Written by Michael J. Boyle, Ph.D., Executive Director, Hermann Center for Innovative Catholic Education at the School of Education, Saint Louis University, [email protected]
Catholic schools strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students. This commitment is rooted in the fundamental belief that every human person is sacred and inviolable, possessing inherent dignity regardless of their abilities. As Pope Francis echoes the teachings of Saint John Paul the Great and Pope Benedict XVI, each student is “unique and unrepeatable,” created with a purpose.
By ensuring all students, regardless of ability, have access to a Catholic education, Catholic schools can powerfully demonstrate their commitment to valuing all human life. Catholic schools need to expand their support for students with disabilities, drawing on both the social context and Church teachings that affirm the dignity and contributions of all individuals. These reasons include:
- Increasing societal awareness on disability issues
- A need to have a clear response from the Church
- Consistent with Church teaching
One comprehensive system to educate students with disabilities in Catholic schools (Boyle, 2016; Boyle, 2017; Boyle and Bernards, 2017) includes a framework to organize the logistical aspects of providing this type of programming as well an approach to articulated professional development needs and supports at the classroom level. This framework also suggests ways that educational supports can be organized at the diocesan and national level. A unified approach opens the doors for the creation of shared service delivery systems that can maximize limited resources in the service of students with disabilities. A common framework provides a shared vocabulary about serving students with disabilities and a unified voice that will help clearly articulate this mission to potential funders and policy writers.
Creating approaches to educating students with disabilities in Catholic schools does not materialize from thin air. Quality programs come from careful, systematic planning and a commitment to concretizing a school’s Catholic identity and living a preferential option for those who are marginalized.
Program Audits
When considering where to start when making the commitment to educating students with disabilities, the first question Catholic school staff ask is “where do we start?” It is important to be able to inventory the programmatic assets of a school as they begin this journey. Many times, Catholic schools have programs and supports started and these can provide a foundation of the work.
Professional Development
Given the very nature that approaches to educating students with disabilities is steeped in a public school orientation (as it should be, given that that it is a process created to address the needs of students in public school settings), there is a critical need to provide professional development of teachers and leaders from a Catholic worldview.
Technical Support
To be honest, Catholic schools are not equipped to do this in isolation. Incredible levels of collaboration are needed. From assistance in developing policies, procedures and protocols to help in the coaching of leaders to develop the requisite advocacy skills and to understand the requirements of the law and how to navigate these processes, there are opportunities for support and collaboration that can be developed in innovative ways. New partnerships with institutions of Catholic higher education as well as other organizations that support Catholic schools could be developed to achieve this aim.
The old adage is that “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” Catholic schools need to make the commitment to take the first step. This first step takes an incredible amount of courage. But by addressing these challenges and implementing a comprehensive framework, Catholic schools can fulfill their mission of providing a welcoming and inclusive education for all students, affirming the inherent dignity of every person. The path is not an undiscovered one. There are models. There are guides that can accompany schools along the path. There are supports. Catholic schools need to abandon the fears and the excuses.
Michael will be speaking at this October’s Catholic Leadership Summit in Seattle. If you are a Superintendent, assistant and associate superintendent, executive director, school network leader or member of CHESCS, NNAC, CAAC and state Catholic Conferences, we invite you to attend.
