Nativity Model
"Forsyth Street on New York’s lower East Side- Harlem at 130th and Madison-
Boston’s Roxbury District- midtown Baltimore just above Mt. Vernon Square- Milwaukee’s
South Side: these old streets and neighborhoods must be etched into our collective
memory; they have the familiarity of a dream just beginning to fade beyond the perimeter
of conscious wakefulness.
They are also neighborhoods beleaguered with inner-city Problems: violence, gangs,
poverty, drugs, a declining industrial base, hard-pressed city budgets, and perhaps
worst of all, a system whose failures strike at the heart of our democracy’s assurances
of equality and opportunity for all.
But each of these neighborhoods is also home to a Jesuit middle school. The success
of these schools, which share much educational traditions and values they bring into
the lives of their sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade boys, challenge the inertia and
despair that so often permeate inner-city life. The schools practically envelop the
youngsters from morning until night, six or seven days a week, with class work, sports,
tutoring, music, art, and throughout they long days of summer, with leadership training,
academic studies, and camping activities in the country. Academic excellence is pursued,
but equal rigor is given to education in values: respect for self and others, a commitment
to excellence and above all, to community" (Company Magazine, 1995, 2).
The Model
As previously stated, Nativity Mission school on New York’s lower East Side was the
pioneer school which served as a model for the other schools that have recently opened.
Some call the Nativity/Mission school model and educational movement. These schools
are all independent and autonomous private schools for the poor, and they all share
certain characteristics. They are similar in ten areas: vision/mission, philosophy,
targeted children, application process, curriculum, faculty and staff, funding, extra-curricular
activities, parental involvement, and summer programs.
Vision
The general vision of these schools is to provide a personal, intimate, learning
atmosphere in which every student is able to receive ample individual attention.
Ultimately, these schools wish to provide another means for children from the inner-city
to break the pattern of human failure through education. The author of a general
description of Nativity Mission school writes, "The essence of the vision of
the founders is still operative today. Take a boy from the neighborhood, treat him
with respect, ground him in values and hard work, and issue him a challenge - to
do the best he can. Then remarkable transformations take place right before your
eyes" (NMS info).
Philosophy
The Nativity/Mission schools’ approach to education is to provide an environment
and generate an atmosphere in which students can excel both academically and personally.
Reverend Jennifer Grumhaus Daly outlines the key elements to Academy Prep’s philosophy
(1996). The other schools are closely in line with this philosophy. She lists seven
major elements in her article, "Teaching Values in Everything We Do: The Nativity
Experience":
(Daly, 1996, 75).
Angela Atkinson, coordinator of teachers at Mother Caroline Academy (http://www.mothercaroline.org/about.htm)
says that their philosophy is to provide a rigorous academic education to prepare
students for competitive high schools and opportunities for character development
to promote leadership and service. A major objective of Nativity/mission schools
is to help their students get into academically challenging and competitive high
schools. Although some students re-enter into the public school system, after graduating
most students plan to attend Catholic schools, private schools, or boarding schools.
Mother Caroline (http://www.mothercaroline.org/about.htm),
as well as the other Nativity/mission schools ensure that their students will continue
a rigorous education by maintaining a strong working relationship with Catholic and
private high schools.
One way that these schools institutionalize or implement their philosophy is by keeping
a low student teacher ratio. Twenty five years ago, Nativity Mission School’s ratio
was 3:1; today it is 6:1. The only way individual learning needs can be adequately
met is by providing individual attention. The only way students can be given individual
attention is through small classes. These schools would like to provide their services
to more inner-city children than they do, but they specifically limit their enrollment
(most schools educate around sixty students) so that classes remain small (anonymous,
1997, 18). Classes are also kept small so that students become close to one another
and form strong and lasting relationships with teachers (Podsiadlo, 1993, 37)
Targeted Students
Nativity/mission schools target boys and girls from severely economically disadvantaged
families who would not otherwise have access to a private or parochial school education.
These schools are for students who demonstrate the ability to handle a rigorous and
demanding academic program designed to prepare them for success in high school and
college.
