Keynote:
Up to Date:
Designing High
Schools for the
Age of Instant
Sr. Carol Cimino, SSJ, Ed.D.
National Consultant, William
H. Sadlier, Inc.; New York, NY
& Professor, Manhattan
College; Riverdale, NY
Sponsored by William H. Sadlier, Inc.
De La Salle Secondary Schools:
Being Faithful to Tradition in the Age
of Instants
What We Will Cover:
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The vision of De La Salle
Whom are we teaching today?
A look at high school education today
What are the signs of the times saying?
How do we maintain tradition while steering
change?
• Re-examining the De La Salle high school
The Mission:
• Provide a human and Christian education to
the young, especially the poor, according to
the ministry entrusted to them by the church.
• Touch hearts; teach minds
• Prepare students as mature members of
society and the church.
The Vision of the Founder
• A spirituality that:
– Has the school as its setting
– The teacher and student as its focus
– The salvific potential of education as its inspiration
A Whole New Group of Young People:
Why now?
• This generation is a “break” from other
generations:
– How do we define generations?
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Culture
History
Values
Life outlook
Ethics
Creed
Lit/Sac
Moral
Prayer
CCS
N-C
CS
CPP
Total
82%
76%
71%
76%
73%
65%
60%
70%
64%
65%
60%
58%
68%
70%
64%
61%
71%
74%
56%
56%
67%
68%
70%
69%
72%
79%
70%
73%
ACRE
II
Creed 73%
Lit/Sac 72%
Moral 79%
Prayer 82%
Church Attendance and Generations of Catholics
Pre-Vatican II (born pre-1941) 60%
Vatican II (born 1941-1960) 35%
Post-Vatican II (Gen X: born 1960-1980) 26%
Post-Post-Vatican II (GenY: born after 1980) 15%
Do Catholic Schools Make a Difference?
Pre-Vatican II Generation
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
Series1
30%
20%
10%
0%
Elem& High
Only elem
None
Do Catholic Schools Make a Difference?
Vatican II/Baby Boomers
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
Series1
Series2
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Elem& High
Only elem
None
Do Catholic Schools Make a Difference?
Post Vatican II/Gen X
35%
30%
25%
20%
Series1
15%
10%
5%
0%
Elem & High
Elem only
None
Do Catholic Schools Make a Difference?
Post Vatican II/Millennials
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
Series1
Series2
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Elem & High
Elem only
None
New Standards for Students
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Creativity and Innovation
Communication and collaboration
Research and information fluency
Critical thinking, problem-solving, decisionmaking
• Digital citizenship
• Technology operations and concepts
International Society for Technology in Education 2010
Creativity and Innovation
• Apply existing knowledge to generate new
ideas, products, processes
• Create original works as a means
of personal or group expression
• Use models and simulations to
explore complex systems and issues
• Identify trends and forecast possibilities
Communication & Collaboration
• Interact, collaborate with peers
• Communicate to multiple audiences using
multiple media
• Develop global awareness
• Use originality to solve problems
Research & Information Fluency
• Plan strategies to guide inquiry
• Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and
ethically use information from a variety of sources
• Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools
based on appropriateness to specific tasks
• Process data and report results
Critical thinking, problem-solving,
decision-making
• Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for
investigation
• Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a
project
• Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed
decisions
• Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore
alternative solutions
Digital citizenship
• Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible
use of information and technology
• Exhibit and positive attitude toward using technology
that supports collaboration, learning and
productivity
• Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong
learning
• Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship
Technology Operations and
Concepts
• Understand and use technology systems
• Select and use applications effectively and
productively
• Trouble shoot systems and applications
• Transfer current knowledge to learning of
new technologies
What other skills?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Knowledge of the world
Knowledge of the economy, politics, cultures
Ability to speak a foreign language
Ability to work with other people
Media literacy
Entrepreneurship
So, how to build a 21st century
student?
• Students should be able to think across disciplines
• Students should know how to think critically about
information
• Students should be able to apply facts to opinion
• Students should understand how the rest of the
world thinks
• Students should have “portable skills”
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Critical thinking
Making connections between ideas
Knowing how to learn
Depth over width
What else?
