We are excited for the approaching release of the final report of the Notre Dame Task Force on Catholic Education. In response to the Bishops’ invitation in their June 2005 Pastoral
Statement, Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary
Schools in the Third Millennium, Fr. John Jenkins, CSC, commissioned
the Notre Dame Task Force on Catholic Education to assess the current
landscape for Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United
States and develop a strategic plan for improving the viability and
effectiveness of these schools. Fr. Timothy Scully, CSC, chaired the
year-long effort, which had two main objectives: to craft a white paper
addressed to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and to include in
that white paper recommendations for how the University of Notre Dame
can and will assist in sustaining and strengthening Catholic elementary
and secondary schools nationwide.
During this initiative the Task Force employed the expertise of educational leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, consultants and experts in targeted fields. Throughout the process, the Task Force also sought the input of
hundreds of diocesan officials, school principals, and parents of
school-aged children. The Task Force convened for the last time as a
full group at Notre Dame on September 29, 2006, roughly one year after
the process began. The group discussed and endorsed the draft of the
final report and offered valuable feedback on implementation strategies.
Involved in the work of the Task Force are John Eriksen (ACE 4), John Schoenig (ACE 4) and Thomas Bambrick
(ACE 10). Eriksen served on the Existing Best Practices sub-committee,
while Schoenig worked with the Public Funding sub-committee. Bambrick
was given the responsibility of helping to write the white paper, which
will be presented to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. When the
final report is released, all ACE graduates will receive a copy.