ARTICLES

Six Catholic schools to begin self-study

by Steve Neill
of The Catholic Virginian

The diocesan Office of Catholic Schools is making sure that schools of the diocese are meeting high academic standards in education as well as providing a Christian learning environment for their students.

All Catholic schools are on a five-year cycle in which they complete a self-study. In addition, the entire diocesan school system will go through its own self-study this coming school year.

“This is the diocese’s second self-study as a district,” said Francine Conway, superintendent of Catholic Schools.

“We were the first diocese in the country to be recognized as a district.”

“This means you have met the standards of SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) and AdvancED, the parent organization of several regional accrediting agencies in the U.S., and that we have the quality assurance in place to ensure that our schools meet the standards as well.”

Principals and members of the diocese’s Quality Assurance Board met March 30 at the Diocesan Pastoral Center to learn more about the changes in the self-study process.

Four schools in the diocese recently completed their self-study this year. They are Charlottesville Catholic School; St. John the Apostle, Virginia Beach; Holy Cross Regional School, Lynchburg, and Walsingham Academy, Williamsburg.

“We wanted to give them in-service training to address new standards and electronic reporting,” Mrs. Conway explained.

Upon completion of the schools’ self-study, a visiting team of Mrs. Rhodes, Mrs. Conway, and other members of the Quality Assurance Board spend two and a half days at each school.

“We visit the school to verify evidence that they are doing what they say they are doing to meet the standards,” Mrs. Conway said.

Six schools will be conducting their own self-study this coming year. They are Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Newport News; St. Pius X, Norfolk; St. Joseph’s, Petersburg; Portsmouth Catholic School; St. Gregory the Great, Virginia Beach, and All Saints Catholic School, Richmond.

back to top »