Announcement

The Partnership for Inner-City Education (the Partnership) is thrilled to announce that it has signed a historic agreement with the Archdiocese of New York. This agreement grants the Partnership broad authority to offer educational, administrative and operational services on behalf of six inner-city pre-k through 8th grade Catholic schools. This is the first time that an independent organization has been given the opportunity to manage a set of Archdiocese of New York schools and reflects the Partnership’s 20-year track record and unwavering commitment to inner-city Catholic education.

Rationale

Given the energy behind education reform throughout the country and particularly in New York, the Partnership will be on the front lines in this unique capacity working with Catholic schools. We hope and expect our successes can be shared with other schools in the Archdiocese and around the country.

The Partnership network is a natural extension of our strategy to work selectively and intensively with schools to strengthen them. The Partnership has had close relationships with the six participating schools for many years. We are thrilled with the opportunity to develop a network of high-performing Catholic schools and are looking forward to working collaboratively with the Archdiocese on this important endeavor.

Mission

The mission of the Partnership for Inner-City Education is to develop outstanding, sustainable Catholic elementary schools that provide low-income students with the academic preparation, values and skills they need to break the cycle of poverty and lead fulfilling, productive lives.

Goals

The Partnership network’s goals are twofold:

• Provide low-income students with the academic preparation, values and life skills they will need to be successful throughout their lives
• Develop Catholic schools that are strong operationally and financially by maximizing enrollment, improving efficiency, rationalizing increased costs, and stabilizing revenue sources

We will measure results to ensure value to students and donors alike. In developing its network, the Partnership will draw from its extensive experience having invested more than $200 million in Catholic education and it will further Catholic schools’ multi-generation legacy of helping low-income students break the poverty cycle.

Partnership Network Facts

Official launch date: September, 2013.

The six schools are:

• Mt Carmel-Holy Rosary, Our Lady Queen of Angels and St. Mark the Evangelist (Harlem)
• St. Athanasius, Immaculate Conception (151st Street) and Sacred Heart (South Bronx)

The Partnership has a long-standing relationship with these schools.

Over 2,050 students are enrolled in the six Partnership network schools; at full capacity the network will reach over 2,450.

Nearly 100% of our students qualify for free lunch.

99.4% of the students are minority.

54% of the students attending Partnership schools are Catholic.

Many speak English as a second language.

Guiding Values

The Partnership network will be guided by common values. In effect, we are all PARTNERS, including Principals, teachers, administrators, Partnership staff, students, families and parish communities. We will model the behavior and values we expect from our students. In our schools, students will be:

Persevering. We don’t give up. We learn from our setbacks and carry on.

Achievers. We try to be the best we can be. We set high goals and when we meet them, we set new ones.

Responsible. We are responsible. We accept consequences for our actions. We make no excuses.

Team players. We work together because we know that together we can achieve so much.

Nice. We live by the golden rule: we treat others the way we want to be treated.

Engaged. We are committed to all that we do.

Respectful. We respect our teachers, our classmates, our team members and ourselves.

Socially responsible. We try to make our world a better place. We consider the impact our actions have on each other and our society at large.

Theory of Change

The Partnership believes that all children can achieve academically. Academic achievement is essential because it creates opportunities for low-income children. However, academic achievement alone is not sufficient to break the cycle of poverty: children need a broad program that enriches and engages, teaches values and skills, and helps them to understand their strengths, weaknesses and interests. Catholic schools, given their focus on educating the whole child, have a long, successful tradition of helping move low-income students into the middle class. The Partnership believes that by strengthening a set of inner-city Catholic schools­­–academically, operationally and financially, they can help lift students out of poverty and create a model for inner-city Catholic schools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please click here to read our FAQ’s for the Partnership network