On the flip side, bishops, superintendents and pastors must truly commit to </span><span>the principle of subsidiarity (that things are best handled at the lowest level possible), forego a “template” style of management, and give principals and school councils the necessary space to <a href="https://ideasincatholiceducation.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-spice-of-life.html">create unique schools </a>. The “diocesan school” should look very different from school to school, possibly with different yearly calendars, different operational hours, different curricular emphases, different teacher requirements, etc. as each strives to creatively serve its particular community. If all the diocesan schools run essentially the same programs, the less advantaged schools are forced to compete head to head with the more advantaged schools, to their detriment. They need a distinctive niche to be competitive! </span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> Why not Catholic Montessori schools? Classical Schools? Dual language? Year-round? Let's give schools the liberty to explore options. And yes, while </span><span>everyone understands the importance of common diocesan policies to protect institutional liability, these policies should be written as <i>parameters</i> within which schools have freedom</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> to operate, not as <i>scripts</i> written by lawyers that </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">insist on sameness, dictate specifics, and eliminate pastoral judgment.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>4. Similarly, we must fully embrace a market model that honors parents as the primary educators and is responsive to what parents want for their kids. The “we know best” leadership model is an anachronism that is not sustainable for the future, as parents have many options and are inclined to “</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>vote with their feet." High school parents, for example, support study halls as an elective choice. They want ACT prep classes. They appreciate Driver’s Ed classes. Parents of athletes like folding weight-lifting into the regular school day so as to get year round training without juggling crazy after school (and sometimes before school!) schedules. They want a first tier A.P. program. They like having a healthy array of fine arts options. </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>All of those things are doable </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>with creative scheduling, but principals often encounter diocesan resistance to deliver on these parent desires. Again, that’s usually because dioceses are too often caught in the trap of template thinking, the belief that each constituent part must be roughly the same. If one high school does X and the other Y, the concern is that parents will compare them and complain that their school doesn’t do what another does. But in a free market environment, such </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">comparisons are welcomed, as success in one institution challenges others to excel. We should encourage new ideas and experimentation in our schools! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>I’m not advocating that our schools should be able to do as they please and expect our Church and diocesan school offices to rubber stamp! It is appropriate, for example, for a diocese to have common graduation requirements for its high schools and required minimal instructional time per subject for its elementary schools. </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>For sure, our Church must insist our</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span> schools operate within the moral teachings and doctrines of our faith. There are also accreditation requirements relating to our academic programs, governance, and finances. </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">But these are base requirements, and I think it’s unwise for diocesan offices to push for uniformity much beyond them. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> For the sake of our market viability, we need the flexibility to </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">meet parents where they are and deliver where we can!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">5. In the same way, principals and Boards should veer from imposing </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">too many bureaucratic policies upon themselves, stripping themselves </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">of the ability to respond to their challenges with creativity. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our daily life together must be founded on relationships, not on rules or policies. Particularly in reconciling differences and disciplining children, personalization is the key. If parents have issues with us, we should invite them to meet with us, face to face, to see if we can resolve their concerns. Sometimes we cannot, but the effort matters. Quoting policy won’t work. Email exchanges merely fuel anger. Yes, all schools must have disciplinary policies, but they should be written broadly. As tempting as it is to “pre-solve” problems by saying "For each transgression X, there is a Y punishment," or "X accumulated demerits =Y consequence," doing so means we end up forfeiting </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">our creativity and pastoral judgment to do what is most effective for that child at that moment. There are a variety of considerations: the emotional maturity of the child, his or her level of contrition, the child's willingness or unwillingness to own his or her mistake, the level of external pressure which caused the student to act wrongly, whether another student was hurt, how influential that child is on his or her peers, the length of time since his or last incident, the anticipated level of support of (or lack of it) from the parents, whether or not the adults involved escalated or de-escalated the matter.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our school once had a junior boy we were at wit’s end with. If placed within any auto-policy set of consequences, he would have been expelled a year earlier. I don’t remember what he did, but it was the final straw, and I called a meeting with him and his parents on </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Saturday morning to tell them it was time to leave. But on the way to school, praying about it, it didn’t feel right. His parents were a wreck, and I was pretty certain that expulsion would lead to the boy's complete unraveling. So when I met with his parents, I offered an alternative— and the parents gratefully agreed. I took the young man out to our school bus, drove the bus to my house, parked it in our driveway, then told him to clean and mop the inside, and wash and wax the outside, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">while I went in the house to be with my children. It was hot outside, and embarrassing for him, and I could see he was a little indignant. I told him he had the choice of doing a lousy job or refusing completely, but in both cases, I'd take that as his final decision to withdraw. After some initial wavering, he decided to do it. I </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">gave him breaks, fed him lunch, and five hours later was able to praise him for a job well done. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">That turned out to be a break-through. No, he wasn’t perfect, but he began to care. A year later, he graduated, joined the Navy, got married and is now a father with two kids. We have to meet kids where they are--and they're in all different places! </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">For one kid, getting a suspension may mean he gets to sleep in and</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> watch TV all day. But for another kid with stronger parents, it may mean he'll do hard labor beginning at the crack of dawn. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Kids should be held accountable, and the consequences will need to sting to be effective. But in </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Catholic schools, punishments should "fit the child," not the "crime." The gospel command is that we leave the 99 to find the one. Once at a faculty meeting, a teacher wise-cracked, "But when the shepherd returns to the herd, he may find he only has 85 sheep left. Who tends to the 99?" </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I love hypothetical questions like that! I told him I thought Jesus might say, "I myself will shepherd them. As for you, go now, and rescue the one. " </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Yes, sadly, in some cases we must expel a child. Not doing so may “enable” that child’s bad behavior, much like the spouse of an alcoholic who won’t throw the alcoholic out of the home and thereby allows that person to continue drinking, unchallenged. I</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">f, after creative attempts to discipline, a child is “hardening” in his or her attitudes and resisting the school’s efforts, it may be that expulsion is the only way that get that child’s attention. And</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> when a student is threat to the health and safety of <i>other</i> students, as would be the case, for example, with a kid selling drugs, he or she must be expelled immediately. But in both cases, the child's fate is not decided on by a formula; rather, it's what’s best for the child or the safety of other kids.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">6. We must move to a tuition model that minimizes the “gap” between tuition and actual per pupil costs. Our parishes, for the most part, can’t shoulder the difference--they are as strapped as we are. To hire and retain excellent teachers and leaders, our schools must have the resources to pay sustainable wages, and we must make the case to parents that the <i>investment</i> <a href="http://ideasincatholiceducation.blogspot.com/2022/02/lets-quit-saying-parents-are.html?m=1">(not sacrifice!</a>) in their child’s future is worth it! I believe our tuitions should be aimed at mid-market rates, at minimum, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">coupled with more generous financial aid for families who cannot reach those tuition levels.