CHICAGO (August 27, 2003)

Schools throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago, the nation’s largest non-public school system, open this week amidst a flurry of completed expansions and improvement projects
totaling more than $36 million, Nicholas M. Wolsonovich, Ph.D., superintendent of Archdiocese of Chicago schools, said today.

“We’re very proud of the strong performance by Archdiocese of Chicago elementary school students in national standardized tests,” said Wolsonovich as he greeted faculty and students of Immaculate Conception School, 1413 N. North Park Ave., Chicago, in the school’s new $2.5 million building addition, one of the latest projects completed. “We’re invigorated by the contributions five local universities are making to our teachers, both new and veteran, and we’re optimistic for the future of our schools because of expansions and improvements that are either underway or nearing completion.

Wolsonovich is in his third year leading the 283 elementary and secondary schools in the archdiocese. “School expansions demonstrate that our schools are not only keeping pace with the times by providing state-of-the-art facilities to enhance our academic programs, but they are also building and expanding for the future by accommodating a growing demand for Catholic education in many communities throughout Cook and Lake counties.”

In addition to highlighting the progress of school expansions and improvements, the superintendent also reported:

• Archdiocese of Chicago elementary school students performed consistently above the national norm on TerraNova II, the standardized achievement tests administered earlier this spring.
• New long-term data on the TerraNova II test results supports earlier analysis of student scores that revealed the longer pupils remain in the Archdiocesan system, the greater their achievement test results.
• Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic schools have teamed with five universities in and near Chicago in a series of training programs and professional development initiatives for new and experienced Catholic school teachers and administrators. The universities are: DePaul, Loyola and Saint Xavier in Chicago, as well as Dominican University in River Forest, Ill., and Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind.

Schools Expansions and Improvements in Cook and Lake Counties

Expansions at 30 elementary and secondary schools throughout the archdiocese total more than $36 million in completed projects and an additional $100 million in projects that are under way or in the planning process which are funded by parishioners, donors, foundations and other sources. These projects include construction of a $25 million academic and athletic facility at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago’s Woodlawn community that will double the size of the secondary school by adding 80,000 square feet. The school will break ground for the new building this academic year.

Loyola Academy, Wilmette, recently completed a $20 million 60-acre athletic facility. Three other high schools, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, 1852 W. 22nd Place, Chicago; St. Patrick, 5900 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago; and Carmel High School, Mundelein, are expanding their academic and athletic facilities at $10.5 million, $10 million and $5.7 million, respectively.

“We start this new academic year energized by the joy of new beginnings in schools around the Archdiocese of Chicago,” said Wolsonovich. “Many of our students will begin their classes this year in brand new science, technology and language labs, art studios, libraries, classrooms, religious education centers, gymnasiums, athletic facilities and playgrounds.”

TerraNova Standardized Achievement Test Results Reported

Students in Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic elementary schools scored well above national averages on standardized achievement tests administered earlier this spring. Students in third-, fifth- and seventh-grades in Archdiocese of Chicago schools who took the TerraNova II test scored as much as 28 percentile points higher than the national norm in reading, language and math. Scores in science and social studies were also above the national norm.

TerraNova II, published by CTB-McGraw Hill in Monterey, Calif., is a series of standardized achievement tests administered to public, private and parochial school students throughout the United States.

A new analysis of test results of a current group of students whose test scores have been followed over a four-year period support a previous finding that the longer a student stays in the archdiocesan system, the greater his or her achievement gains.

“Not only are we keeping pace with the national scores, but, in many cases, we are exceeding them,” said Wolsonovich. “Leaning continues on an upward trend in our schools, as these latest scores reflect ongoing improvement among our students, who clearly are comprehending and retaining what they are learning in our classrooms.”

University Partnerships Launched for Teacher Training and Professional Development

Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Catholic Schools has teamed with DePaul University, Loyola University Chicago and Valparaiso University in a new initiative to place individuals who are working toward their master’s degrees in education in teaching positions at Chicago-area Catholic schools that are in need of teachers. This year, a total of 25 resident teachers enrolled in teacher service programs through the three universities began instructing students in 17 Catholic schools in the archdiocese.

Participants earn their master’s degrees on a tuition-free basis while fulfilling a two-year commitment to teach in Archdiocese of Chicago schools. The initiative is geared toward helping ensure Catholic elementary and secondary schools, particularly those in economically disadvantaged areas of the archdiocese, remain staffed by qualified professional educators.

A series of professional development programs offered by DePaul University, Dominican University and Loyola University Chicago will provide continuing education for teachers and school administrators in Archdiocese of Chicago schools. These programs include a focus on the needs and issues specific to Catholic schools.
Beginning in the summer of 2004, the Bishop John R. Gorman Institute for Leadership in Catholic Education is scheduled to open at Saint Xavier University’s campus in Orland Park, Ill. The new institute will initially focus on professional development programs for Catholic school administrators and special workshops for high school governing bodies. Continuing education programs for Catholic school faculty will be added in the summer of 2005.

The institute is named in honor of Bishop John R. Gorman, a priest, pastor, educator and Saint Xavier trustee who has served the Catholic Church and Catholic education in Chicago for more than a half-century. Bishop Gorman recently retired as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

“We’re invigorated by the contributions that each of these five local universities is making to our teachers, both new and veteran,” Wolsonovich said. “These programs, which all include a focus on the needs and issues specific to teachers and administrators in Catholic schools, will help further advance the quality of Catholic education for families in Cook and Lake counties who choose our schools.”

Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools
The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago play a critical role in the life of the community by providing academic excellence and faith formation for approximately 117,000 students of many races, faiths and backgrounds in the 283 elementary and secondary schools in Cook and Lake counties. There are more than 6,400 teachers in the Catholic school system who instill values, teach discipline and achieve strong, consistent academic results in the Archdiocese of Chicago's 242 elementary and 41 secondary schools. Visit the Archdiocese of Chicago Web site at http://schools.archchicago.org