Innovation in Catholic Education

Posted: 08/31/2021 | Innovation

Kyle M. Pietrantonio – Executive Director, Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative; Partner, Partners in Mission

As teachers and students return to Catholic schools this month–with the hope and promise of a normal, post-pandemic school year–I share some recent examples emblematic of innovation in Catholic education.

First, when speaking about Catholic education in this article, I am largely referring to elementary and secondary levels–although I do share an example of bridging into Catholic higher education in an innovative way. Secondly, the word “innovation” has been popularized in recent years in our parlance. While many different definitions of “innovation” exist, I am choosing one from a 2009 meta-study on the topic:

Innovation is the multi-stage process whereby organizations transform ideas into new/improved products, services or processes, in order to advance, compete and differentiate themselves successfully in their marketplace.

There is no denying that there is a pendulum-swinging dimension to “innovation” and Catholic education. As the adage goes, “what’s old is new again”, and this is certainly applicable to several examples of innovation happening in Catholic education today. The re-emergence of the classical model of education is arguably the most emblematic example of this pendulum trend. Thirty years ago when the Sisters of Mercy taught me the 4 Rs (religion plus the other three), I received a very classical, liberal-arts, Great Books-oriented curriculum. We did not call it “classical” back then, but it most certainly was. From the study of Latin to sentence-diagramming, from poem recitation to oratorical contests, from classic literature to “old-school” math facts, I received an exceptionally strong academic foundation. For a couple of decades, though, this approach eroded and in came “new math”, censorship in libraries, “No Child Left Behind,” the Common Core. The list goes on, and unfortunately many a Catholic school–sometimes unwittingly, sometimes not–joined the “edu-fad” bandwagon. 

Today, one movement worth paying some attention to is that of the resurgence of the classical model in our Catholic schools. A wonderful organization, ICLE, is helping to promote this “curricular return to tradition”. Ironically, the decision to transition Catholic schools to the classical model is itself an innovation.

The pandemic prompted Catholic schools to innovate with mission-in-mind, and we should be very proud of our schools’ overwhelming commitment to make in-person, relational teaching and learning a priority and to happen in safe and effective ways. This innovation, of course, came on the heels of “forced innovation” in March 2020 when all schools needed to pivot to providing a virtual schooling experience. 

Frankly, I have mixed thoughts about virtual schooling as it exists today. There is no doubt it is innovative in every sense of the term, and those schools which had been early adopters with remote learning modalities pivoted effectively in the early days of the pandemic. However, we must always guard against innovation for the sake of innovation. In fact, for me, part of the Beauty of the Catholic Church is the Spirit-discerning, snail-pace at which it has “evolved” over the past 2000 years. I have joked that the two slowest-to-change institutions in the world are the Catholic Church and the education delivery system. What a marriage we have in our Catholic schools!

So, how do Catholic schools “advance, compete and differentiate” in order to succeed as an innovative model? Here, I highlight a handful of innovative approaches to Catholic education which are yielding results. 

Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative (DIA): While much of the innovation focus in schools–Catholic and other–have been academic in nature, the genesis of DIA sprang from a belief that we need to rethink the paradigm of Catholic schools as vibrant communities of faith. As church membership has now dipped below 50% for the first time in US history, how can our Catholic schools serve as “fulcra of faith” for all who come in contact with them: students, parents, teachers, board members, alumni/ae? DIA is an intentional, international collaborative that brings together entrepreneurial administrators to bolster the faith formation programming of our schools in new and exciting ways.

Bright Wings Homeschool Bridge Program: With a growing homeschool population in the neighboring parish, DIA-school member Holy Spirit Prep in Atlanta, Georgia built a bridge program to allow traditional homeschooling families to enroll in certain classes and experiences at the brick-and-mortar school.

Catholic Virtual: A strategic partner of DIA, Catholic Virtual is moving into a unique space by helping dioceses and schools give families a holistic online Catholic education. With a recent deal with Marquette University, Catholic high school students around the country can now take virtual higher ed courses with college professors for credit. A truly innovative “click-and-mortar” approach to delivering top-notch content!

Cristo Rey Network: I am a founding Board member of Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, which is part of an innovative national network of nearly 40 schools. I have seen first-hand the life-changing impact this corporate work-study model is having on generations of young people who would otherwise not access a private, Catholic prep school and all its benefits. 

“Family of Parishes” Catholic Schools Plan: As part of an intensive strategic plan, the Archdiocese of Detroit’s “Family of Parishes” multi-pronged concept will allow Catholic schools to uniquely differentiate themselves in certain curricular areas. Want to attend a Catholic school strongly focused on STEM education or one heavily invested in theater and the arts? This educational plan will give parents and teachers some compelling choices as they try this approach to strengthen offerings and programming.

Harmel Academy: Christ the carpenter called many-a-fisherman to be among his disciples. Harmel Academy is a new residential Catholic trade school located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This post-secondary model is a trailblazing reminder that there are unique vocations among us and one can be formed in certain trade skills and technical careers and in the Faith.

Relocatio: A small, but quickly growing preK-12th grade Catholic school in Greenville, South Carolina has capitalized on the pandemic-prompted, remote-working new normal. Families from around the country have relocated to this growing Catholic oasis and to this particular school for its “courageous, authentic, and thorough” approach to mission. Headmaster Tommy Curtin shares: “Today, the most sought after quality in a Catholic school is the faithfulness of classroom peers and fellow parents. Parents intuitively understand that these are the most persuasive teachers, the ones whose influence may well determine whether their children practice the Faith down the road. They are the elusive “value add” of Catholic education.”

St. Martin’s Academy: The current tagline of this all-boys, farm-oriented Catholic boarding school is, “Innovation Meets Tradition.”  The importance of strong spiritual fatherhood for families is well-documented. Fraternity in faith has inspired many priestly vocations.  This is an innovative school that is built on these premises.

In conclusion, one cannot think of the Catholic Church and our Catholic schools without thinking of Christ Himself as the Master Teacher and the Master Innovator. Christ’s Coming into the world–as a baby in a manger no less–remains the most disruptive moment in human history. His counter-cultural teachings were new and ultimately became the foundation of our shared Faith. When we innovate in our Catholic schools, we must not sacrifice mission for mode. The examples shared above are mission-aligned models which have the goal of evangelizing more souls and building God’s Kingdom here on earth. That must remain the focus as we continue the awe-inspiring innovative work in Catholic education.

Saint John Paul the Great, patron of DIA Schools, pray for us!


About the author:

Kyle M. Pietrantonio currently serves as the Executive Director of Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative and is a Partner with the School Leadership Search Solutions practice of the national Catholic educational consulting firm, Partners in Mission.  He is a proud graduate of the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program, an innovative model that has transformed how we train and staff early-career lay teachers in our Catholic schools for the past 25 years.  For 16 years, he served in a variety of capacities at a very entrepreneurial Catholic pre-K through 12th grade school in Atlanta, Georgia.  His own vocational journey has formed Kyle into a Catholic “edupreneur” of sorts.  He and his wife Meghan have three children, all of whom attend Catholic school. 

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