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">7. We must also build a robust advancement program which encourages a culture of philanthropy among all of its constituents. At minimum, schools should have an annual fund that appeals to every constituent to help fund the gap between tuition and per pupil costs. But going deeper, I </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">have found wealthy people are more enthusiastic in their philanthropy if they know their gift supports the ability of particular students to attend our schools, rather than giving to a “general fund.” So at St. Michael we started encouraging <a href="https://stmichaelchs.org/scholarships-to-st-michael">permanent scholarships</a> (named after a loved one) if families were willing to give us an initial gift of 25K (for a single half tuition scholarship) and 50k (for two half tuition scholarships), together with the commitment to replenish the corpus back to those levels or higher every year. We then hosted a scholarship breakfast in early May,</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> where the donors and the student recipients would sit together, along with the child's parents, eat together, and then take pictures together. After 3-4 years of supporting the scholarship, </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I could then approach the donor about making provisions in their will that would continue to support this scholarship in perpetuity upon their death.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_KbSi4GI9Cykmms-_6YrDkdPDlUrs_dyaUafCZaJ1hrJ94zuG373_9FcRSSk7_aXtlgHb4pP2Fw8ord4vgiz2gOLUzyRclzyTTVutw4FQlRa04gJQBc1VrgjD39YGd2IludjtBdC7rYTEXqZSVnwycCB_19qikw4WfNSiUt1I0G8cwFbU-wl5jpehvY/s4032/IMG_0788.HEIC" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_KbSi4GI9Cykmms-_6YrDkdPDlUrs_dyaUafCZaJ1hrJ94zuG373_9FcRSSk7_aXtlgHb4pP2Fw8ord4vgiz2gOLUzyRclzyTTVutw4FQlRa04gJQBc1VrgjD39YGd2IludjtBdC7rYTEXqZSVnwycCB_19qikw4WfNSiUt1I0G8cwFbU-wl5jpehvY/s320/IMG_0788.HEIC" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We also appealed to older Catholic families in our parishes through a <a href="https://files.ecatholic.com/11727/documents/2020/10/STM-22-011%20Guardian%20Angel%20Flyer-2020-FINAL.pdf?t=1601914160000">“Guardian Angel” campaign,</a> where we invited them to become “guardian angels” of younger Catholic families, “paying the gift of their Catholic education forward.” Once a year, students in uniform, with a advisory council representative or administrator, would speak after communion in all the Catholic parishes. GA gifts went into a separate fund from the school’s accounts, and if Catholic families needed additional funds beyond what a school’s financial aid program could provide, they were encouraged to meet with their pastor to ask for a “Guardian Angel” supplement. The pastor would then talk with me about the amount</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (since I had the family’s financial needs assessment as part of their financial aid app), and once we decided on the amount, we would withdraw the money from the GA fund and credit the student’s account. Pastors loved it, as the GA fund allowed them to be generous and supportive of their families without having to debit parish funds, and the families receiving the monies understood it truly as a gift from the church and its donors. That appeal was very successful, generating between 100-150k in gifts each year. And as a further bonus, the Guardian Angel appeal was a wonderful “lead gift” identifier of affluent, generous people who care about our schools. I was able to develop meaningful relationships with many of them, where previously we had no connection. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">One such GA donor gave his entire estate to us upon his death. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">8. We must embrace the grand “both-and” of our Tradition, refusing to allow ourselves to be sucked into the narrow, polarizing “either-or” of the culture wars that divide us. So yes, our kids should be encouraged to participate in Marian devotions, in Eucharistic adoration, and they should be taught the great hymns of yesteryear. But they should also sing contemporary praise music and be exposed to the beauty and consistency of</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> our Church’s social teachings—why, for example, our Church is against both abortion AND capital punishment and how those teachings square with "just war" teachings, or why the Church favors progressive taxes over regressive. George Weigel calls this openness to both our past and present the “ecumenism of time.” The anchor should be the “source and summit” of our faith life, the Mass, which I believe should be part of our schools' weekly schedule. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">9. We must build safe and secure schools, with well designed protocols for vetting </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">all those who work with our students, both in our hiring, supervision in classrooms and in our day to day operations. We should consider security fencing, webcams, auto-door locks, instant background checks for all visitors and the like as investments that protect children, relieve anxiety, and secure the long term future of our schools. The world has changed in this regard--and not for the better. Safety is now one of the top 2-3 concerns of current and prospective families. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>10. Finally, we must make an optimistic, enthusiastic commitment to be excellent in all things—the life of faith, academics, the arts, athletics—and any other endeavor we take on. “Good enough” can never be good enough! And let us be explicit in reminding our communities that excellence </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">in one program doesn't take away the potential for excellence in another, as if the school were a fixed size “pie.” A big “slice” for athletics, as often feared</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">, doesn’t necessarily mean a smaller slice for academics or the arts. The </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">whole pie can get bigger! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>-------</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Let us try and run our schools this way, then place our prayers and full trust in God’s providence and grace to sustain them, remembering they are His, not ours, and that our task is to be faithful. If we can do that, we can release ourselves of the anxiety and worry about our future. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">His will be done! </span></p></div>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-64065373296369185902023-05-15T14:53:00.060-07:002023-07-22T07:49:07.659-07:00Improving School Enrollments<p><span><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">(</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">This was the final portion of my "No Cost, High Impact School Makeover" workshop that I hosted at the national NCEA Conference in April of 2023.)</span></i></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What is the <b>first priority </b>in a good admissions program?</span></p><ol class="ol1"><li class="li1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Masking sure all admissions brochures and flyers look professional. Hiring a graphics designer to give them a polished look.</span></li><li class="li1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Getting prospective families on campus as often as possible.</span></li><li class="li1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Personalizing all the interactions with prospective families. Emphasizing relationships over efficiency.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></li><li class="li1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lowering the attrition rates of current students by being responsive to their needs and their families’ concerns.</span></li></ol><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-RmYUBHfGwGDc1I_-7FxQGWFyqzFf2fXg4hnD_xD659Qv0qgYCrqLB5qT3zHT3CLkJJRlpQWAj5W0gGwFzNiz8CeLTqm2k2kaVYw7fjPuJAP0jRuYU0znX1EcugDky7gbpJgMYcKJp7KdAn1g8WMTDm6ZQcYg_A6YYzJE-TtbpmdpIJjKCfQGy2N/s612/istockphoto-675073328-612x612.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-RmYUBHfGwGDc1I_-7FxQGWFyqzFf2fXg4hnD_xD659Qv0qgYCrqLB5qT3zHT3CLkJJRlpQWAj5W0gGwFzNiz8CeLTqm2k2kaVYw7fjPuJAP0jRuYU0znX1EcugDky7gbpJgMYcKJp7KdAn1g8WMTDm6ZQcYg_A6YYzJE-TtbpmdpIJjKCfQGy2N/w320-h213/istockphoto-675073328-612x612.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I asked this question in preparation for my workshop and about a third responded. I personally believe <u>all </u>of these are good practices. 18/27 said personalizing was most important. 6/27 said getting families on campus. 3/27 said lowering the attrition rates. So there was divided opinion in the room! </span><div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Even so, I believe lowering attrition rates (or the flip: improving retention rates) is the first priority!</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span>And often, that’s the one we forget about, probably because it doesn’t fit neatly into one person’s job description. Indeed, it must be the emphasis of every person in the school—principal, teachers and all staff members. The admissions office can keep track of who leaves, but it has very little influence upon those who do.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Why should improving retention be the #1 priority?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When families choose our schools, they re-orient their life to that school. A student’s friendships are formed there. Parents begin to associate with other parents, developing friendships of their own. We are familiar to them, especially compared to the unknown alternative. It ought to be far easier to<b> retain </b>a family than to persuade a new one to join us! So to begin with, it’s good tactics! But it’s much more important than that, as I will explain in this article.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But how do we retain families? By going above and beyond.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When my daughter got married, she thought it would be a great idea if the entire wedding party—groomsmen, bridesmaids and immediate family members—all decided to stay in the same hotel for the few days leading up to the wedding. She picked a very nice hotel in downtown Mobile, called the “Battle House Hotel,” with an antebellum theme: furniture, a ballroom, and the like, playing into Mobile’s pre-Civil war heritage. The first morning I was there, I went to the hotel lobby, looking for a newspaper. “Is there a copy of the New York Times I can purchase in the hotel?,” I asked the clerk. “No,” he said apologetically, “but there’s a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>news stand just around the corner. ” “Thanks,” I said, and happily went there to purchase one. But the next morning, folded neatly against my hotel room door, was the new day’s copy of the New York Times. Ever since, when someone asks me about the Battle House, I say instantly, “Oh, that’s a REALLY good hotel” without much thought. Why? Because some clerk had gone “above and beyond” to make me happy over a decade ago.