• For graduates of Catholic schools:
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A set of ethics consistent with Gospel values
A moral lifestyle
The ability to make good choices
The ability to take personal responsibility
A sense of stewardship
A responsibility to other people
A desire for community
Back to the vision of De La Salle:
• The school is the setting (infrastructure)
• The teacher and the student are its focus
(infrastructure)
• The salvific potential of education is its
inspiration (ectostructure)
What should be the setting of the
school?
• One that has:
– Hospitality
– Safety
– Culture that is:
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Frugal
Simple
Gentle
Small
How about the focus?
• Teachers who understand concepts of mission
and ministry
• Students who “opt in” for the mission, the
values, the culture
• Students who are known and cared for as
individuals
What about inspiration?
• Education as having a salvific potential (whatever
that means)
• Understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit
• Curriculum that is:
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Developmental
Integrated
Religious
Global
How to Start:
• Pray for discernment
• Discuss the need for taking the school to the
next level
• Clarify “points of pride”
• Agree on “portrait of the graduate”
Look at Infrastructure:
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Use of space
Corporate structure: lines of accountability
Curriculum: integration of values
Delivery of religious services
Staff who are committed
Parents/students
Culture: honorees, target of funds,
acceptance of differences
• Schedule, calendar
Look at Ectostructure
• Relationships of the school:
– Christian Brothers
– Alumni
– Benefactors
– Board
– Parishes, Diocese, Church
Some other Considerations:
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Don’t decree it
Look back; don’t stare
Don’t get stuck on a few individuals
Make sure the board takes the lead in the process
Have a strategic plan in place
Check for mission, core values, non-negotiables
Keep lines of communication open
Finally….
“God who guides all things
With wisdom and serenity
And whose way it is not to
Force the inclinations of persons,
Willed to commit me to the development of the
Schools. He did this in an imperceptible manner and
Over a long period of time, so that one commitment
Led to another in a way that I did not foresee in
The beginning.”
Memoir of De La Salle
Think:
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What happens to “we’ve always done it this way”?
What aspects do we need to examine?
What do we need to keep?
What do we need to jettison?
How will we answer these questions in light of
fidelity to mission?
Back to the mandates:
1. Education for formation in Faith
• Integration of the school’s core values and the
teachings of the Catholic Church
• Knowledge of the tenets of the Catholic
church
• Understanding of personal responsibility
• Example of faculty/staff of adult Christianity
2. Provide an integral, quality
education
• Connect the dots
• Maintain non-negotiables
• Provide education for this generation of
students, not the last
• Give direction on the need for
lifelong learning
• Make sure it’s applicable
3. Educate in a family spirit
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This is a generation in search of community
Look at a Newman model of Church
Know as we are known
Involve family; understand the wants and
needs of parents
• Make all welcome
4. Education for Service, Justice, Peace, and the
Integrity of Creation
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Communication of the purpose of education
What is just vs. What is fair
We are born to serve
Understanding of stewardship
5. Education for adaptation and
change
• Understanding the power and inevitability of
change
• Look back, but don’t stare
• Take bold steps
• Honor vision, but respect plans
Consider:
• Do we acknowledge:
– Social constructs
– Communication platforms
– The need to connect learning?
• Employers and colleges do not look for
proficiency in a traditional curriculum (e.g.
The Apprentice)
Consider:
• How should we study post-graduation success?
• How will we inform their opinions?
• How much do our students know about the
economy, globalism, the impact of emerging
economies, tribalism, etc.?
• How has the content of our curriculum changed?
• How will we engage our students in the Church? In
social justice?
Consider Further….
• What kinds of leadership will we need?
• Do our students understand:
– The global economy?
– Personal finances?
– Politics?
– The way the government works?
– Social issues
Consider even further…
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What is the first thing we need to do?
What is the second thing we need to do?
What is the third thing we need to do?
How will we do these things?
How will we bring others along?
Use the Gifts of the Magi:
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We don’t know who, how many
Read the signs of the times
Actually began the journey
Assumed Jesus wanted to be found
Showed up
Went back a different way.