St. Clare Celebrated as Archdiocesan Innovation!

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ST. CLARE INITIATIVE: A pioneering response to the challenges of a diverse classroom BY CHRISTINA GRAY Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org

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he Department of Catholic Schools is in year two of a professional advancement program for Catholic educators designed to help teachers gain the skills they need to help students from a spectrum of backgrounds thrive academically. Named after a 13th-century saint revered for her bold and faith-filled response to fierce challenges, the St. Clare Initiative for Leading and Learning was launched in 2019 to help teachers and administrators provide an exceptional Catholic education to students regardless of their starting point. “What we want to make sure we are doing is meeting every child where they are and moving them forward,” said Tara Rolle, Ph.D. associate superintendent of schools and executive director of the St. Clare Initiative. A diverse set of specialty skills is required, she said, to make Catholic education both “excellent and inclusive.” Catholic schools have a responsibility to ensure that every child is appropriately challenged and supported in the classroom. To truly do that, teachers must be formed with the latest, research-driven instructional practices, Rolle said. “We want to be open, to be inviting, to anyone who wants a Catholic education and then we need to be skilled to ensure that everyone invited, thrives,” Rolle said.

The St. Clare Initiative gives schools and individual teachers the opportunity to apply to one or more of four specialized learning pathways for professional development over a three-year period. The intended outcome is “challenged, supported and engaged children who will blossom and grow,” Rolle said. RESPONSE TO A GROWING NEED The St. Clare Initiative aims to deliver highquality Catholic education at all archdiocesan schools regardless of individual school demographics, teacher turnover and shifts in leadership. Superintendent of Catholic Schools Pamela Lyons said a 2017-18 Department of Catholic Schools needs analysis revealed that some teachers and administrators felt that acquiring specialized skills would help them better meet the needs of an increasingly diverse set of learners in their classrooms. “We had schools that wanted to work on their JANUARY 2022 | CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO


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