Spring 2011 Newsletter Appeal

FROM THE DESK OF JOHN FOLEY, S.J.

April 11, 2011

Dear Prefix LastName: It recently occurred to me that we should really call the Cristo Rey Network the Easter Network. Talk about giving new life…! The 24 schools up and running are soon to become 25. This August we are opening a new school in Cincinnati, sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. The list continues to grow; there are eight feasibility studies presently under way. We have 6,500 students studying at our schools and earning more than $30 million toward their own education — all just this school year! We foresee a Network of 50 schools serving more than 25,000 students within the next ten years. The impossible is happening.

Also, we are very much committed to tracking our alumni; a “must” if we are to measure our success. Our students generally come to us academically two years behind, meaning the vast majority of our ninth-graders are at a seventh grade level.

We have four years to get them ready for college. Of the alumni from our schools who graduated in the class of 2008, more than 85% enrolled in college. The 2008 national average for college enrollment of low-income youth at is 56%; therefore, it is fair to say our students are enrolling in college at 30% above the national average. We are discovering that our students are learning more than reading and writing at our schools; they are also learning how to persevere in spite of difficulties, how to integrate the academic with the world of work, and how to motivate both themselves and their Cristo Rey friends until they graduate. Even then, many are not satisfied. It is amazing how many go on for a graduate degree. So the impossible is happening. There is no way not to see it. Thanks to our schools, and to your support for them, young women and men are resolving the problem of education in our country today. If you can contribute to our Network at this Easter time, please do so. We have enclosed an envelope for your convenience. Happy Easter to you and all yours! May you also be filled with new life, optimism and faith. The more impossible, the better. May Christ reign in your life every day!

In the risen Cristo Rey,

John P. Foley, SJ Chairman

As a thank you for your continued support, we invite you to participate in a special phone call on Tuesday, May 3rd at 10 a.m. CST with myself and Cristo Rey Network President Rob Birdsell to hear further updates about our work and why friends like yourself are investing in urban education. Please RSVP to bschulze@cristoreynetwork.org to receive specific call-in instructions.

President’s Briefing Cristo Rey Network schools are very busy this time of year.

Many are planning their annual Spring galas, while others are eagerly preparing for their first graduating class (seven to be exact!). It is by no surprise that some schools are seemlessly executing both - and more.

Cristo Rey Network President and CEO Rob Birdsell with students from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore, Maryland.

Here at the Cristo Rey Network office our speed picks up as well. More than just providing moral support to the schools, our staff is actively preparing to host a number of professional development convenings for our school leaders over the next four months. The 2011 Annual Meeting will bring together more than 200 school leaders in Kansas City, Mo. to network and share best practices. We are pleased to welcome leading education expert Dr. Chester E. Finn, Jr. as the keynote speaker. Dr. Finn has been in the forefront of the national debate on education reform. With one of his primary focuses being the reform of secondary education, he will bring an unparalleled expertise to the Annual Meeting.

Following our return from Missouri, we will be convening 60 advancement professionals from both our schools as well as the Nativity Miguel Network of schools. This first year Advancement Conference collaboration in May will address critical fundraising topics and new learnings that will enable us both to further our common goals.

Our 3rd Annual Cristo Rey Network Leadership Academy in June, established in conjunction with Northwestern University’s Center for Non-Profit Management at the Kellogg School of Management, will provide our school leaders a a custom-designed professional training in business management so that their institutions may become lasting and sustainable schools, a springboard for our students’ success in college and in life.

July includes back-to-back weeks of intensive hands-on workshops for our school teachers and principals during the 2011 Educational Enrichment Initiative.

To wrap up our summer once again, the 2011 Summit on Postsecondary Success will gather Cristo Rey school counselors and University Partners to share promising practices and programs focused on college success for our graduates. Read more about this exciting intiative on the following page.

Myth: The Cristo Rey Network schools only serve students who are Catholic.

Fact: Like all Catholic schools, members of the Cristo Rey Network serve young people of various faiths and cultures. Students who attend Network schools must be open to religious education and to assimilating the values of Catholic education into their daily lives. In some Cristo Rey schools, 50% or more of the students are non-Catholic.

