As part of the Keeping the Faith Strategic Plan for Elementary Education, the Diocese of Cleveland Office of Catholic Education hosted its inaugural Innovation Summit, March 27, at the Center for Pastoral Leadership.
This first of its kind event in the diocese brought together 100-plus elementary school leaders to learn about best practices in Catholic education from one another and outside experts.
The keynote address was delivered by Kevin Baxter, director of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program and professor in the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives. Before joining Notre Dame, he was the chief innovation officer for the National Catholic Education Association and prior to that, he was superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Baxter began by discussing the question “What is innovation?” before moving to consider the important role leaders play as catalysts for innovation in their schools.
(See photo gallery above.)
“Innovation is a culture of continuous improvement at your school. We think of innovation and we think technology; we think smart boards; we think iPads. Sometimes those things can be innovative, but they aren’t innovative in and of themselves. The idea of continuous improvement is that no matter what you have achieved, you'll always merely be good relative to what you can become,” Baxter said.
“The leader's job each day is to ask the question how do we get better? How do we improve upon this past performance? Comfort is the enemy of innovation. No matter where we are, no matter what our success is, or our past success was, our obligation as leaders is to make sure we get better.”
Two panels of diocesan innovators followed Baxer’s keynote address. First there was a panel of school and system innovators, followed by pastor and principal innovators. Each panel offered proven insights and shared real-world experiences of innovation in action from throughout the Cleveland Diocese, including Catholic school management, governance and partnerships.
The Summit concluded with two 45-minute breakout sessions that offered participants the opportunity to learn more about specific innovations of greatest interest to them and their school communities. Two of the most popular breakouts focused on “Strengthening Your Middle School” and “Early Learning Centers/Expanding Your Preschool.”
Attendees said perhaps the most important takeaway from the summit came in the form of a challenge, inviting all present to consider how exactly they could be agents of innovation and great Catholic school leaders. The answer was simple: build and cultivate relationships.
“It's all about how we connect with people and how we attend to each person’s needs. Act as a mentor or coach. Listen to concerns. To quote Anne Garrido's book, ‘Redeeming Administration,’ our ministry is in the interruption,” Baxter said.
Click here to view the Innovation Summit program and learn more about each presenter. Watch a recording of the keynote address here.
Follow the Office of Catholic Education’s Innovation Series to view a collection of articles, recordings and videos highlighting Catholic school innovation in the diocese and throughout the country.