ERIC Number: EJ1218419
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2164-0246
EISSN: N/A
The National Catholic Standards as a Unifying Strategy
Fortier, Henry
Journal of Catholic Education, v22 n1 Article 17 Spr 2019
Henry Fortier began his new role as Superintendent for the Diocese of Orlando Florida in the same school year (2011-2012) as the publication of the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS). Fortier gave himself a six-month window to immerse himself in the diocese and learn the culture of the Catholic community in Orlando. In the first few weeks, he met with various groups that included teachers, assistant principals, office staff, curriculum committees, and visited schools. During one visit the principal, a 40-year veteran in Catholic education, pointed out one serious issue. As she articulated her frustrations she pointed to several binders on her bookshelf labeled, Florida Catholic Conference (FCC) Accreditation, Principal Growth Results, Diocese of Orlando Strategic Plan, School Strategic Plan, and School Support Visit. Each binder represented thorough and comprehensive information for achieving and maintaining Catholic schools' quality; however, each binder was distinctly different. This experienced principal posed the question, "Which plan do I follow?" it soon became clear that at the diocesan level there were challenging issues. These issues included the following: (1) The diocese needed a new principal growth process; (2) The teacher evaluation tool was different for every principal; (3) School-based strategic plans did not align with accreditation action plans or diocesan strategic plans; and (4) A curriculum initiative, in its fifth year with major software issues, was causing dissention among the teachers and principals. This article describes how Fortier, using knowledge he had gained from previous professional experiences, was able to help the Orlando Diocesan schools move forward to develop a new accreditation process. The multiple binders that once filled the office shelves are gone now and, if possible, all components of operations have been connected like the spokes on a wheel around the NSBECS empowering the mission of the Diocese of Orlando to proclaim the Gospel message within an academic environment that challenges students to be creative and critical thinkers who integrate faith, moral leadership and compassionate service to create a more just and humane world.
Descriptors: National Standards, Catholic Schools, School Effectiveness, Benchmarking, Academic Standards, Principals, Management Development, Teacher Evaluation, Strategic Planning, Accreditation (Institutions), Alignment (Education), Educational Development, Skill Development, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Religious Factors, Religious Education, Moral Values, Instructional Leadership, Empathy
Loyola Marymount University. School of Education 1 LMU Drive, University Hall Suite 1760, Los Angles, CA 90045. e-mail: catholicedjournal@lmu.edu; Web site: http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ce
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Florida (Orlando)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A