A series of professional development programs offered by Saint Xavier University, DePaul University, Dominican University and Loyola University Chicago will provide continuing education for teachers and school administrators in Archdiocese of Chicago schools. These programs, which include a focus on the needs and issues specific to Catholic schools, will help to further enhance the quality of education for families in Cook and Lake Counties who choose Catholic schools, according to Nicholas M. Wolsonovich, Ph.D., superintendent of Archdiocese of Chicago schools.

Here are some specific details of each program:

Bishop John R. Gorman Institute for Leadership in Catholic Education (Saint Xavier University)

• Scheduled to open in the summer of 2004, the Bishop John R. Gorman Institute for Leadership in Catholic Education will provide professional development opportunities for educational leaders who serve Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the greater Chicago area. Programs will be offered at Saint Xavier University’s Orland Park Campus, 18230 Orland Parkway, Orland Park, Ill.
• During its first year of operation, the institute will focus on professional development programs for Catholic school administrators and special workshops for high school governing bodies. In addition, students enrolled in Saint Xavier’s graduate program in Educational Administration and Supervision (Type 75) will have the option of selecting a track consisting of two courses that focus on issues specific to private and Catholic school administrators. The university plans to offer these two courses on a tuition-free basis to students who are selected as Fellows in the institute.
• Continuing education programs for Catholic school faculty will be added in the summer of 2005. The institute will also provide guidance on the state re-certification process.
• The institute has been named in honor of Bishop John R. Gorman, a priest, pastor, educator and Saint Xavier trustee who has served the Catholic Church and Catholic education in Chicago for more than a half-century. Bishop Gorman recently retired as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

DePaul University School of Education Professional Development Schools

• A new initiative involving professional development partnerships between DePaul University’s School of Education and Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago is in the planning phase. University officials expect the program will launch in September.
• St. Josaphat elementary school, 2245 N. Southport Ave. on Chicago’s north side, has agreed to become a professional development school (PDS) once the program is launched, and it is anticipated that more Chicago Catholic schools will follow
• The primary goal of PDS partnerships is to create learning environments that support the professional development of faculty and the preparation of new teacher candidates to serve the learning needs of diverse student populations.
• PDS partners share responsibility for both professional and student development.

Dominican University Administrative Leadership Program

• Dominican University’s Administrative Leadership Program, launched in 1989, is designed to prepare individuals to become administrators of Catholic and other nonpublic elementary and secondary schools as well as all public schools. The program is offered at Dominican’s campus in River Forest, Ill. Recently, Dominican began offering the program at University Center of Lake County in Lincolnshire, Ill., to serve educators in Lake and Northern Cook counties.
• The initiative is the only program in the State of Illinois approved to prepare principals in non-public schools.
• Recognizing that the mission and purpose of Catholic schools differ from those of public schools, the program integrates administration, leadership, management, curriculum, a program of instruction and supervision with a focus on spirituality and the faith community, and the personal faith development of both teachers and students. It also addresses concepts and issues in school law, finance and development as they apply to the non-public as well as the public school.
• Approximately half of the 80 participants currently enrolled in the program at Dominican are from Archdiocese of Chicago schools. These educators represent a mix of new principals and current teachers. Graduates of the program can earn a master of arts degree in educational administration and postgraduate entitlement to Illinois state certification (Type 75) in approximately 30 months.

Dominican University School of Education Center for Professional Development

• The Dominican University School of Education Center for Professional Development is exploring a new training program for mentoring that may be available to teachers in the Archdiocese of Chicago soon.
• The initiative would provide a formal, systemic approach to make school-based mentoring available both for new teachers who are in the classroom for the first time as well as for experienced educators who have been teaching in a specific discipline or grade level for several years and then move to another discipline or grade level.
• The mentoring program, which is still in the planning stages but could be available to teachers in Chicago-area Catholic schools within the next 12 months, would focus on the traditional practicalities of classroom instruction as well as issues related to teaching in a faith-based environment.
• The archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools has been involved with the university in the planning of the initiative and in identifying specific needs of new and experienced teachers in Catholic schools.

Loyola University Chicago Center for Catholic School Effectiveness(CCSE)

• A number of schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago are in the process of exploring participation in the new national Center for Catholic School Effectiveness (CCSE). Recently launched by Loyola University Chicago’s School of Education, CCSE is dedicated to supporting faith-based teaching in grades K-12.
• The center’s founding director, Lorraine A. Ozar, Ph.D., a nationally recognized expert in curriculum development and assessment for Catholic schools, said the concept for the center has been under development for about two years. According to Ozar, while there are professional development programs that address the needs of school administrators, CCSE is believed to be the first program of its kind to work specifically with Catholic teaching professionals.
• CCSE will focus on several areas, including: professional teacher development through on-site in-service programs; field-based research to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of a school’s teaching and learning strategies; and instruction and curriculum planning materials specifically designed for Catholic schools.
• The center, which has partnered with the National Catholic Educational Association and the Jesuit Secondary Education Association, also plans to assist diocesan schools across the United States with curriculum consulting and the development, implementation and evaluation of best practices in Catholic schools.