Corporate Partner Spotlight The New York Life Foundation has awarded the Cristo Rey Network a two-year, $200,000 grant to support the our Educational Enrichment Initiative.

“We are pleased to help the Cristo Rey Network enhance their educational offerings to make the high school/college prep experience even more successful for disadvantaged youth. As an employer of Cristo Rey students, we are proud to support an innovative model that merges education and business and prepares inner-city, low-income youth to achieve success in high school, college and beyond.”

- Chris Park, president, New York Life Foundation

Postsecondary Success University Partners Expand to 24 Higher-Ed Institutions: The Cristo Rey Network announced its 2010 – 2011 University Partners today as part of its ongoing commitment to ensure all Cristo Rey Network graduates have access to the academic, social, and financial supports they need to complete a college degree. Only one in ten low-income students beginning high school complete a postsecondary degree by age 24. Students completing a college degree earn, on average, about $1 million more over the course of their lifetime. With the launch of its University Partner Initiative less than two years ago, the Cristo Rey Network began formalizing strategic relationships with colleges and universities committed to supporting the Cristo Rey Network graduates and its member schools.

Early highlights of the initiative include:

• Nearly 200 Cristo Rey Network graduates have enrolled in partner institutions over the last two years.

• There is a 97% persistence rate for Cristo Rey Network graduates enrolled in partner institutions for the last two years.

• More than $5 million in scholarships and institutional aid have been awarded by partners to Cristo Rey Network graduates for the 2010-2011 academic year.

• Fairfield University and Georgetown University are supporting more than 100 Cristo Rey Network rising seniors through their unique Pre-College Summer Enrichment Programs.

National University Partners College of the Holy Cross College of Saint Benedict Creighton University DePaul University Georgetown University Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Chicago Marquette University Pine Manor College Saint John’s University Saint Mary’s College St. Thomas University Villanova University Xavier University Supporting University Partners Bentley University Dominican University Fairfield University Fordham University Rockhurst University Saint Peter’s College Santa Clara University University of Saint Mary University of San Francisco Wesleyan University

Cristo Rey rising seniors at Georgetown University’s Pre-College Summer Enrichment Program in Waskington, D.C.

Academic Update 2011 Educational Enrichment Initiative Summer Institute June 27 - July 1: Curriculum and Assessment Design July 6 - 9: Literacy in the High School Classroom July 12 - 14: Understanding by Design Unit Planning July 12 - 15: Classroom Implementation July 19 - 22: High-Impact Instructional Strategies

Closing the achievement gap and supporting each student in the development of knowledge and skills for college success remains the primary focus of the Educational Enrichment Initiative. Principals and teachers at Cristo Rey Network schools focus on this end goal each day. The Educational Enrichment Initiative aims to provide a set of supports for principals and teachers to achieve our college-ready goal: All students will graduate from high school and college.

The Educational Enrichment Initiative offers an ambitious plan to put into place in every classroom rigorous college-ready academic standards, delivered by teachers using engaging, effective instructional practices. Over the last two years, principals and teachers have collaborated to develop a shared college-ready core curriculum, including four years of math and science for every student; 19 schools will incorporate this curriculum in 2011-2012. Over the last year, 13 schools have focused on imbedding evidence-based instructional strategies with a high probability of increasing student achievement. This focus on high quality instruction will expand this summer, as we begin an emphasis on reading and writing across the curriculum. As well, a new set of supports for principal leadership will be incorporated in the coming months.

The Cristo Rey Network is comprised of 24 high schools that provide a quality, Catholic, college preparatory education to 6,500 urban young people who live in communities with limited educational options. Most of our students qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program. Member schools utilize a longer school day and year, academic assistance, and counseling to prepare students with a broad range of academic abilities for college. All students at Cristo Rey Network schools participate in a work-study program through which they finance the majority of the cost of their education, gain real world job experience, grow in self-confidence, and realize the relevance of their education.

Cristo Rey Network | 14 East Jackson Blvd. Ste 1200 | Chicago, Illinois 60604 | P: 312-784-7200 | www.cristoreynetwork.org