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">We need to start thinking this way in our schools. I have a few ideas how:</span></p><ol class="ol1"><li class="li1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>As principals, we’re often required to meet with parents about something they’re unhappy about. Parents come into our meetings worried that we’ll regard them as “Karens,” but they also know that it’s our job to meet them. But what they do NOT expect is what I call the “Two Week Follow-up.”</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> When I have a meeting, I mark my calendar two weeks from the meeting to call the parents back and ask if the “situation is getting any better.” Or more often, I just ask the kid</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">. Rest assured, that one minute interaction with the child gets back to the parents! And it does three things: First, it assures the parent I have taken them seriously and I don’t regard them poorly. Second, the parent and child know I care for them. Third, it helps me as the school’s leader—follow up is an important leadership trait—and the looping back improves accountability for whatever arrangements were made.</span></li><li class="li1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Offer to meet face to face when you get the ugly email. Don’t argue over email! It just gets worse. Instead, ask parents to meet you. It’s disarming, and often, the parents have calmed down a bit and can have a rational discussion. My go to line is “Let’s see if we can meet to resolve this issue.“ Even if we can’t fully agree, they appreciate that we’ve taken them seriously and are willing to invest our personal time to resolve the matter. My wife once wrote the mayor to complain about the widening of a road near our home. To her astonishment, he called her on the phone and explained why he disagreed with her and thought the widening was good for the neighborhood. She voted for him in every subsequent election. </span></li><li class="li1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Do the unexpected. A mother called an 8th grade teacher whom the girls greatly admired, expressing worry about her daughter’s social relationships with the other girls. The teacher said, “I’ve noticed that Susie seems a bit down lately. I will ask her to sit with me at lunch today and ask her to tell me what’s going on.” The mother, in telling me about this teacher’s kind response, was nearly in tears</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">. I guarantee you this family will not be transferring their younger children anywhere else!</span></li></ol><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And that raises an important point about “above and beyond.” When TEACHERS develop this mindset, special things happen</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">! When we started St. Michael in Fairhope in 2016, all 12 of the first teachers were fully bought into this notion, and we increased enrollment by almost 100 students each of the next two years! </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If teachers <u>balk</u> on going the extra mile, because "that’s not in his or her contract," challenge that attitude! And if they don’t respond to the challenge, find a way to let them go. We can do better.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Do we remember the three most important things about real estate? Location, location and location, right? Well the three most important things about retention are similar: Relationships, relationships, relationships.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Another important way to improve retention rates is to focus on the student to student relationships. A class is a lot like a spinning top. Those students on the outer edges—the kids who are not the “ insiders”— feel the centrifugal forces most powerfully when it spins, and as the class matriculates year to year, they’re the ones most likely to be spun off and withdraw. That’s especially true if the “insider” students (and their parents) are inclined to be “cliquish.” So as principal, I go<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>right to the core</span> students and challenge them to bring the outsiders into the center with them. They know exactly what I mean. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another idea: Every other year I do a “school activities audit,” asking this simple question: Is there a place for everyone here? If kids can join up with other kids and participate in something they enjoy, it pulls them into the life of the school.</span> <span style="font-family: georgia;">A good place to begin that audit? Go out to the parking lot at dismissal and pay close attention to who leaves campus first. They’re the ones most likely to withdraw. Look at our offerings through their eyes: is there something for them? That’s why we started our bowling team at St. Michael. We realized it would appeal to a completely different type of kid than our other athletic programs. We were right! </span> They<span style="font-family: georgia;"> had so much fun together, even though most of them weren’t very good bowlers, but who cares? </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another: Consider starting a peer ministry program. About 4 years ago, we assembled a group of kids whose sole mission was to look out for their peers—particularly freshmen and transfers. In the first few weeks of school especially, they were trained to watch out for students eating alone at lunch, for example, and if they saw someone, they’d go sit next to him or her and begin a conversation. They’d invite him or her to eat with them the next day, to come to the ball games with them, and to sit with them at school events. It was absolutely beautiful to watch them in action. Eventually, slowly, even the most timid of the new students would get over the “hump” and begin feeling like they belonged. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Finally, consider imposing a substantial penalty for early withdrawals. Put it in the enrollment contract. Many schools say “100% of tuition due,” but I never felt good about demanding that, especially for early year withdrawals. So we settled on the phrase “$2,000 penalty for early withdrawal or the remainder of the tuition, whichever is less.” The truth is, it isn’t really about the school collecting lost revenue! It’s about creating a disincentive for parents to yank their kids out whenever they’re having social problems or struggling academically! Too often, the parents cripple their children with “the </span><span>grass is always greener” syndrome.Kids </span><span>need to learn some grittiness by working through it!</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The results of these and other retention initiatives were rather dramatic at St. Michael. The National Association of Independent Schools reports their retention rates average 88% to 90%. I consider 92-95% to be good to very good. In a 2 year period, with the changes I’ve discussed, we went from 88% retention (or 12% attrition) to 95% retention—a difference of about 22 kids a year. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> (*)</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>And that isn’t just a financial success. If we have happier kids, we have happier parents. And if we have happier parents, we then have </span><span>ambassadors who speak well of us to prospective families, just like I speak well of the Battle House.</span> </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So in a real way, focusing on retention isn’t just the basis of a good admissions program. It’s the first priority for a school's marketing program as well!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> More importantly, it's the basis for a school with healthier, happier kids! </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: georgia;">(* ) To calculate annual retention rates, pick a fixed date somewhere near the beginning of the year. For us, I pick September 15 because there’s a lot of incoming and outgoing students early on, and by mid September, most of that has settled. Then count the number of students you have on that date, minus your 8th graders or seniors who will naturally move on at the end of the year. Write down that number. Then keep a tally of any kid who leaves for any reason in those grades, up until (September 15) of next year. It doesn’t matter when or why—over Christmas, during the summer, whether they voluntarily left or were expelled. All the reasons count. Then, total those who have left, and divide that number by your total students (not counting seniors or 8th) from last September 15. That’s your retention rate. The flip of that (100% -your retention rate) is your annual attrition. Some attrition, of course, is unavoidable. Jobs require families to move. A child simply cannot handle the academic program. A divorce changes a family’s economic equation. But I try not to let changing economic situations factor in, if that’s truly the reason a family is contemplating withdrawing, by offering additional aid. </span></span></p></div>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-54036653219625484742023-05-03T15:02:00.018-07:002023-05-15T03:35:35.562-07:00A No-Cost, High Impact School Makeover (Part III)<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>(This is part III of a talk I gave at the NCEA Convention on using language to re-invent our schools.)</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i></i></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky0eTpTalMVs7DVgYQeLzfHTsdgYXAWZdCDbB6BdtSlNggDV5WumIDzhdROR6VhOrswoDTDsFE4SySLNJLLiM5rHS6PbVw50NOxzGV9_eokpnemfXBcZ-3tyoiq_UvQgdEBuZy9Ftm0uWyTXOebW5lZdQyp1vd7uttU1ldBMR4djxEUz5oZa6K5sH/s640/en.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky0eTpTalMVs7DVgYQeLzfHTsdgYXAWZdCDbB6BdtSlNggDV5WumIDzhdROR6VhOrswoDTDsFE4SySLNJLLiM5rHS6PbVw50NOxzGV9_eokpnemfXBcZ-3tyoiq_UvQgdEBuZy9Ftm0uWyTXOebW5lZdQyp1vd7uttU1ldBMR4djxEUz5oZa6K5sH/s320/en.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></b></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><i><br />5) Our language should communicate our joyfulness!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></b>Perhaps because we unconsciously associate the idea of “carrying one’s cross” with suffering and pain, we’ve convinced ourselves that Christianity is only for the miserable. But the most authentic Christians I’ve known are people of great joy! We need to communicate that to our students and families! Our web pages should be filled with happy children and stunning HD video of our kids enjoying their classmates and teachers!