In this issue:

Catholic Schools: Planting Seeds of Growth
Ready to Learn
How do we ensure and measure effectiveness in Catholic education?
Additional Resources
Welcome New Board Chair
News Briefs
Calendar Notes

Catholic Schools: Planting Seeds of Growth

Elizabeth Ann Seton once wrote a friend and benefactor reflecting on the education work she and the Sisters of Charity had begun. “Could you but know what has happened in consequence of the little dirty grain of mustard seed you planted by God’s hand in America?”

The school Elizabeth began in Emmitsburg, Md. in 1810 laid the foundation for the American parochial school system. She and the Sisters of Charity educated children of wealthy families as well as children of the poor and working class, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.

Today there are over 7,000 Catholic schools in the US. Over 40 percent of Catholic elementary and secondary schools are located in urban and inner-city locations, like Price Hill in Cincinnati. These schools have a higher percentage of non-Catholic students and children from struggling families.

The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati have long been serving in Price Hill Catholic schools and today are still tutors, teachers, or counselors at Holy Family, Resurrection, St. Lawrence, and St. William elementary schools, and Seton High School, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati.

SC Ministry Foundation maintains a proactive presence with Price Hill Catholic schools by convening education leaders once a year and for special programs such as Models of Urban Catholic Education and Effectiveness in Catholic Education and by supporting capacity building for educators through workshops such as Chick Moorman’s Motivating the Unmotivated and Ruby Payne’s Bridges out of Poverty programs.

The Foundation also provides grants to develop and expand after school, summer, pre-K, and counselor/social worker programs that help foster students’ academic, physical, and spiritual growth and proficiency during critical years.

Summer Learning Camp

For many students, a Catholic education is the only opportunity to receive a quality education that develops the whole person and closes the academic achievement gap. For example, 40 percent of students in Price Hill Catholic schools attend using EdChoice vouchers, meaning they live in school districts in “academic watch” or “academic emergency,” the lowest categories on Ohio’s school rating system.

To bridge the gap from one grade level to the next, the Catholic elementary schools in Price Hill have developed the Summer Learning Camp, located at Seton High School. The camp is a four-week program that aids students pre-K through incoming Seton freshman which helps students develop better study skills with a special focus on reading and math.

The College of Mount St. Joseph, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Charity, works closely with the camp by providing certified teachers earning hours toward additional certification, teacher aids through a work program called the Student Summer Employment Initiative, and resources from their Reading Science Department, which has initiated a literacy program using the Orton Gillingham methodology.

The camp’s pre-K students began this Summer Learning Camp with scores that placed all of them in the “at-risk” range for reading failure (according to the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills test) and by the end of four weeks, the students were “on-track,” a major success that will impact their entire student career[1].

Counselor and Social Worker Programs

For many students, Price Hill’s Catholic schools are places of refuge; “they know they are safe and loved,” one principal notes. The counselor and social worker programs at Holy Family, Resurrection, St. Lawrence, and St. William schools enable more children to receive a Catholic education, despite multiple and complex problems.

Last year, for example, St. Lawrence’s counselor and social worker program engaged 123 students, including 27 new students. Over 80 percent demonstrated positive changes, and 26 of the new students made enough progress to return the following year. Six new students required intensive services.

Mercy Health Services, a professional mental health group, provides clinical and group support for the counselors and social workers. The counselor and social workers connect students and their families to support services, identify resources for teachers in the classroom, and work one-on-one and in group counseling with the students. Their personal approach affects student retention, graduation, and the long-term growth and development of each child.

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[1] Strive Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Student’s Roadmap to Success: Critical Benchmarks for Transition Years. Available at www.strivetogether.org

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Ready to Learn

Below are Foundation-supported organizations that foster learning readiness for Price Hill children.

Santa Maria Community Services’ Promoting Our Preschoolers recognizes that families are the most influential teachers. Through home visits, Santa Maria helped 230 children in the past two years get ready for kindergarten: 89% increased language skills and 94% increased social emotional development. Santa Maria refers children to Crossroad Health Center for immunizations, testing and treatment for high lead levels, and developmental screening. Preventative health care early in life maximizes learning throughout life.

Children’s Hunger Alliance increased participation in School Breakfast and Lunch Programs this year by 150 additional low-income students attending parochial schools in Cincinnati, including Price Hill, helping students eat healthy meals every day. During summer, Whole Again International provides breakfast and lunch by partnering with programs such as the Summer Learning Camp in Price Hill and Su Casa, a program serving the local Latino community.

