Catholic Education

James (2020) suggested a prophetic response maximizing the “adaptive leadership” framework in Catholic Education leadership. Catholic educators are called to be prophets, not messiahs or saviors. A prophet is “an effective or leading spokesperson of a cause” or “one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight.” The Lord Jesus Christ lived, died, and resurrected 2000 years ago. Repeating his role is unnecessary. In fact, projecting ourselves to be a savior or expecting other leaders for a messianic performance is a form of idolatry. Parker Palmer (1998) called it “functional atheism – the belief that ultimate responsibility for everything rests with me,” – a dark side of leadership. Prophetic action means having a legitimate degree of well-being-“One must be attentive to one’s own present spiritual, mental, and emotional health in order to be in a position to help others.” It also being adaptive to challenges and adversities around us.

There are five important behaviors in adaptive leadership: (a) get on the balcony by looking above at different angles to see a better perspective; (b) think politically by addressing power issues in organization and recognize the opposite views; (c) orchestrate the conflict by addressing difficult questions, bringing issues to the surface, and controlling the temperature by raising it “(drawing attention to tough questions, bringing conflicts to the surface, etc.) and lowering it (speaking to people’s anger, fear, and disorientation; slow down the process; reconnect people to their shared values, etc.); (d) give the work back by casting the vision and encouraging teamwork; and (e) hold steady by “maintaining your poise so that you can plan the next step”, “focusing attention on the issue, but also allowing other issues to ripen.” Issues of safety, instructional delivery, and COVID-19 flare-ups also need to address with calmness. Adaptive leadership focused “…primarily on how leaders help others do the work they need to do, in order to adapt to the challenges, they face” (Northouse, 2016, p. 258; James, 2020)

In the United States, the coronavirus outbreak that led to a temporary closure of catholic schools and economic recessions jeopardized student’s ability to learn, and the affordability of the school tuition fees. Catholic schools that do not receive much support from the government (even if funded through CARES relief fund) need to address maintenance of the enrollment rate and financial sustainability. School closure led to the loss of learning, increased dropout rates, loss of free or subsidized lunches for underprivileged groups, and mental health issues (not too severe compared to developing countries).

Teaching Methods

To address loss in learning, distance learning offers opportunities but not all school networks are ready. There are risks also for underprivileged students to be left behind. Remedial education can be applied. In transitioning to distance learning there are wide resources: Wide Open School, UNESCO, ISTE and EdSurge, Learning Keeps Going, New York Times, Distance Learning Resource Center from Education Reimagined, Top Remote Learning Solutions,Koulu, and Emerson Collective. For Catholic materials, it is available through the National Catholic Education Association, Arrupe Virtual Learning Institute, iDEAL (Innovation in Digital Education and Leadership) Institute at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Education and Catholic schools etcetera. The Internet had been used much compared to other media in developed countries while mobile phones and radio for developing countries especially in Africa.

In Africa, similar concern with the United States but more severe. School closure led to the loss of learning, increased drop- out rates, loss of free or subsidized lunches for underprivileged groups, and mental health issues. They also have limited infrastructure for distance learning. The economic recession will increase the higher level of “poverty and food insecurity.” To scale up distance learning, resources have been provided Commonwealth of Learning, the EdTech Hub, the Global Partnership for Education, the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies, Mobiles for Education Alliance, UNESCO, and the Education Global Practice at the World Bank. Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies, and Global Education Cluster. 54.5% of Catholic schools in Africa implemented internet-based distance learning compared to 89.8% in other developing or emerging countries. Due to internet access limitations in Africa, 45.5% used radio, 18.2% used TV, and 45.5% used mobile phones (Wodon, 2020).

To address the needs of the Catholic schools, there is a need to research further on adaptive leadership model, distance learning approaches, changes to professional roles, fundraising strategies, and government assistance on non-profit institutions (Baker et al 2020).

References

1. James, J. T. (2020). Catholic School Educators as Adaptive Leaders: A Structure for Prophetic Action in Response to COVID-19. Journal of Catholic Education, 23(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.2302042020

2. Wodon, Q. (2020). COVID-19 Crisis, Impacts on Catholic Schools, and Potential Responses | Part 1: Developed Countries with Focus on the United States. Journal of Catholic Education, 23(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.2301022020

3. Wodon, Q. (2020). COVID-19 Crisis, Impacts on Catholic Schools, and Potential Responses | Part II: Developing Countries with Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Catholic Education, 23(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.2301032020
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4. Adaptive Leadership as a Reflective Practice – NCFP. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://www.ncfp.org/2017/10/10/adaptive-leadership-as-a-reflective-practice/

5.Online Education: The new normal – My Learning Guru. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://mylearningguru.com/online-education-the-new-normal/

6.5 principles to guide adaptive leadership | BusinessMirror. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/09/21/5-principles-to-guide-adaptive-leadership/

7. Baker, J. O., Martí, G., Braunstein, R., Whitehead, A. L., & Yukich, G. (2020). Religion in the Age of Social Distancing: How COVID-19 Presents New Directions for Research. Sociology of Religion, 81(4), 357–370. https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sraa039