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We should also make time in our school schedules for “fun” things. In my two previous schools, we were structured with “Houses” ala the British boarding schools, and the school calendar was punctuated by mini-competitions between the Houses, culminating in the “House Games” at the end of April, where we suspended classes to have academic and athletic competitions in the afternoon. At the end of the Games, we’d award the “House Cup” to the House with the most total points for the year. I encouraged kids to dress up in their house colors, in whatever crazy (but modest) way they wanted, to show their House Spirit. It was a gloriously fun, joyful day, with a lot of cheering and smiles! </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It’s good to celebrate every now and then!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>6) Our language needs to communicate our confidence!</b> Our schools change lives! Do we really believe that? Then let’s communicate it!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Is that being cocky? Not at all! Here's why:</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the story of blind Bartemaeus from the gospels, Bartemaues shouts out from a distance: “Jesus, have pity on me!” Jesus hears him, but doesn’t go to him. Instead, he tells the apostles, “Go bring him to me.” So the apostles go to him and say, “Take courage, get up, Jesus is calling you.” And they bring him to Jesus, who heals him.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />We are “ministers, not messiahs,” as the Bishop Hunthausen prayer reminds us. We are not the ones who heal.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Instead, we are the ones who say to our students, “Take courage! Get up, Jesus is calling you!” Our mission is to bring students to the Lord. Our confidence in our schools to is not based on some egotistical, arrogant belief in ourselves, but in the faith we have in Christ to heal those we bring to him.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So let us boldly proclaim: Our schools change lives!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Too often pessimism creeps into our language. Especially if we’re struggling for enrollment or if our financial margins are thin, we might say, “Our hands are tied.” Or “We would if we could, but we don’t have the money." Because of scarcity, we stop dreaming. When we do that, we communicate to families that we are puny, and don’t have the "power" to fulfill our mission.</span> </p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of the mistakes we make, in this regard, is we set our tuitions too low. I know we do that out of our concern for our poorest families, and it's partly our legacy from the sisters, who worked heroically for very little pay. But if we present ourselves as the Kmart of educational choices, people will regard us as that way! In a free market economy, people equate price with quality. People say, “I wonder why they <u>can't</u> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">charge as much as everyone else?" Even our own parents think, unreflectively, that we should charge less (but offer the same or better programs as those who charge more!). We have to wean our families and communities of this notion! </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">believe we should aim our tuitions to the middle of the market, step-laddering them higher over a 3-5 year period, and give appropriate financial aid to help our most vulnerable families. Not only will it provide us more income to pay our teachers better and do new things, it'll reposition us in the marketplace as a school of greater value. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Can we quit thanking parents, please, for “sacrificing” to send their children to us? Literally, to “sacrifice” means to give something up and expect little in return! We don’t praise parents for “sacrificing” to purchase a new car, or to go on vacation, or to buy a new home. Why not? Because we see these things as necessary or important Paying tuition for our schools is not charity work! It’s the best investment parents can ever make in their children's future!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Do we know that small schools generally out-perform larger ones? The data is clear. At St. Michael, a school of just 350 students, I linked those research studies to our web site.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Also, small schools know the students in a personal way that is nearly impossible for larger schools. When we give tours to prospective families, for example, as we go down the hallways, we should be deliberate in interacting with students:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“Good hit yesterday, Johnny.” “Nice point you made in class this morning, Bill.” “I was so excited to watch you at the ballet last weekend, Susie.” Let parents understand if they send their children to our schools, we will know them personally.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I am not an expert in the martial arts, but my understanding is that “jujitsu” teaches people to use their smaller, more nimble size as an advantage against larger, stronger opponents—showing them, for example, how to “throw” aggressors when they attack, by using their momentum against them. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As smaller schools, we need to practice jujitsu! Let’s project our confidence--m</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">aybe even a little swagger!</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Clothes make the man.” There is great truth in that, which is why the military insists its soldiers wear uniforms, and why it pays such careful attention to keeping those uniforms properly washed, pressed and worn correctly. The military understands that careful attention to the exterior garb begins to make a profound difference to the soldier’s interior self-understanding and attitude. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We in Catholic schools need to “cloak” ourselves in language which reminds our teachers and families of our fundamental “why,” a language which is simple and direct, that reflects the challenge of the gospel, which welcomes families from other faiths, and that is both joyful and confident!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If we do, it’ll change us from the inside out, thus “re-presenting” ourselves to our communities and towns!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">May God give us the wisdom, eloquence and conviction to do so! </span></span></p></div>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-34431134092467642772023-05-03T14:59:00.016-07:002023-05-15T03:44:03.379-07:00A No-Cost, High Impact School Makeover (Part II)<p><i style="color: #161616;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">(This is a continuation of a three part series on how we can use language to "make-over" our school. It is from part of my talk at the NCEA Convention )</span></i></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R_b5EXO7mLk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b style="color: #161616;">3. Our language should reflect the call and challenge of the gospel! </b><span style="background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616;">Our culture panders to kids! It tells them they’re not capable of scholarship, so it inflates grades. It doesn’t believe they’re capable of chastity or virtue, so it preaches “safe sex.” It suggests they cannot handle being told they’re not as athletic or as talented as someone else, so everyone gets a trophy. And the result? Kids are utterly bored. And even worse?</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: #161616;"> </span><span style="background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616;">They begin to believe these things about themselves.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: #161616;"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Truth is, kids want to be challenged. There was a sidewalk just outside my office at St. Michael. It was the middle of July, in Fairhope AL just off the Mobile Bay, and the temperature was 90 degrees, with 90 percent humidity—the usual! Our cross country team was out practicing, running laps, running by my window as I watched the. Kids ran by, two by two, dripping in sweat, red faced. And they were all….smiling. They knew they were doing something difficult that few people could do. And they were proud they were doing it. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It seems to me this is the human condition. Despite our propensity for laziness, deep down, we want to do heroic things with our life. We want to conquer challenges. Our Catholic schools should call kids to do the same.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Have you been paying attention to our military recruiting videos? They tap into this desire in young people to live nobly. My favorite video is the Navy's "Call to Serve" (see above). The appeal is powerful: Come be part of the unique group of men and women who are willing to live meaningful, important lives serving others. “The U.S. Navy—a Global Force for Good!”</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Or how about the Peace Corps? “The toughest job you’ll ever love.” Or the Army? “Be all that you can be!” Become part of the “few, the proud (Marine Corps).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our last three popes understood this instinct in youth and spoke brilliantly to them:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">John Paul II: <i>“(Young people) It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity… (World Youth Day, Rome, 2000</i></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pope Benedict:<i> “The world promises you comfort. But you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness!” (Source unknown)</i></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Pope Francis: Jesus gives us the courage to swim against the tide. Pay attention, my young friends: to go against the current; With him we can do great things… Commit yourselves to great ideals… Stake your lives on noble ideals.” <b> </b>(Homily, Sacrament of Confirmation, 2013).</span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Or how about Jesus himself? <i>“Whoever wants to be my disciple must take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)</i></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What do the recruiting videos, the popes and Jesus understand about the human condition that we often forget? That we all have a deep desire to do noble things—hard things, even. Let’s not water down the gospel challenge by pandering! Let our school issue the gospel’s clarion call for our students to do great things with their lives!