Catching up

My intent to blog regularly ran into a buzz saw that is the job...but I did just post a rather long item on Catholic schools in Los Angeles. This was originally in response to this article in the NY Times that in my mind was a big negative about the future of Catholic schools. You can read my post in full but in short my belief is that Catholic schools have a bright, optimistic future in Los Angeles. With a large and growing population, a dedicated and capable team in the Department of Catholic Schools, and an Archbishop who is clearly committed to seeing Catholic schools strong and viable, there is no limit to what can be accomplished.

Catholic Schools in Los Angeles

There has been much in the national press recently on the enrollment crisis that has affected Catholic schools in the United States in recent times. The announced closure of 25 more schools in the Archdiocese of New York last week added to the already large number of Catholic schools that have been closed in recent years. While we have not closed schools in significant numbers, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has had similar struggles. During the period from 2001-2010 we saw a 23% decline in enrollment in our K-8 Catholic schools.

But in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, we do not see a grim future ahead. Indeed, we see tremendous hope on the horizon that is driven by a realistic optimism in the purpose of Catholic schools. For the first time in over a decade we have had enrollment increases in our K-8 schools in 2011-12 and 2012-13. In addition, we have focused on a growth agenda that aims to further increase the Catholic school student population in the coming years. We are blessed to have Archbishop Jose Gomez leading us at this time and he is a tireless advocating for the promise and the purpose of Catholic schools.

A reason for optimism is the tremendous support we receive from multiple partners in our mission of faith education. The Catholic Education Foundation, which is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year, has provided over $120 million in scholarship assistance to families since it began. This, in addition to the archdiocesan Together in Mission appeal, has assisted countless schools and without a doubt kept many open over the past two decades. We are also blessed to have strong university partnerships with both Loyola Marymount University and Mount St. Mary College and both offer training programs to assist both our teachers and our principals.

However, the key reason we are optimistic about the future is the data. With just under 5 million Catholics the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is far and away the largest in the U.S. With approximately 1 million Catholic school age children (which is predicted to reach 1.6 million by 2040) there are plenty of students for our schools. But our currently Pre-K-12 enrollment is just over 80,000 – just 8% of the Catholic school age population. If we could increase that number to 10% - just 1 Catholic student out of 10 – we could double our current enrollment to 160,000 by 2040. This doesn’t take into account the large number of non-Catholic students that we have in our schools nor the fact that 10% is a rather low goal to shoot for. What it we got 15%? Or 20%?

But the big question that follows is how? The fact is a large percentage of the 5 million Catholics in Los Angeles are low-income, minorities who are often first or second generation immigrants to the US. The issues of access and affordability are essential if we are to tap into this population that is in desperate need of Catholic education. There are many aspects to this growth agenda but I will touch on two briefly.

The first is leadership. In order to create long term growth and sustainability schools need to have strong leaders who focus on establishing clear Catholic identity, rigorous Academics and active Stewardship. Leadership has to be present both in the principal who runs the school and in the pastor of the parish of our K-8 schools. Quality schools of value attract parents and students and, even in low income areas, a strong leader who creates and develops a quality program tends to lead to solid enrollment.

The second area is innovation. Catholic schools need to adapt and innovate to meet the needs of the 21^st century family and student. The ways that have worked in the past will not in the future so change is a requirement for growth. The original model for the Catholic parochial school is not sustainable in many locations and the advent of new technologies requires new approaches to how we govern and educate students in Catholic schools. This includes how we integrate technology into our classrooms as well as curriculum innovation, such as dual language immersion schools, to better meet the needs of the 21^st century student and family. The ability to innovate has contributed to some Catholic schools in Los Angeles staying open even when enrollment has declined significantly. We have been able to implement alternative structural models that have allowed schools to stay open and financially viable for the communities they serve.

With approximately 5 million Catholics, we firmly believe that we have the capacity to grow significantly in enrollment in the coming decades and why we see great signs of hope for Catholic education in Los Angeles. It will require solid, effective leadership at the school site level that focuses on faith, academic excellence and efficient administrative management. We also must continue to innovate in areas of governance, technology integration and instruction and assessment so we are best able to meet the needs of the 21^st century learner.

The crisis is real in Catholic schools but the response should be to approach the challenges with a bounding optimism that faces the challenges with hope and confidence that the best days of Catholic education lie ahead of us and not in the past.