Schools tend to be single-sex. The first Nativity/mission schools were established
for boys because they were considered more "at-risk". Today schools have
been, and are being established for girls as well.
Application Process
"We don’t recruit for students academically, much less for sports. We’re looking
for something we call teachableness." -math teacher Clyde Colde at the St. Aloysius
Gonzaga Program in Harlem
Nativity/mission schools mainly look for students who are motivated to learn and
be challenged academically and personally. These schools expect students to demonstrate
that they want to be a part of the school. At Mother Caroline Academy (http://www.mothercaroline.org/about.htm),
as well as at other schools, students also take various math and language arts tests
to show that they can function at grade level. Students and parents fill out an application
that includes two letters of recommendation from teachers. Students are also required
to interview with admissions officers. More than three-hundred children request applications
from Nativity Mission School each year, but only about sixty children actually finish
the process described above. These sixty children compete for fifteen fifth-grade
places.
Nativity/mission schools specifically target the severely economically disadvantaged;
most of these schools do not even consider students who do not come from low-income
families.
Although Nativity/mission schools are affiliated with the Catholic church, they do
not consider their applicants religious affiliation as part of their acceptance criteria.
Curriculum
Basics
Students take classes in reading, writing, speaking, math, science, history and language.
Moral And Character Education
Moral education and values are an integral part Nativity/mission schools. Moral education
is provided through religion and other subjects. Most schools have morning chapel,
a time when students join to voice their hopes and prayers as they develop a sense
of community and mutual trust. In religion classes at Mother Caroline (link), students
begin to think critically by discussing lessons ranging from the parables of the
Bible to the philosophy of Mahatma Ghandi.
Students are encouraged and required to assume responsibility for the common good;
chores help students to do so. Students are required to perform daily school chores
which include cleaning classrooms, answering office telephones, and helping teachers
with administrative tasks. These chores help students to assume individual responsibility
for the common good.
The Long School Day
Students attend school from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. This time frame includes
classroom learning, extra-curricular activities (which are required) and supervised
study.
Faculty and Staff
The existing schools are staffed by a full-time faculty of senior teachers and lay
volunteers. These teachers and volunteer teachers coach sports, organize trips, serve
as nurses, bus drivers, and janitors. Volunteer teachers work for room, board, health
insurance, and stipend in the range of $200-$500 per month. Administration and fund
raising is handled by other full time volunteers.
Funding
Most of the Nativity/Mission schools rely on generosity of individual, professional
organizations, churches, corporations, foundations, and grants to operate. Some schools
do require the parents to pay- i.e. St. Ignatius Loyola Academy in Baltimore requires
that each student pay $15.00 per month and a $60.00 admission fee whereas Nativity
Mission school has a nominal monthly fee of $8.00.
Extra-Curricular Activities
The students at Nativity/Mission Schools enjoy educational, cultural, historic, and
athletic field trips on Saturdays. Some schools also offer art and music programs.
The purpose of the these activities is to reinforce the learning process and to ensure
the students have productive activities in their spare time.
Parental Involvement
The Nativity/Mission School depends heavily on parental participation. Parents are
expected to be responsible for their children as learners. They are also expected
to volunteer at the school for a few hours every week. The following is an excerpt
from the St. Ignatius Loyola Academy Parent-Student Handbook for 1996-97:
St. Ignatius Loyola Academy believes that parental involvement in the school is essential
to the school’s educational efforts. Therefore, the Academy requires that the parents
or legal guardians of every student become involved in all areas of school life,
attending all Academy parent-teacher conferences, and chaperoning field trips and
other activities which occur throughout the year. The parent/guardian of each student
must sign a contract with the Headmaster before the student can be enrolled officially
for the current academic year.
This is just an example of the time and dedication required of parents by Nativity/Mission
schools
Summer Camp
Most Nativity /Mission School requires that the students attend summer camp before
and during the summers that they attend the school. At these camps students work
on both academics and morals while experiencing the normal summer camp activities.
Many consider the camp to be one of the key aspects of the school. In addition, school
administrators, head masters, and teachers use the camp as a final screen of the
incoming students to build a sense of community for the entire group.