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>4) Our language should be welcoming of families from other faiths without watering down our own. </b>When I was a young principal, because 35% of our students were not Catholic, I often tied myself up in knots when I tried to talk about our common mission, using clunky phrases such as “Catholic and Christian” in an attempt to be ecumenically sensitive (as if being Catholic were not Christian?). But this is entirely unnecessary. When our non-Catholic families enroll their children in “Pope John Paul II Catholic High School” or "St. Mary Immaculate" they know what they’re signing up for! And what I believe they want, in addition to a strong academic program, is a school that immerses their child in a lively, authentic community of faith.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We shouldn’t water things down. It’s often the quirky, even “weird” stuff that makes our faith so attractive. If we strip it down to a”lowest common denominator,” our faith becomes much less interesting, much less compelling to our students. I grew up in Mobile, AL, the birthplace of Mardi Gras (sorry New Orleans!). In my first year as head of JPII in Nashville, Mardi Gras came and went without notice or fanfare. Unacceptable! So the next year, I went to Walmart and bought almost all the candy in the store, filled five pillow sacks, gave one to each member of our administrative team, and we went to every classroom at 2 p.m., showering students with candy and shouting “Happy Mardi Gras!” The students, of course, loved it. The teachers were a little less enthusiastic at first, but they were good sports and came around! </span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I believe we should embrace the full tradition of our faith, from Marian devotion, Eucharistic adoration and celebration of the saints, all the way to our progressive social justice teachings, and invite our non-Catholic students to join in! </span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here’s how I phrase all this today:</span> </p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“We welcome the participation of students and families of all Christian faiths, united in service to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”</span></i></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">(Part III to follow)</span></i></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-6198859836647172492023-05-03T14:51:00.034-07:002023-09-14T03:56:50.232-07:00A No-Cost, High Impact School Makeover (part I)<p><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />(This is a summary of a portion of a talk I gave at the NCEA Conference in Dallas, April 12, 2023)</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauqHJCErCsu9XZ-ZS3UxrsqrQy5MobcBx43SgeBePQwExB9iiG42scQ11-pghLizDo-N0l8q6imxQoHYzCun9LGjJVDi4Kagu_1-PxvK6H9HWxKC39wVoI0Efcb_0RSm-Nto3XNSIvyaqoI1IzXQziM53Kxciep8vXgmRuP0GEtpKz4nzhFPrX9am/s1500/2_2383506_2018-01-18-09-10-52-396-e1516974047285.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauqHJCErCsu9XZ-ZS3UxrsqrQy5MobcBx43SgeBePQwExB9iiG42scQ11-pghLizDo-N0l8q6imxQoHYzCun9LGjJVDi4Kagu_1-PxvK6H9HWxKC39wVoI0Efcb_0RSm-Nto3XNSIvyaqoI1IzXQziM53Kxciep8vXgmRuP0GEtpKz4nzhFPrX9am/w320-h240/2_2383506_2018-01-18-09-10-52-396-e1516974047285.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A good friend of mine is in the restaurant business, which is brutally competitive. The average new restaurant lasts only three years before it folds, but my friend has been in the business over 25 years and runs five delis, partly a testament to how hard he works, but also a testament to his wisdom. Every 4-5 years, he reinvests significant monies in his restaurants to give them a complete makeover. He changes the menu, the color schemes, the storefront, and even remodels the interior. It must cost him quite a bit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I was curious this last cycle, so I asked him:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“You have great brand recognition around town. Your food is good, your service is top notch. Business is booming. Is it really necessary to spend all this money sprucing the place up, when it’s not “broken?”<b></b></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">His answer? “</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Absolutely. “In the restaurant business,” he explained,</span> <span style="font-family: helvetica;">“everyone likes NEW, fresh, clean. If I didn’t re-present us to our customers every few years, we’d lose them quickly.”</span> </p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I’ve been thinking about our Catholic schools this way lately. We are inclined to talk about the “tradition” of our school and how we’ve served our communities for decades or even centuries, but we’re not too good at re-inventing and re-presenting ourselves to our communities. And perhaps that’s why, in addition to demographic changes outside of our control, our schools are declining in enrollment and even closing. We could learn a lot from my friend!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Realizing, however, that we don’t have the money to do major capital improvements, I am proposing we can do “make-overs” to our school with very little money.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What’s the key? <i>How we talk about ourselves!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our language is critical.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>As a young principal, if you had suggested to me I needed to be more reflective of the language I used, I would have responded with some sarcasm: “Language? What planet are you living on? I don’t have time to waste time! I am putting out fires, solving problems, implementing programs.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In other words, I understood my job as principal almost purely in functional terms—what I did, not what I said. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But as I’ve become older, I’ve realized that language, if used carefully and consistently, helps build a school culture.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And what’s the importance of a school culture? EVERYTHING! It shapes the kind of teachers we attract, the kind of families that apply, and the student’s self-understanding of who they are and what they should be doing. It determines how hard people work, whether they hold each other accountable and whether the community supports the direction of the school. In the words of Peter Drucker, author of 39 books and the guru of modern management, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It doesn’t matter how clever the initiative, how advanced the training, how well we execute the plan. If the culture doesn’t support it, the initiative will fail.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So how should we talk about ourselves to create a culture that is optimistic, confident and pushes kids and teachers to excel? I’ve worked the last ten years or so to upgrade how I talk about our schools in this way, and I offer perhaps <a href="http://Popschool.net/language" target="_blank">my best 25 iterations here.</a> Feel free to use whatever works for you. Summarizing, I have six general points of emphasis:</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">1) <b>We should focus on our “why” and not so much our “what.” </b>I recommend Simon Sinek’s video, “Start with the Why" which has over 20 million views on YouTube.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qp0HIF3SfI4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span>"How did Apple become a multi-billion dollar corporation?" he asks. Not by telling us what great computers they make. Not, he contends,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span>by explaining how their computers were different from their competition. Rather, Apple makes this striking claim, "</span><i>Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently.”</i><span> And the implicit appeal? If you also “Think Different,” </span><span>then you’ll want to invest in our products—not just computers, but iPods, IPads, IPhones, watches, etc.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I think Sinek is spot on. People are not moved by our eloquent descriptions of how we operate or what we do—our test scores, our 1:1 technology program, our curricular requirements. What resonates most is the “why!” And here’s the most powerful way I’ve found to talk about our why, from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity:</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Imagine we are a living house, and God comes in to make repairs. At first, we understand what he is doing—fixing the leaky faucet, cleaning out gutters. We knew those things needed doing, and we appreciate it. But presently he starts knocking about the house in a way that hurts abominably: tearing down walls, putting out gardens, erecting towers. And we say, “What on earth is he up to?” The answer is we thought we were building a nice little cottage. But he’s building a palace! He intends to come live there himself.”</span></i></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Lewis is not talking about Catholic schools specifically, but he could be. We believe that our schools help build palaces in the life of our kids—cathedrals, even!--places where God will reside. If we start talking about this vision that we have for students, that we believe in the power of God's grace to elevate and transform our students' lives, then like a string that resonates when it is matched with a musical note of the same frequency, so too will our “why” resonate within the hearts of our prospective parents.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">At Prince of Peace, I’ve asked our choral director to sing one stanza of “Lord Prepare Me" every week as the last song at communion time during our school mass. The lyrics are simple: <i>“Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary. Pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living, sanctuary for you.” </i>Hearing 770 kids sing that each week reminds everyone present of the essence of our mission: to become sanctuaries for Jesus. I get choked up almost every week it's so beautiful. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>2) Be simple and direct. </b>I was told the story of two high school principals who were invited by a large diocesan elementary school to “pitch” their school to parents of 8th graders. The principals were given 15 minutes to speak, with a question/answer session would follow. The first principal used all of his time, talking about the school’s spiritual, academic, athletic, and artistic offerings. Parents listened, but began to fidget toward the end. They were going to have to listen to this all over again! But the second principal stood up and simply said, “The purpose of our high school is to work with you to form disciples of Jesus Christ. I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.“ Then he sat down. Were it not for politeness, the parents would have cheered. Which principal do you think was asked more questions?</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">People like simple. They like “white space.” If a paragraph is too long, they may scan it, but they won’t read it closely. Alas, it’s a twitter world! Every day, marketers estimate we see between 4,000 and 10,000 advertisements! They’re all noisily clamoring for our attention, and if anything calls us to focus and concentrate, we’re likely to gloss over it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> So getting</span> to the point is crucial.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br />Let me apply this insight to school mission statements. When I first arrived at Prince of Peace in Dallas, this was our mission statement:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Prince of Peace Catholic School is devoted to instilling strong Catholic values, fostering a life of faith and servant leadership, providing a challenging academic environment, and inspiring each student to shine to the fullest extent of his or her God-given potential.</span></i></p><p class="p5" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I contend there is no part of this mission statement which is wrong. But, no one can remember it! I also contend, about half way through reading it, the average person begins drifting away from thinking about what they’re reading. As a result, it lacked any practical utility in the life of our school.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="250" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hJlwFvVrW50" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe> </span></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I am a big believer in the power of “three.” School House Rock from the 1970’s used to have a song called "Three is a Magic Number" (see clip). Marketers agree that people can remember three things in their mind—the shortest number of things required to establish a pattern. I believe that school mission statements should focus on three words or phrases as the “essence” of what the school is trying to do. Here are few examples of what I consider effective mission statements using this principle:</span></p><p class="p7" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Montgomery Catholic High (Montgomery, AL) aims to create “students of faith, virtue and wisdom.”</span></i></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">St. Michael Catholic High (Fairhope, AL) seeks to form “scholars, leaders and disciples of Jesus Christ.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Moeller High School (Cincinnati) says simply: Catholic. Marianist. Forming our students into remarkable men.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville) aims to create “gentlemen, scholars and athletes.”</span></i></p><p class="p7" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I worked with the teachers and Council at Prince of Peace to rewrite our mission statement according to this principle. Here’s our new one:</span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><strong style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; font-family: Comfortaa, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><br /></strong></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><strong style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; font-family: Comfortaa, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">The mission of Prince of Peace Catholic School is to form students who are faithful, prepared, and confident that they can do great things through Christ who strengthens them</strong><strong style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; font-family: Comfortaa, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">.</strong></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-font-kerning: auto; background-color: #f1efef; color: #161616; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The words “<a href="https://www.popschool.net/mission">faithful, prepared and confident</a>” are now everywhere in our school and school materials. </span></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-33813611470616769902023-02-01T10:55:00.005-08:002023-02-02T10:48:46.118-08:00Happy Catholic Schools Week!<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />This week we celebrate the tremendous blessing that our Catholic schools have been to generations of families. I know of no ministry within our Church that has been as effective in bringing young people and their families to the Lord. Catholic schools change lives!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZxTm7p1vz83_dM6KFXSuJ9Ixy0PIcnxotpOXwlm68HvDYo98i3I5xNB3umtNzt0aQS3SFrTk_rrlsBxt4_R83uToectt7fzoK0ZI2K1b-ftYfIQCPJglbilxj96vmRtme44WUIiHx96--E6zAT8bu7R58xOJM8gK7K1kX1ZQWmRLz6xouedFFOaA/s420/slideshow164_2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="420" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZxTm7p1vz83_dM6KFXSuJ9Ixy0PIcnxotpOXwlm68HvDYo98i3I5xNB3umtNzt0aQS3SFrTk_rrlsBxt4_R83uToectt7fzoK0ZI2K1b-ftYfIQCPJglbilxj96vmRtme44WUIiHx96--E6zAT8bu7R58xOJM8gK7K1kX1ZQWmRLz6xouedFFOaA/s320/slideshow164_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Part of our challenge is to find ways to powerfully communicate this message within our schools and to our communities. We've had some unexpected snow days in Dallas this week, which has given me some time to assemble notes from various talks I've given and things I've written about the importance of our schools. <a href="http://popschool.net/language" target="_blank">I invite you to peruse through them here.</a> If you're a leader or advocate of Catholic schools, feel free to use any of it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">May God bless our pastors, principals, teachers, students and families this week, and in the years to come! </span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-29564092474448305512022-09-29T06:50:00.034-07:002023-07-30T04:29:10.266-07:00Essentials<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: center;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjG1B3_VCxgz6bytblTOxscQtdczQKFeCyeDjkk_z3Bo8r5ykZ_JGwAZ_WgViLw-paCfheEhj0NUSUM15WnS-es_8kNIgGBdJpRkTx30TaK3YFgIhSU1c3LE8o8EmyeBrBgN_if_XYFvbuqVquj-ndohtA8HpAMwUryGLxAtlxSkLNG9fDW2ZYF-D/s4032/IMG_0785.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjG1B3_VCxgz6bytblTOxscQtdczQKFeCyeDjkk_z3Bo8r5ykZ_JGwAZ_WgViLw-paCfheEhj0NUSUM15WnS-es_8kNIgGBdJpRkTx30TaK3YFgIhSU1c3LE8o8EmyeBrBgN_if_XYFvbuqVquj-ndohtA8HpAMwUryGLxAtlxSkLNG9fDW2ZYF-D/s320/IMG_0785.jpeg" width="240" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I leave St. Michael Catholic High School on Friday, and I think my leaving presents an opportunity for the school. Every institution must be open to change. Heads of school come and go, and with each new leader, the school has the chance to rethink its assumptions. This is part of the natural cycle of a school and the chance for each school to “begin again.” </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><span><span style="font-family: georgia;">New leaders, however, are wise to make distinctions between the “essence” of the school they are inheriting, and the changeable elements that can be improved to better fit the needs of their communities. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’ve had the privilege to lead three Catholic high schools (Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School in Montgomery, AL, Pope John Paul II High School in Nashville, TN and St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, AL), which has given me a chance to reflect on what I believe to be the “essentials” of Catholic high schools.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Here are my top four:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><i>We Cannot Allow Students to “Settle”</i></b>— Every student in a school, regardless of aptitude, should feel a bit of “angst” about the classes they’re taking! I don’t mean they should feel hopeless, but that they should have a tinge of worry that if they don’t work hard, they won’t succeed. Nothing kills the academic culture of a school faster than putting kids in classes that allow them to float, without a lot of paddling! This is why I am generally against dividing students into more than two academic tracks. The capable kids should be encouraged to take the highest level courses available as they move up the ladder, and not be allowed to “settle” with something in between A.P. and “regular” classes in their junior or senior year ( often misnamed “honors” courses) that give them an excuse not to work harder. And kids on the other end of the spectrum should not be allowed to “settle” on remedial courses that don’t prepare them for the world ahead. In three schools and 34 years as principal, I’ve never presided over the “third track,” whatever the school may call it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>No, it is not prudent for even the most capable students to take 7 A.P. classes at a time—they can mix and match<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A.P. classes and electives to create a reasonable schedule. And no, taking regular classes is not an easy path for kids who struggle, but if we are being honest with them, life is hard, and they must develop the work ethic to face it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If teachers are available to help them after school, if the school puts in place thoughtful <a href="https://ideasincatholiceducation.blogspot.com/2017/03/what-is-lowest-f-grade.html?m=1">policies such as “50” as the lowest test grade,</a> and if teachers are inclined to give kids who work hard the opportunity for<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>retests and second chances, these kids will succeed and become our proudest graduates, having achieved a real milestone.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4St0l1AhKCrQkaZDR6xzrYNX0FFVpS-29Wd0UNVLU1YG0yLHp1uV7RJjud9WfpQqR3d-BUQGFlfr04KEYqLo-K39jn8GxiRUeMtO-RCKfXErP2G7BFbEUXWUnHSfKZGC-G5kogXlW_ZvDeAhzcCEP1nOJ262tdmmvVIa95DIXHM77fF0Z0VT9Gfy6/s700/IMG_0139.