"I am #2"

During my sophomore year of high school, I first heard the call to serve. Ms. McGuire, my literature teacher at Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, asked the class to pick a dream job. For some reason, my response was “teacher.”

When we say we believe all children can and will learn, we embed an imperative to do whatever it takes as adults to help all of our students excel. As lead learners in our schools, we have a moral responsibility to ensure that all students receive rigorous, high-quality instruction every lesson, every day. But for students stuck on the wrong side of the persistent achievement gap, we must tackle not only cumulative deficits in knowledge and skill, but also the doubts students have about their abilities, hardened by years of educational neglect.

Last week, as ACE teammates from across America gathered together for our annual spring retreat, we were both embraced and pushed by the words of Father Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. Throughout the day, he shared stories and reminders from the Bible, challenging us to think about ways in which we bring hope to the children and families we serve. A week later, we are still doing further reflection on his call to bring hope through praying, singing, and staying.

“The servant-leader is servant first…It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” –Robert Greenleaf

Every member of ACE Teaching Fellows gets a card just like the one above. There’s one on my bedside table and an extra in my wallet—just to be safe. Wherever I am, I have the ACE Morning Offering with me.

“Why?”

This is the question I heard when I told people that I was staying in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “Why Oklahoma?” Good question. If I’d moved back home to mostly sunny Sacramento, California, I would’ve been taken care of. Here? I think 50 degrees is freezing. Most of my Oklahoma friends (my “Oklahomies”) are either religious sisters or married women. I eat crackers and cheese for lunch four days in a row because I just paid a mortgage, but I can’t be at home because I’m coaching, directing, grading, or planning. So why’d I stay a third year at Saint Catherine School? 

Monica Kowalski, Ph.D., serves as a faculty member in the ACE Teaching Fellows and Mary Ann Remick Leadership programs. She writes about how we must focus on doing small things with love to better equip ourselves to face the larger challenges in our lives.

In a seminary in Southern California, set in beautiful buildings within a citrus grove, men are preparing to bring the Gospel to diverse realities of the people of God. One of the realities the seminarians are preparing to address is Catholic schools--a great challenge and a wonderful means of evangelization.

“Catholic schools are good for America!”

This time of year brings me back to some of the more challenging days in my third grade classroom in Jackson, MS. Even now, every day, I spend at least a few minutes wishing I could go back to that classroom and teach those students again, knowing what I know now. 

This month we celebrate women’s history and reflect on the many contributions of women to Catholic education. With Fr. Ron Nuzzi, I recently explored the history of women in Catholic education for a chapter we are writing for a book on International Perspectives on Women in Educational Leadership. I was inspired by finding that dating back to colonial times, and continuing into the present, women have been instrumental in establishing, leading, and ensuring the success of Catholic schools in America.

This month’s 15 on 15th spotlights an innovative school model – Dual Language Catholic schools or Two-Way Immersion (TWI) Catholic schools. We invite you to take 15 minutes to learn more about this model, which manifests deep mutual respect for linguistic and cultural diversity. This model has shown evidence of cognitive, social, emotional, and economic benefits (Gándara, 2015).

As a school leader, you live your life for others. Winning is less about numbers and more about producing students who show up for their families, classmates, and community.

English learners (ELs) are the fastest growing population in U.S. schools. By 2025, nearly 1 in 4 US school children will be an EL. While their numbers grow, their performance lags behind their native English-speaking peers. Less than 63 percent of English-language learners graduate high school in time. The recently minted Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) might provide an opportunity for educators who aim to help ELs thrive.

For a more detailed look at the original ESEA and the effects of the new ESSA on Catholic schools, see this memo from friend of ACE Steve Perla.

When the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law in 1965, it was seen as a milestone on the path to ensuring every student had fair and equal opportunities to receive an excellent education.  For many, this was great news.

With a focus on closing the achievement gap between low and middle income children, the legislation was a marquee piece of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” Despite the significant changes that have come with reauthorization every five years since 1965, ESEA hasn’t strayed too far from its original purpose; namely, aiming to provide all children with equitable educational opportunities. Again, encouraging news.