WINTER 2018
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS HAVE LONG BEEN A TOP CHOICE FOR FAMILIES due to their combined commitment to academic excellence and spiritual forming of the whole child. But in recent years, the expanding array of school options has made parents’ choices that much more complicated.
This has spurred the Archdiocese of New York to an even deeper commitment to the excellence of our schools. Over the past several years, our Catholic schools have once again shown their academics are second-to-none and have committed themselves in new ways to spiritual formation – and the students, teachers, and others who make up our school communities have begun receiving the recognition they deserve for their hard work.
The 2017-2018 school year began with the exciting news that our Catholic schools had outperformed New York City, New York State, and most charter schools on the 2017 New York State English Language Arts (ELA) and Math Tests.
These successes mark the third year of consistent improvement in their scores. It’s a trend Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Timothy J. McNiff, expects will continue. “There is no doubt, by building on the successes we have made in recent years and working even harder to engage our school communities, we will see even greater growth.”
Dr. McNiff largely credits innovative teaching and learning strategies like Eureka Math and the Pearson English/Language curricula with propelling these advances. Another factor is schools’ continued expansion of blended learning, a station-based approach to classroom instruction where students learn at their own pace with the help of tools such as iPads and Chromebooks.
“Across the archdiocese, we are seeing firsthand the continued benefits of significant investment in technology and data analytics that help our teachers individualize instruction to meet students’ needs,” says Dr. McNiff.
In September of 2016, the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) named the Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese of New York a recipient of its highest honor, the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Award. Named for the founder of the nation’s first free Catholic schools, the award honors individuals and institutions whose support and service benefits Catholic education and American youth.
In bestowing the award, the NCEA recognized in particular the archdiocesan Pathways to Excellence program, inaugurated in 2010 to guide our schools into the 21st century. The program provides for the regionalization of schools and places an emphasis on Catholic identity. According to the NCEA, “The Catholic Schools Office [of the Archdiocese of New York] has ensured their schools are places where Catholic culture and values will continue to thrive, now and in the future.”
The award also congratulated the archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools on its implementation of blended learning, commitment to ongoing teacher training, and use of advanced technology in classrooms.
“Children graduate from a Catholic school with an education of the mind, of course, but more importantly, a formation of the heart and soul,” Cardinal Dolan has said.
To foster this, the archdiocesan Office of Catholic Identity is enhancing sacramental and devotional life in schools and engaging priests as chaplains for regional elementary schools. The Office also continues to partner with each regional board’s Catholic Identity Subcommittee to develop a “toolbox” that supports principals in ensuring a flourishing Catholic culture in their schools – including prayers, rituals, and iconography that help expand the Catholic foundation of each school community.
According to Sr. June Clare Tracy, O.P., executive director of the Office of Catholic Identity, “From the first bell to the last, the reality is that our schools must be centered on Jesus Christ. We as Catholic school educators must consciously ensure that God is at the core of our curriculum and that the beliefs and values of our faith are infused in every subject and every activity.”
When the school remains centered on Christ, the effects are felt far beyond the four walls of the classroom. “Having a child enrolled in a Catholic school has inspired countless parents to reconnect with their faith, return to Mass if they have turned away from the Church, and re-experience the joy that comes with prayer, worship, and a personal relationship with Christ,” says Dr. McNiff.
Adds Sr. June Clare: “People today are starving and thirsting for the good news of Christ. If we make Him the heart of our schools and teach our children to learn Jesus by heart, we will plant seeds that may lead to a tremendous harvest.”
To learn more about Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York, visit catholicschoolsny.org.