Educator weighs state of Catholic education

At a time when many people are concerned about the future of Catholic education, a national symposium marking the 100th anniversary of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) has buoyed the enthusiasm of Sister Jane Herb, IHM, school superintendent for the Albany Diocese.

Sister Jane attended the Jan. 8-11 symposium in Washington, D.C., along with Deborah O'Brien of the diocesan School Board. The pair joined 250 Catholic educators from across the U.S. for the gathering, which examined both Catholic schools and religious education.

Participants focused on three themes: the identity of Catholic education; training future leadership; and engagement, or how Catholic schools and programs interact with society.

Key element

Sister Jane attended the leadership group, which she believes is the key area that must be explored to ensure the future of Catholic education.

Her group debated how to find leaders of diverse backgrounds who also have the necessary professional experience, and how to attract good leaders to serve on school boards. The group also looked at ways to collaborate with colleges to prepare future leaders in Catholic education.

Each group was scheduled to prepare a document on its findings; the documents will be released in April, when the NCEA holds its annual convention.

One concept Sister Jane hopes is mentioned in the leadership document is stewardship. It's crucial, she said, to look at how Catholic education will be funded in the future through donations of "time, talent and treasure."

Foundation

Regarding the other themes of the symposium, Sister Jane said that "Catholic identity is our foundation. What's tied in with that closely is religious education: How do we give [students] appropriate faith formation so they can be teachers?"

Faith formation, she added, is a lifelong process: Catholic educators must also try to meet adult faith-formation needs through collaboration among schools, parishes and the Diocese.

A highlight of the symposium was a meeting with President George W. Bush. He told the group that Catholic schools "carry out a great mission" and lauded the contributions of Catholic education to society (see last week's issue of The Evangelist).

To Sister Jane, that message echoed the symposium's theme of engagement; she was struck by President Bush's mention of the NCEA's "making America a more compassionate country."

In his talk, the President also announced that he plans to ask Congress for $50 million to establish a national choice incentive fund, so that parents can choose their children's schools. Sister Jane told The Evangelist that she is "cautiously optimistic" about the effort's chances for success.

Scandal's effect

Clergy sexual abuse and its effect on the reputation of Catholic education was discussed during the symposium.

Sister Jane said that in the Albany Diocese, there has been a slight decline in enrollment in Catholic schools, but that trend has been occurring for years and doesn't seem connected to the crisis.

"This is a challenging time, but it's also an exciting time," she stated. "Whatever happens helps us look at what's really important in Catholic education."

(1/22/04)