The following article was provided by NCEA’s Corporate Partner, The Pacific Institute.
Since 2012, Catholic Schools have complied with the National Standards and Benchmarks set forth by the Center for Catholic School Effectiveness.
One of the greatest challenges that our Catholic Schools face in progressing toward these measurable benchmarks, is maintaining focus on the over-arching standard that the benchmarks are intended to achieve.
Catholic Schools are unique in that their cultures are true communities. We often see grassroots change in these communities because leaders possess a passionate belief in Catholic education, and positively affect and inspire those around them. At the same time, though, the school is a professional environment with a hierarchical structure of supervisors and performance goals.
So where to find the balance?
When we align the Mindset of the individuals at the school — from superintendent to board member to principal to staff to parents — we see immediate results.
Often, individuals are subject to self-imposed, limiting beliefs that prevent them from realizing their full potential. For example, if a board and administration believe that enrollment at Catholic Schools is down nationally, and thus we should adjust expectations to the so-called new reality of lower enrollment, then without question that school will continue to see flat if not further-declining enrollment numbers.
If, on the other hand, that same board and administration work together to change the collective Mindset to overcome perceived obstacles, we see how that shift in culture impacts performance. With a belief that enrollment does not have to decrease — but that it should increase by 25% in five years — we send parent ambassadors into the community, we implement creative and innovative marketing strategies, we set expectations, we stretch, and we grow.
Enrollment is just one example of how an aligned Mindset can create the spark that a school needs to make meaningful change in any area: academic excellence, leadership, governance, and operational vitality.
And the Standards and Benchmarks mentioned above? With an aligned Mindset that allows us to ignite fresh thinking, we meet them as a natural by-product of our progress toward larger, more meaningful goals.
To learn more about Growth Mindset and how it can ignite Catholic Schools toward marked improvements in key benchmarks relating to Catholic Identity, Governance and Leadership, Academic Excellence and Operational Vitality, register now for an upcoming webinar: Mindset Matters: Moving the Needle on National Standards and Benchmarks in Catholic Education to be aired Thursday November 10th at 4:00pm EST.
