Accreditaiton Report Overview

THE DIOCESE OF JACKSONOFFICE OF EDUCATION HOSTED AN EXTRAL REVIEW TEAM OCTOBER 6-9, 2019

On October 6-9, 2019, the Diocese of JacksonOffice of Education hosted six leaders in Catholic Education from across the region to conduct an external review of our school system and our fulfillment of the criteria for high-quality schools as outlined by Cognia. Sandra Leatherwood, Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Charleston South Carolina, led the team. She was assisted by Diane Starokvich, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Lenora Patterson, Director of NonPublic School Services for Cognia, Lisa Lawrenz, Continuous Improvement Coordinator for the Diocese of Birmingham, and Vince Aquila, Principal of Holy Spirit Regional Catholic School in Huntsville, Alabama.

The team arrived on Sunday, October 6, and were welcomed with an opening presentation of the Diocese of Jackson- Office of Education’s Continuous Improvement Journey. Office of Education staff members, and accreditation steering committee member, Joni House, highlighted current projects and initiatives within the diocese and answered questions the team had from the evidence that was submitted and reviewed before their arrival. The team then spent the next two days interviewing stakeholders, including parents, teachers, students, administrators, and advisory council members from all of our schools, and they conducted sixty classroom observations across six of our schools during their visit.

What stood out to the team the most was the strong sense of purpose and Catholic identity within all of our schools. The report stated, “There was a high level of confirmation from all stakeholders that schools across the diocese carry out the purpose statement. A safe, nurturing, and caring learning environment is embedded and reflective of the culture of the schools’ Catholic identity.” The visiting team praised many of the initiatives and programs across the diocese and highlighted areas for improvement. Areas identified as priorities for development were providing programs and services for learners’ educational futures and career planning, implementing a standardized process to identify and address the specialized need of learners, and providing induction, mentoring, and coaching programs that ensure all staff members have the knowledge and skills to improve student performance and organizational effectiveness..

Following the visit, a Diocesan Improvement Committee was formed to begin addressing the findings from the report. The committee consists of the original accreditation steering committee members, Cathy Cook, Karla Luke, Stephanie Brown, Joni House, and Jules Michele, as well as Karla McHan, principal of Vicksburg Catholic School, Sarah Brock, a teacher at St. Joseph in Madison, and Gail Griggs, a teacher at St. Francis of Assisi in Greenwood. While COVID-19 has put some of our plans on hold, we look forward to continuing the great work that this committee has already started.