|
In 2008 the Diocesan School Board determined that Catholic Education in the Diocese of Albany has reached an urgent and critical point. The board unanimously agreed that they were tired of managing decline and sought to turn the tide and envision a future full of hope for the Catholic Education. A series of steps and initial research led to the development of the Covenant to Educate, the Board's vision for the future of Catholic Schools.
These steps included: individual accountability reports were prepared and shared with each of the schools; regional meetings took place with members of the school communities to get input on their dreams for the future of Catholic Schools; intimate conversations with principals were hosted by Board members; and a gap analysis was commissioned, which was a measure of the gap between the public's perception of Catholic Schools and reality.
As a result of these steps, a paradox emerged: Catholic schools are strong academically, are valued for their safe, nurturing environment, are known for values-based education, grounded in the faith of the Catholic Church and are valued by leaders in our community. However, enrollment continues to decline and schools continue to close. The question is: "What is wrong with this picture?" Believing that Catholic schools have tremendous potential to learn from one another and collaborate to shape a future full of hope, the Diocesan School Board came up with the following vision and developed the Covenant to Educate.
Vision for the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Albany:
The Catholic schools within the Diocese of Albany will continue to offer quality academic programs with a strong foundation of Catholic identity. The Catholic schools will be a system in which all the schools are dedicated to a common mission and will work with one another to remain faithful to that mission.
Diocesan School Board, September 2009
Purpose of the Work of the Covenant to Educate:
To develop a strategic plan focused on "re-imagining" the present diocesan Catholic school structure by creating a Community of Catholic Schools that are linked to each other in order to support the growth and on-going sustainability of Catholic education within the diocese. The resulting Community of Catholic Schools will deliver a clearly defined and branded Catholic education that is build upon excellence.
-
Step 1: Covenant to Educate: Map to the Strategic Plan In anticipation of the strategic planning process, this document was developed by the Diocesan School Board in the summer of 2009 and serves as the blueprint for the vision for the future of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Albany. Click here to open a PDF of the document Covenant to Educate: Map to the Strategic Plan.
-
Step 2: Regional Meetings with School Communities In order to get feedback and important insight from the school communities, Superintendent Sr. Jane Herb, IHM, Ph.D., invited school administrators, faculty and board members to four regional meetings in the fall of 2009 where she presented the Diocesan School Board's "Covenant to Educate" plan. Feedback gathered at these meetings was used to inform the process moving forward.
-
Step 3: Strategic Framework Staying true to the Map to the Strategic Plan the Diocesan School Board contracted with a support organization, Eric Mower and Associates, to organize the initial process, including the convening of a Task Force. The 25-member Task Force met 6 times from November 2009 - March 2010 and developed the Strategic Framework, a document which serves as the visionary framework for re-imaging Catholic Education. Click here to open a PDF of the Strategic Framework. For a list of Task Force members, please click here.
-
Step 4: Strategies for the Future Building upon the Strategic Framework, a strategic planning committee was convened in March 2010 to drill down further into the framework to pull out specific strategies and action steps. Comprised of members of the Task Force, members of the Diocesan School Board and members of the Catholic School Office staff, the committee developed the document Strategies for the Future, which will serve as the action document that tilts the process toward implementation. Click here to open a PDF of the Strategies for the Future.
- Step 5: Regional Meetings with School Communities In April 2010 the Catholic School Office and Diocesan School
Board hosted another series of regional meetings to receive feedback on the Strategies
for the Future. Administrators, teachers, parents and school board
members were invited to give feedback. About 250 people turned out for
these meetings, and their feedback was used to make adjustments and
clarifications to the Strategies for the Future. Their feedback
and ideas were also summarized in a formal document, which will serve as a
guide throughout the implementation phase. Please click here for the summary of comments and
suggestions made at these meetings.
- Step 6: The Strategies for the Future is Approved The Diocesan School Board reviewed the Strategies for the
Future and identified the top priorities to be moved on in the 3-year
plan. Once these priorities were identified, at their June 2010 meeting
the Diocesan School Board officially approved the plan. Bishop Hubbard is
currently reviewing the plan and is expected to give approval in the coming
days.
- Step 7: Implementation In June 2010 an Implementation Committee was formed,
comprised of teachers, administrators and Board members from various Catholic
schools, as well as members of the community, Task Force members, Diocesan
School Board members and Catholic School Office staff totaling over 35
members. Phase I of their charge is to develop a tactical plan, which
will serve as the blueprint for carrying out the Strategies for the Future over
the next three years. The blueprint will identify priorities, action
steps, person(s) responsible, financial implications and the timeline required
to complete these tasks. The committee will work diligently over the
summer to complete the tactical plan by the end of August.
Phase II of Implementation will be to carry out the
plan. Some action steps may be implemented as early as July.
However, the bulk of the work will begin immediately in August and will be
on-going over the next 3 years. The Implementation Committee will
continue to play a critical and integral role in the implementation and
management of the Strategies for the Future over the next 3 years.
|