I. A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation makes $1 million grant to support professional development of faculty and staff in Nativity and Miguel Schools

January 24, 2005

WASHINGTON D.C. - The I. A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation has given a grant of $1-million over five years to the Foundation for Nativity & Miguel Schools, which represents 57 middle schools for under-served, low-income students coast-to-coast.

The grant will provide for the professional development and training of teachers and the principals, presidents and graduate support program directors of the Nativity & Miguel model schools.

Mr. Tim O'Shaughnessy, President of the I.A. O'Shaughnessy Foundation, with Msgr. John Jordan at FNMS's Washington DC office

Over 3,000 students and more than 1,200 graduates stand to benefit from the efforts to be undertaken as a result of the grant. These girls and boys come from economically disadvantaged homes in underserved communities and are at risk of “falling through the cracks” without the enriched program provided by the 57 Nativity & Miguel Schools located in 26 states, all of them espousing values and high achievement.

The professional and development program will be implemented through various professional projects, including a Principals Institute, a Development Institute and a conference on a model program which supports the mentoring and tutoring of graduates.

The Principals Institute will address the development and supervision of teachers, instructional tools including backward planning, curriculum development, student behavior progression and partnerships with families.

The Graduate Support program supports graduates during high school and college, based on the premise that support should not end at graduation from a Nativity or Miguel School. An annual conference will allow leaders of such programs to share best practices on coaching current students on admission requirements for competitive high schools and coaching while in high school, including subject tutoring and mentoring on SAT exam preparation and applications to college.

A Development Institute will help extend fundraising expertise for school Presidents and development directors, including topics such as development plans, building and cultivating prospective donor relations, public relations, annual appeals and major gifts.

These programs are vital for the continued sustainability in all Nativity & Miguel schools, especially those recently launched. The expanding number of these tuition-free middle schools testifies to the need for effective educational opportunities afforded by these schools in low-income neighborhoods. Thirty percent of the 57 Nativity & Miguel schools opened in the past four years.

In making this grant to the Foundation for the Nativity & Miguel Schools, the I. A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation “supports these educational programs that are so vital for the under-served young people across the country.”