Category: Catholic School Matters

This week, I spotlight Guardian Catholic School in Jacksonville on the Catholic School Matters Radio Hour podcast.  The school has a remarkable story and is at the intersection of many trends in Catholic education—mission-centered education, school choice, robust development programs, building a new school, combining two parish schools, a new governance model, and an order […]

One of the my joys over Christmas break was discovering the work of Thomas Sergiovanni, specifically the great little book Moral Leadership published in 1992. Sergiovanni provides a recipe for creating and reinforcing school communities based on morality—as opposed to bureaucracy. It’s holding up the caring community model as opposed to the dreaded factory model […]

Didn’t have the chance to check in with NCEA Talk each day? We’ve got you covered. Each Friday NCEA Talk will post a roundup of Catholic education news and resources from the week. In case you missed it… Catholic School Matters Radio Hour Catholic School Matters Top 5 Happening Next Week Many Gifts, One Nation: […]

Catholic School Matters Radio Hour was back on the air yesterday, Wednesday, January 9. The episode is theologically centered on disaffiliation and Catholic culture. Dr. Julie Rubio is the first guest. Here is the announcement of her hiring last spring. Here is a video of a lecture from 2017 about finding common ground. Here is a link to […]

After a short hiatus, Catholic School Matters is back!  For the next 6 weeks, you’ll be getting the newsletter. This is an important time for us as we build toward Catholic Schools Week, a time to remind ourselves why Catholic schools are important and what makes our schools such a fantastic investment. Stories like this […]

In this week’s Catholic School Matters Radio Hour (December 5), I am joined by three great guests to discuss teen addiction. First, I’m joined by my former guidance counselor at Creighton Prep, Steve Wertzberger. Steve shares his 35+ year experience as a guidance counselor and the decision to move to random drug testing to deter […]

After a Thanksgiving spent with relatives, I found myself thinking about the polarization present in our society.  NCR ran a great story last week on “Healing Polarization in the Church” and the NY Times a funny piece entitled “How To Have a Conversation with Your Angry Uncle.”  It’s on our minds as the toxic political […]

Here is the link to the November 21st Catholic School Matters Radio Hour focusing on new Catholic leaders.  The 90-minute podcast features four conversations with new Catholic school leaders: Mary Pat Donaghue, the Executive Director of the Secretariat for Catholic Education at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Here is another (video) interview with her.  We discuss […]

Last week I was in Baltimore for the Education Committee and the conversation there (just like at CLS!) turned to enrollment numbers. Have you noticed that conversations about enrollment in Catholic schools tend to cause discomfort? We talk about the number of students we’ve lost since last year, since 2008, or since 1960. This hypersensitivity […]

In this week’s Catholic School Matters Radio Hour, I talk with 6 veteran Catholic school superintendents.  First up is Sandra Leatherwood of the Diocese of Charleston.  She explains the damage to Holy Trinity Catholic School in Myrtle Beach from Hurricane Florence.  Sandra shares her beginnings in Catholic education at Most Pure Heart of Mary School […]