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="700" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4St0l1AhKCrQkaZDR6xzrYNX0FFVpS-29Wd0UNVLU1YG0yLHp1uV7RJjud9WfpQqR3d-BUQGFlfr04KEYqLo-K39jn8GxiRUeMtO-RCKfXErP2G7BFbEUXWUnHSfKZGC-G5kogXlW_ZvDeAhzcCEP1nOJ262tdmmvVIa95DIXHM77fF0Z0VT9Gfy6/s320/IMG_0139.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><i>Relationships. Relationships. Relationships</i></b>—Just as the three most important characteristics of real estate are “location, location and location,” so too does the quality of the relationships in a school determine its success. Those relationships go in every direction: from teachers to parents, from teachers to each other, from teachers to students, and between the students themselves.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">While that may seem obvious, it’s easily forgotten as schools age, and job descriptions, policies and duties begin to settle. As tempting as it is to set policies for reasons of efficiency and to “pre-solve” the many issues which are likely to come a principal’s way, the danger is if these policies remove the human element and the pastoral judgment required to handle the particular needs of a child in a particular circumstance. That’s why I’ve always resisted spelling out “X” disciplinary consequences for “Y” offenses. Our handbook says something like “Disciplinary consequences include after school detentions, Saturday detentions, in-school and out of school suspensions and expulsions. The school administration will decide which is appropriate, based on their judgment and the interest of the student and school.” Even for the super serious stuff, like drug and alcohol use at school or a school function, our handbook says the student is <i>liable</i> for expulsion.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Of course, handling each matter pastorally, rather than bureaucratically, is becoming increasingly difficult. Dioceses face the reality of lawsuits, and our parents are much more inclined to immediately call the police to report issues at the school, even if the principal has already taken steps to protect the safety of students. It would great if principals had time to gather all the data and prayerfully consider how to handle the tough cases!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But I don’t believe we should simply resign ourself to these new realities and give up! Families in difficult circumstances need us to handle their child with care and love. That’s the message of the gospels; it’s the message of the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the wheats and the tares. Bureaucratic policies and the threat of lawsuits can wipe out the human element to the detriment of everyone!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><i>Both-And</i></b><span class="s1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><i>—</i></span> I once knew a girl who was a softball phenom. For the age of 7 through her senior year, she was the best player on whatever team she played on. Largely due to her abilities, her youth teams usually played all the way to the end of the summer in national championship games, just in time for “fall ball” and then onto the high school season in the spring. As she neared graduation, she was offered scholarships to several well known D-1 programs. I noticed she was unhappy, and called her into my office to talk with her about what was wrong.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>She began weeping: “Mr. Weber, all I’ve done with my life is play softball. I’m sick of it. I haven’t done fun things like my classmates have, and here I am at graduation, without any close friends. I don’t want to play<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>softball in college. I want to be a regular student. ” And so she declined the scholarships and attended the college like every other student. I was proud of her. Last time I saw here, she was doing quite well.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>There’s a clear lesson here: Children flourish when they’re encouraged to engage in many things—and the more different, the better. That was a big reason we wanted to have 8 periods per semester. Taking 8 allows them to take a band or choral class, for example, even while they take weights and conditioning as required by their sport. It isn’t Chamber Choir OR football, but “both-and.” I believe this is good for the teenager’s soul—that they are happier and healthier.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span>I heard a comedian say his wife was in labor with their first child for 30 hours. His punchline was “I don’t even want to do something that feels GOOD for 30 hours!” And yet we end up doing this to kids all the time, convinced that unless they play (insert sport here) year round, they won’t have the skills for a college scholarship. Our children’s happiness and health aren’t worth it. And if they’re some of the </span><i>truly rare</i><span> kids who are athletic enough to make a living playing professional sports, then they have the ability to play a lot of other sports along the way in high school—witness the fact that most players in the NFL or NBA starred in multiple sports.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b>A Vibrant, Ecumenical and Confident Faith</b>— When I was a younger principal, I feared if we came on “too strong” about our Catholic faith, it would offend our Protestant families. But I have come to understand that our Protestant families know </span><span>exactly what they’re signing up for when they place their children in our schools, and they expect us to build a dynamic Catholic culture here. They want their children to be exposed to adults who give joyful witness to their faith! Yes, of course we should be ecumenically sensitive.</span> <span>I was once given a gift of a large Marian statue for our athletic fields, and told I could put whatever I wanted on the plaque. I didn’t choose the title “The Mediatrix!” Instead the plaque simply said “Be it Done Unto Me According to Thy Word.” (Luke 1:38). Better to appeal to what we share in common, Scripture, than to emphasize our differences.</span> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Even so, I also believe it’s a dreadful mistake to water down our witness to some sort of “lowest common denominator” with our other Christian families. It’s the sometimes unusual, often fun celebrations that make our Catholic faith so interesting to our students!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In my first year as principal at John Paul II in Nashville, Mardi Gras came and went, without fanfare. This was totally unacceptable to me, borne and raised in the city that began Mardi Gras parades (that’s right New Orleans folks, it began here), so the following year, I loaded up 5 pillow sacks of candy, and told the administrative team to go into live classrooms, shower the kids with candy, and say “Happy Mardi Gras!” The students, of course, loved it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Our kids need to see that our faith enlivens us! <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>That’s why I believe the “critical mass” of our faculty must be Catholic, but it’s also why ALL of our faculty and staff need to be practicing, joyful Christians.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And confident ones! I am not persuaded that we should give “room” in our school for Christian adults who are struggling in conscience with the fundamental teachings of our faith. Yes, of course we should give people space, to the extent they are individuals!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But I am not hiring people to work in a factory or a retail store. I am hiring ministers of the faith, who themselves must be authentic, living witnesses of that faith to our students, so that their faith is ignited! Catholic schools should be<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>“furnaces for formation,” I heard someone say recently. Amen! </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">——</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I am convinced that Catholic high schools can develop many personalities, and no two schools are the same. But the most impactful Catholic high schools, the ones that truly advance the trajectory of teenagers’ lives, both as students and as people of faith—are those, I believe, who incarnate these four essential beliefs into their policies and practices. In the end, we are building a culture, and the culture will determine the school’s success more so than any program or strategy.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>May God bless St. Michael Catholic High, and all those who work in Catholic high schools across the country.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span>Ours is noble work!</span> </span></p></div>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-16000584274969941032022-07-11T08:43:00.000-07:002022-07-13T09:33:26.372-07:00Kit and Caboodle <p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">When they say it, I know they don’t mean it as I hear it. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMr0xRia4TJNFu3mHJfaQgq9CvY3ZicehNDS9aV2g_WC0wbJG0xcqf_5diiHojezkxZvDsGTF3SPCPUmh9PpiAw_xTbA9sEfjY_j6o7Y42opGbHHUkWYKe16z_FpL3punk22mooA-By5nRLU96NnYailFd7oc9Ab2nAbUIQTL59BhGm7x035BDdmLk/s800/C045709F-808C-469C-864E-4830C663C9EF.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMr0xRia4TJNFu3mHJfaQgq9CvY3ZicehNDS9aV2g_WC0wbJG0xcqf_5diiHojezkxZvDsGTF3SPCPUmh9PpiAw_xTbA9sEfjY_j6o7Y42opGbHHUkWYKe16z_FpL3punk22mooA-By5nRLU96NnYailFd7oc9Ab2nAbUIQTL59BhGm7x035BDdmLk/w320-h180/C045709F-808C-469C-864E-4830C663C9EF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">But words shape our thinking, and I find that development professionals use this phrase often. In advising us how to set up a successful campaign, for example, they might say</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: “We need to get the </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Catholic piece’’</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> just right.”</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><div><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let me suggest the first step in getting the “Catholic piece” just right is to forever ban that phrase in discussing our schools. Unwittingly, the phrase suggests that the Catholic faith is a component part of our operations, a box to be checked, literally, a “piece” we must attend to. In fact, creating a dynamic, creative Catholic culture that leads our students to become disciples of Jesus Christ is our essential mission, our raison d'être, the whole ‘kit and caboodle.’ Yes, I believe we also have other obligations: to be excellent academically, to offer good athletic and fine arts programs, to help kids become physically and mentally healthy, etc. But if we aren’t not building a vibrant Catholic culture as the context within which all these other things are happening, we may as well simply call ourselves another private school.