Alliance for Catholic Education
Emerging Leaders Fellowship
Catholic School Leadership Formation
Catholic schools in many European countries face a challenge of growing secularization, as cultural shifts have fueled disaffiliation from religious practice and emboldened social and political forces that are hostile towards religious institutions. At the same time, internal factors have contributed to atrophying faith-formation and mission-identity among Catholic schools and educators.
The Emerging Leaders Fellowship is an important, strategic response to strengthen and revitalize Catholic schools in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Through its first three cohorts, the Fellowship is already yielding transformational effects on the personal and professional identity of participants, and it is quickly becoming a vital talent pipeline for renewing Catholic schools from within the systems.
The integrated, cross-national experience brings together aspiring leaders from Catholic schools systems in Ireland, Scotland, England & Wales for professional development over the course of a year - including three weekend seminars that leverage the University of Notre Dame's Dublin Global Gateway, O'Connell House, and Kylemore Abbey. The program forms new and aspiring principals to become change agents with renewed hope and zeal for the mission of Catholic schools.
The Emerging Leaders program has grown in number and geography, from 12 Irish participants in its 1st cohort, to 18 participants from Ireland and Scotland in its 2nd cohort, and now welcomes 24 participants from Catholic schools systems in Ireland, Scotland, and England & Wales.
Fellowship Overview
The Emerging Leaders Fellowship seeks to provide the next generation of school leaders with the skills, strategies and networks to shape and lead transformational Catholic schools. The fellowship is organised around The University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education’s (ACE) three pillars of Professional Development, Community and Spiritual Growth.
In a partnership between ACE-Ireland, Catholic Primary School Management Association (CPSMA), and the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES), we will welcome a select cohort of 24 talented emerging leaders from Ireland, Scotland, and England & Wales for a series of innovative courses in the major domains of Catholic school leadership: Instructional Leadership, Executive Management, School Culture, and Integrated Leadership. The programme, consisting of 3 weekend seminars (Friday evenings to Sunday lunchtime), will run over the course of one year with an option to retreat at Kylemore Abbey in the summer months. Participants also meet monthly online in professional learning communities with an executive coach who are also experienced school leaders.
Who Should Apply?
Applications are invited from principals, deputy principals, and teachers holding an assistant principal position. Please email aceireland@nd.edu for application materials.
What Will Participants Take Away?
- Enhanced capacity to lead and advocate for Catholic schools at a local level.
- Access to a international network of peer school leaders.
- Cost-free professional development worth €3,000, includes accommodation, meals, and networking activities.
- Access to a pathway for further subsidised study.
Program Elements
We believe that where you find strong and effective leaders, you will find strong and effective Catholic schools.
Leaders develop a personal vision of what an intentional Catholic school culture is, and are equipped with the tools to implement this vision in their own school context. They learn how to articulate the root beliefs and values of their school and align the school culture to these, making them the lived reality for the school community.
Following Seminar 1 leaders will meet monthly in smaller Professional Learning Community (PLC) groups online with an executive coach. The topics for these monthly inputs will be drawn from the Seminar 1 content.
Leaders learn how to build a culture of learning that is rooted in their school’s core beliefs and values. They learn how to build a strong, intentional, vibrant Catholic culture that promotes the learning of all students, embeds core instructional practices and optimizes teacher collaboration and parental partnership.
Following Seminar 2 participants will continue to meet monthly in smaller Professional Learning Community (PLC) groups online with an executive coach. The topics for these monthly inputs will be drawn from Seminar 2.
Leaders learn to enhance their leadership and management skills to most effectively support the mission of a school while maintaining high academic and professional expectations. Leaders learn how manage change and establish an organizational culture that supports positive relationships with students, parents/guardians, teachers, staff, and other key stakeholders.
Following the completion of the three Seminars, leaders complete a Capstone Project to apply their learning in their own school context.
Focuses on integrating reflective practice, spiritual growth, and community formation through our three primary domains of school leadership: instructional leadership, executive management, and school culture. It is a core component of the Emerging Leaders Fellowship.
Testimonies
"The rejuvenation that the weekends have offered my faith and my ability to lead in my Catholic school cannot be overestimated. The ripple effect on my relationships with pupils, parents, staff and family and friends will be long lasting. These weekends, without exaggeration, have been amongst the highlights of my career in Catholic education." - Program Participant
"The rigour of the work demonstrates Notre Dame’s dedication to excellence and the balance of academic, spiritual, personal and vocational opportunities highlights how acutely aware they are of the heritage of our Church and the importance of formation of the entire person. At a time where teacher recruitment and retention are at a critical point in Scotland, and fewer people are willing to answer the call to lead, the work we have embarked upon with Notre Dame is increasingly important." - Barbara Coupar, Director, Scottish Catholic Education Service