Seton Family Center, a Sister of Charity sponsored ministry located in Price Hill, partners with local Catholic schools to provide mental health services such as diagnostic testing, assessing school readiness, learning and behavior problems, and gifted ability.

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How do we ensure and measure effectiveness in Catholic education?

Faith formation, communication and marketing, and sustainability are some of the key areas of effectiveness important to Catholic schools across the country right now.

Richard Burke, president of Catholic School Management, highlights research and strategies on effectiveness, drawn from his experience with over 3,000 Catholic schools. In September, Burke came to Cincinnati and presented to over 60 pastors, principals, and other educational leaders in the St. Lawrence Deanery (which includes Price Hill) and schools of CISE (Catholic Inner-City Schools Education Fund) of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Some of Richard Burke’s key messages for Catholic schools were:

• Market on a regular, frequent, and consistent basis and understand generational differences
• Personalize communication with parents (by teachers, principals, pastors, and parish community).
• Develop strong foundational documents, including philosophy, mission, vision, and profile of graduate at graduation (academically, physically, spiritually, religiously and socially).

More about Catholic School Management can be found on their website www.catholicschoolmgmt.com, where you’ll also find information on Catholic School Management Letter, a bimonthly newsletter (available by subscription) that offers in-depth, research-driven experience and guidance on timely and topical issues of Catholic school administration.

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Additional Resources

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson – “This book should be required reading for every educator,” says Richard Burke, president of Catholic School Management. Three Cups of Tea explores the role of women in education and the unique perspective of the author’s journey to successfully establish schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. SC Ministry Foundation was a sponsor of Mortenson’s speaking event at Xavier University in Cincinnati on Sept. 29, 2010.

Weathering the Storm: Moving Catholic Schools Forward by Leonard DeFiore, John J. Convey and Merylann J. Schuttloffel is a 52-page book published by National Catholic Educational Association that helps define some of the problems Catholic schools face and presents a number of strategic and effective examples of how Catholic schools are addressing them. “This little book is a powerhouse,” says Frank Butler, president of Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities, who names this book as a top resource for Catholic educators.

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) provides the most important and up-to-date research on American Catholics and the Catholic Church in the United States. The fall 2010 edition of The CARA Report features a special section on Catholic Education and can be ordered online at cara.georgetown.edu.

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Welcome New Board Chair

The Foundation welcomes Jerome R. Judd to his new role as board chair. Jerry is vice president, Treasury at Catholic Healthcare Partners in Cincinnati, a nonprofit healthcare system with 34 hospitals in 4 states.

Jerry has served on SC Ministry Foundation’s board for 6 years and has also served as finance committee chair. Serving on the board is a rewarding experience, Jerry says, “Because I believe the mission of the Foundation truly makes a difference in the lives of so many in need.”

Jerry is taking over as board chair in a time when there is an even greater need for support by the Foundation given the challenging economic times. “I’m excited to help the Foundation meet these challenges,” says Jerry, “And I hope to continue the legacy of so many talented individuals who have served the Foundation over the years.”

Some of Jerry’s hobbies are golf, sports, and Notre Dame Football. “But my favorite thing to do” says Jerry, “is to spend time with my family and my children Patrick who is 14, Conner who is 16, and Morgan and Michael who are 18-year-old twins.”

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News Briefs

Welcome to our co-op students Michael Heckmann and Jennifer VonGries, both seniors from the College of Mount St. Joseph. Michael is studying psychology, religious studies, and interdisciplinary liberal studies, and Jennifer is studying communications. Michael and Jennifer continue to develop a strong understanding of the Foundation’s mission and will be working on a variety of projects over the next several months that will enhance our communications and education programs. Read Michael and Jennifer’s full bios.

The Foundation is pleased to welcome our new board members, Sister of Charity and spiritual and retreat director Maureen Heverin and Cincinnati Enquirer publisher Margaret Buchanan. We also welcome new board committee members Frank Butler, president of FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities) and Ohio State Representative Denise Driehaus.

The Foundation is grateful to all of those whose terms ended, including committee members Nancy Bramlage, SC, Bridget McDermott Flood, and Georgia Kitt, SC, and board members Frances Maureen Trampiets, SC and Eileen Cooper Reed, who served as the Foundation’s board chair for 4 years.

Calendar Notes

View upcoming calendar dates for the July 2011 Funding Cycle by clicking here.

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