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have the same objection to characterizing the faith as one of the “pillars” of the school, alongside the other “pillars” such as academics, the arts, athletics or fill-in-the-blank. Again, this implies that faith is one of the component pieces, albeit an important one. But if we’re using metaphors, faith is not one of the pillars; it’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">the very foundation upon which all other pillars stand. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What a vibrant Catholic school offers its students and families is an alternative culture wherein the faith is practiced in a way that is “normalized” for its students. Through the authentic witness of its teachers, coaches and staff, students are invited to participate in this alt-culture— praying, worshipping, learning and serving —practices that become so </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">integral to their daily lives that they almost don’t notice. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the great blessing of our schools: that the life of faith is NOT an extraordinary add-on, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">not a retreat nor just a Sunday thing, but something natural, everyday, the air that we breathe. That “air” then elevates everything else, creating an optimism for excellence, buoyed by the transforming power of God’s grace active in the life of our students.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></div></div>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272222381932303406.post-47503130605743876222022-06-12T08:45:00.021-07:002023-02-02T07:44:35.329-08:00Let's Quit Talking about the 'Whole Child'<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></p><br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkCQkwARMwSdwaZSdE2-m_blp0Muxmv9IWETjZoWyMOWzguXjFRPmldd-RnGVoCspixBZkcoYDuIImreAgzyDo8CDeEpi72YtUXJHGf9j6p4GE7uRP2eRClGImZu0r_6qnZRQBsMZqPWZWXiJ-XM3pDbmRUvli77rLuQTQio3LFjgjSil9rg/s3264/IMG_1594.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkCQkwARMwSdwaZSdE2-m_blp0Muxmv9IWETjZoWyMOWzguXjFRPmldd-RnGVoCspixBZkcoYDuIImreAgzyDo8CDeEpi72YtUXJHGf9j6p4GE7uRP2eRClGImZu0r_6qnZRQBsMZqPWZWXiJ-XM3pDbmRUvli77rLuQTQio3LFjgjSil9rg/s320/IMG_1594.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Language matters. This is my third article on that theme, arguing that we miss the opportunity to use evocative language to discuss our mission, or even misconstrue the mission itself, when we use </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">words or phrases unreflectively to describe ourselves. I wrote earlier we should stop saying </span><a href="http://ideasincatholiceducation.blogspot.com/2022/02/lets-quit-saying-parents-are.html" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="s1">parents “sacrifice”</span></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> to send us their children, and in another piece, that we shouldn’t use the phrase </span><a href="http://ideasincatholiceducation.blogspot.com/2022/06/kit-and-caboodle.html" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="s1">“the Catholic piece</span></a><span style="font-family: georgia;">” or talk about our faith as one of the “pillars” of our school. This time, I’d like to suggest we do away describing our mission as a focus on the “whole child" and its accompanying list </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">of minds, bodies, spirits, hearts, souls, etc.</span> </div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It’s not that the "whole child" emphasis is philosophically wrong. Indeed, our schools should be more broadly concerned about kids than just their minds— we do care about their spirits and souls! My objection, rather, is that it’s a repetitive theme that came into vogue in the 1970’s<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and has<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>hashed and rehashed in our schools ever since. It's uninspiring! We can do better.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">There’s an oft-repeated story in a diocese I know. A Catholic elementary school invited two Catholic high schools in the area for a “Parent Information Night” for their 8th grade families. The moderator asked each principal to make a ten minute “pitch” to the parents,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and then he’d open up the meeting for questions.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The first principal made the traditional presentation, invoking the many ways his school help students grow in mind, body and spirit. He was articulate, and his bit went the full ten minutes. The second principal walked up to the microphone and said “Our purpose is to help your child become a disciple of Jesus Christ.” He spoke for a few minutes more, then sat down.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The bracing simplicity of the second principal’s statement </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">stole the show, as the story is told. The parents were fascinated, and asked that principal many more questions than the first principal. Tactically, his strategy worked, because by the end of the night, even through his initial presentation was shorter, he ended up with much more “microphone time,”</span> <span style="font-family: georgia;">responding to parent’s questions. It was clear that his language resonated.</span> </div><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">And that’s my point, really. There’s nothing wrong with the “whole child” emphasis, but it lacks evocative power to move people. In fact, I suggest that in today’s world, where we are inundated with advertisements, social media, talking heads, and 24 hour “news,” that LESS IS MORE--that pointed, simple phrases are much more powerful that longer, wordier statements. We can see this same sentiment in web page design (featuring fewer words, more white space, more pictures) or in home decor design (bright white, no clutter). Home stereo systems now rely on blue tooth instead of wires. Cars emphasize the “clean look” in dashboard design. Everyone likes simple.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">So how can we be simpler and more evocative in our self descriptions? I’ve spent some time tooling around school web pages, and here are some of </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">statements I like:</span></div><ul class="ul1"><li class="li3" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3.3px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="s2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span class="s3" style="background-color: white;">"We share we share in the responsibility to prepare students for college and beyond, while helping them to grow to become persons of faith, virtue, and wisdom." (Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School, Montgomery)</span></span></li></ul><ul class="ul1"><li class="li3" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3.3px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="s2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span class="s3" style="background-color: white;">“Catholic. Marianist. Forming our Students into Remarkable Men.” (Archbishop Moeller, Cincinnati)</span></span></li></ul><ul class="ul1"><li class="li3" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3.3px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="s2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span class="s3" style="background-color: white;">“St. Michael aspires for its students to become scholars, leaders and disciples of Jesus Christ” (St. Michael, Fairhope, the school of which I'm principal)</span></span></li></ul><ul class="ul1"><li class="li3" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3.3px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="s2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span class="s3" style="background-color: white;">Heart of Mary Catholic School seeks to form students who are faithful to Jesus Christ, committed to their studies, and proud of themselves and their school." The "tagline" for the school is thus "Faithful. Committed.Proud!" (Heart of Mary Catholic elementary, Mobile, AL). </span></span></li></ul><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3.3px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've traveled with our students to the March for Life in Washington D.C. several times. One year, I think in 2010, the weather was miserably cold and snowy, but that didn’t dampen our students’ enthusiasm—they were proud to be witnesses to life, and thrilled to be marching with hundreds of thousands of other teenagers for that cause. About half way through they began singing, including one song, “Lord Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary." the lyrics of which are simple:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p5" style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3.3px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Lord prepare me,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">To be a sanctuary<br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Pure and holy<br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tried and true<br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">With thanksgiving<br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’ll be a living<br /></span></i><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sanctuary, for You</span></i></div><p class="p7" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i></i><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="background-color: white; color: #18191b; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I got choked up as I heard our students sing this, over and over—not just because it’s powerful to hear teenagers be so joyful and public about their faith, but also because it’s the purest, most simple iteration</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> of our mission as Catholic schools that I’ve ever heard: to help our students become <i>living sanctuaries</i> for the Lord.</span> </p><p class="p5" style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3.3px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3.3px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Let’s take time to simplify and elevate what we say about our selves, reminding our students, families and teachers of our most essential task!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div></div>Fnwchshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337287231762962378noreply@blogger.com0