Resurrection scholarship students excelling in life

  
     An increase in the number of students on state scholarships was seen this year in local Catholic schools after the state expanded the Louisiana Student Scholarship for Educational Excellence Program to include all parishes.
    Today, 31 schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans are educating approximately 3,200 students on scholarship, many who had been in failing schools previously.
    Dr. RaeNell Houston, associate superintendent of elementary school curriculum, professional development and TerraNova testing the Office of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, said while students may enter Catholic schools behind, she has seen academic progress as they continue their education in a Catholic school.
    “Students have come from failing schools, so some start below grade level,” she said.
    Local Catholic schools have made great strides with students through resources made available from Title I and Title II funds, Houston said. Title I money is used for after-school tutoring and in-school interventions, and Title II funds go to professional development.    
    “With Title I and Title II funds, we’re able to provide counselors and social workers to work with families to help the students become successful,” Houston said.
Successes in the East
    One school that has seen measurable success with students in the state scholarship program is Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic Elementary in New Orleans East. Seventy-one percent of its student body is on scholarship.
    Principal Vickie Helmstetter, in her second year as principal at Resurrection, is gratified with turnaround of students.
    “Coming here and seeing kids on scholarship lacking basic skills, we are able to provide so much for them academically and spiritually,” she said.
    Academic progress was measured by the state’s COHORT Index Score. As compared with other schools with students on scholarship in Orleans Parish, Resurrection rated fourth with a 71 score, up measurably from the year before. That’s higher than all public school students in Orleans Parish, and only slightly lower than the state average, assistant principal Rhonda Meyer said.
    Since Catholic education is more than academics, Resurrection has established yearly themes to strengthen character and morals. Teachers reinforce respect and love in all classrooms, not just religion.
     “Last year, we focused the entire year on character development and what it means to be a good Christian (fess up to your behavior),” Helmstetter said. “This year, we’re focusing on the fruits of the Holy Spirit.”
    Meyer said students overwhelmingly accept what they are taught since the behavior is modeled in teachers.
    “I think it comes from your expectations,” she said. “You lay them out at the beginning. Whether or not they are Catholic, our goal is to teach them to be young adults of good character, and how we do that is modeling. Even non-Catholics parents understand. Students attend Mass and taken religion as a community. Children who are non-Catholic have the opportunity to be thankful and prayerful.”
     The result of an atmosphere of love and caring: three students converted to Catholicism and were baptized Catholic by former pastor, now deceased, Father MichaelJoseph Nguyen.
How success is measured
    At Resurrection, all students are evaluated academically, beginning in prekindergarten. If teachers discover deficiencies in any subject extra academic help is made available through teacher intervention, daytime pull-out programs and after-school tutoring. In addition, speech therapists come in three days a week, and counselors and social workers come in two days.
    Carolyn Brown has had experiences with grandchildren in failing schools, and feels fortunate that her grandson Cody Deverich has the opportunity to attend Resurrection on scholarship.
    “He has gained a lot,” Brown said. “He loves coming to Resurrection. He is doing well. I hate to see him go anywhere else. The scholarship program has really helped our family. I wouldn’t have been able to afford to put him at a school where he could get a quality education.”
    “Every child deserves a chance to be successful, and it is our job to do everything we can do to help them meet that success, Meyer said.
Structure, values taught
    Resurrection’s academic tracking is common in Catholic schools. All new students, including scholarship students, are tested upon entering a Catholic school “to get a benchmark” of where they are academically, so a school can provide services based on the need of each child. Students then are evaluated throughout the year.
    While standardized ILEAP and LEAP testing scores did not show significant gains of all scholarship students scoring above basic this year, Houston said one can’t just rely on those scores alone. Sixty percent of scholarship students taking the standardized tests were first-time Catholic-school students. Academic improvement of scholarship students, based on the benchmark testing at schools, indicated upward growth.
    “We feel really good,” she said. “We know that those kids did improve. Research shows that it takes 3-5 years to bring students up (to appropriate grade level) if they are more than one year behind.”
    Houston said she’s seen students move up one level a year.
    “You have kids who come in here and are not acclimated to the culture of Catholic schools,” she said, meaning they are not used to structure and routine.”
    But from the moment families apply to a Catholic schools, expectations of parents and students are made clear.
    “The schools and parents work as a team and support each other,” Houston said. “You witness the growth of children. They know what is expected of them. To see those kids grow and mature is really incredible.”
    Being able to help a child grow academically and gain respect for himself and others is what Catholic schools are all about.
    “Catholic education is educating the whole child –­ academics, behavior, social and spiritual,” Meyer said. “If we are giving children the opportunity to be in an environment that is focusing on the whole child, let’s do it. They are our future.”
    Christine Bordelon can be reached at cbordelon@clarion herald.org.