New employees, initiatives added

By David Eck

DAYTON DEANERY — Three months after its launch, the Catholic Education Collaborative continues to build its foundation.

The organization has fully seated a board of trustees, hired two new employees, continues to develop guidelines for "member" schools and is undertaking additional educational initiatives for curriculum and professional development, CEC officials said.

"We have a lot of work that we want to do," said Anne Battes, deputy superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese and president of the collaborative. "Certainly the initial response has been received well."

The staff increased in late October when John Douglas joined the organization as director of finance and accounting. Ron Herre, the director of stewardship, will begin later this month.

Douglas, a licensed certified public accountant, most recently served as controller for the Cincinnati division of American Reprographics Company. He is developing internal financial procedures and functions, making vendor contacts and has identified nearly 30 different categories that offer potential savings, Battes said.

Herre, who has worked with Marianist Missions the last seven years, will oversee stewardship, development, marketing and advertising.

The collaborative was formed as a way to strengthen Catholic education in the Dayton Deanery and increase efficiency.

Under the Catholic Education Collaborative, all the Catholic schools in the deanery, including 18 elementary and three high schools, have the opportunity to work together in such areas as professional development for educators, purchasing, stewardship and development and student enrichment. The collaborative is one of the largest in the nation, archdiocesan officials said.

There are 25 parishes that have also joined the organization.

Among the benefits of the collaborative are increased purchasing power, new program opportunities for teachers and administrators and the ability to better analyze the cost of providing Catholic education.

The collaborative has received $1.5 million over the next three years for operational costs and in late 2007 received another $10,000 to be used for startup costs.

The organization also recently received a unique, but handy, donation: 200 cartons (2,000 reams) of copy paper. The paper is being distributed to the partners.

The collaborative’s Board of Trustees has established four board committees, and is forming coordinating councils, which will provide direct input from stakeholders.

"We want to build ownership," Battes said. "It allows our partners to have direct input and insight into the various programs we are establishing and implementing thereby better addressing the needs of our parishes and schools."

As for professional development, the collaborative approach will allow larger institutions to more easily work with schools as a group, officials said when the organization launched.

One example is a pilot program for instructional implementation review that will be conducted in four schools this spring. Under the program, each school will receive a school-wide assessment of math instruction.

Operating in conjunction with the Montgomery County Educational Service Center, a team of four professionals will be sent into each school, and each professional will observe every math class. Math teachers will then complete a survey. The observations and survey input will be used to form the assessment, said Toni Moore, assistant superintendent for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati/director of professional development for the collaborative.

"It’s about how the curriculum is being delivered and (if) there’s a consistent program throughout the school," Moore said. "That gives principals and the teachers an idea of the quality of instruction."

The four schools — Immaculate Conception, St. Christopher, St. Helen and Our Lady of the Rosary in Dayton — volunteered for the assessment.

"It borders curriculum and professional development, Moore said. "It addresses the curriculum, but it also recommends professional develop that might be indicated."

The collaborative is also partnering with the University of Dayton and Boston College centers for Catholic education to form initiatives to improve academic performance of students in collaborative schools, Moore said. Focus areas include curriculum mapping, differentiated instruction, assessment and professional development.