It’s been a 12 months since Boston College released the outcomes of “Cultivating Talent: A Summary of Findings from the National Study Examining Pathways to Increase the Presence of Hispanic Teachers and Leaders in Catholic Schools.” My colleague Dr. Melodie Wyttenbach and I served because the principal investigators for the project.
Much has happened during this time. Greater than 100 Catholic leaders met last October at Boston College for a national summit on Hispanic Catholic educators. In December, the Journal of Catholic Education published a special issue based on the study (accessible without cost).
Blogs, podcasts, interviews, presentations, magazine articles and lots of conversations have engaged the outcomes of the study during this time. The conversation is just starting.
Greater than 100 Catholic leaders met last October at Boston College for a national summit on Hispanic Catholic educators.
Why must the conversation in regards to the need to extend the variety of Hispanic teachers and leaders in Catholic schools proceed? Why should we support these educators? Listed below are three major reasons, that are spelled out in additional detail within the “Cultivating Talent” report.
First, demographics. Yes, knowing who we’re today can assist us plan higher for tomorrow. About 45 percent of Catholics in the US are Hispanic. So is almost 60 percent of the school-age Catholic population. Catholic school populations have to keep working at mirroring the population in our Catholic parishes and neighborhoods. In lots of corners of the country, that population is Hispanic.
Increasing the Hispanic population in Catholics schools can’t be limited to student enrollment. We’d like more Hispanic teachers and leaders as well. They function role models for all students, particularly Hispanic students.
Any Hispanic student should give you the chance to say, “In the future I would like to be a teacher—or a frontrunner—like my Hispanic teacher.”
Any Hispanic student should give you the chance to say, “In the future I would like to be a teacher—or a frontrunner—like my Hispanic teacher.” Seeing oneself reflected in those we admire is very important. That features finding connections on matters corresponding to race, ethnicity, culture and language.
Second, Hispanic teachers and leaders naturally embody essential intercultural competencies needed to teach the subsequent generation of Catholics and residents to reach a various society. Most of those teachers are bilingual and bicultural. They enter the classroom as cultural brokers who connect well with children who’re Hispanic, in addition to children from other cultures and races and their families.
Living amidst diversity requires that our kids in Catholic schools learn skills and attitudes that help them to understand difference. Additionally they have to learn the way to live amid tensions and disagreements. Most Hispanic teachers and leaders learned these competencies growing up within the U.S. or adapting to this society as immigrants. Their wisdom enhances the Catholic educational experience in unimaginable ways.
For Hispanic teachers and leaders in Catholic schools, the education of the subsequent generation of Catholics, a largely Hispanic body, is a private responsibility shaped by their cultural identity.
Lastly, most Hispanic teachers and leaders in Catholic schools are practicing Catholics. They value the richness of the church’s sacramental and spiritual life, and are sincerely committed to strengthening the Catholic identity of our schools. They often draw from the vibrancy that identifies practices of popular Catholicism. Their presence is positive for our schools.
The “Cultivating Talent” report shows that Hispanic teachers and leaders have a special commitment to advocacy and the church’s social teaching. They’re aware of the struggles that enormous numbers of Hispanics face in our society, since lots of them face similar struggles, and wish to make sure everyone they engage lives with dignity.
For Hispanic teachers and leaders in Catholic schools, the education of the subsequent generation of Catholics, a largely Hispanic body, is a private responsibility shaped by their cultural identity. They’re leading the way in which. May the conversation about increasing the variety of Hispanic teachers and leaders in Catholic schools proceed with the identical vibrancy as within the last 12 months.