Good morning, Kristin,

Earlier this summer, I met with the founder of a local AI company to brainstorm potential applications of generative AI in education, particularly in improving the effectiveness of classroom instruction and student learning outcomes and enhancing the efficiency of routine tasks. During our conversation, he shared an insightful thought: “AI won’t replace humans in the workforce; humans with AI will replace humans.”

As we move forward, how we engage with AI—and how we teach our students to engage with it—will be crucial. Equally important is remembering what makes us human: our emotions. The two articles linked below from this week’s Marshall Memo take us in different directions. The ASCD article explores how AI can fuel active learning in schools, while David Brooks’ opinion piece in The New York Times brings us back to our emotions, noting that “emotions put us in the right mind-state to effectively think about the situation we’re in.”

In recent years, social-emotional learning curricula have rightly gained more attention in our schools, but like all subjects, they compete for limited instructional time. Brooks’ op-ed underscores the vital importance of these lessons, suggesting that becoming “great emotional athletes” is key to making sound decisions in life.

If humans with AI are the future, then emotionally intelligent humans with AI will be even more effective.

With gratitude, 

NICHOLAS FORD | Superintendent

Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle

Assign a Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Coordinator Today

Please use this linked form to designate a TAP Coordinator as the main contact for all questions related to the Fulcrum's Tuition Assistance Program for the 24-25 school year. For inquiries, email Susan Ocoma or call 206.748.7988.

Fulcrum New Student Tuition Assistance Grant Program 2024-2025 – Deadline September 30th 

Fulcrum’s New Student Tuition Assistance Program, formerly known as Rolling Tuition Assistance Program (RTAP), is currently open. The deadline to submit grant requests for this program is September 30, 2024. This program is open to all schools that participate in the Fulcrum Foundation Tuition Assistance Grant Program, commonly known as TAP.

This program is different than TAP in that families do not apply for the program on their own. Schools administer this program at the local level and determine whether a family qualifies using a form provided by Fulcrum. In short, a family must: 

• be new to Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle for the 2024-2025 school year (transfer students from other Catholic schools in the Archdiocese are not eligible)
• not have been awarded a Fulcrum TAP grant for 2024-2025
• qualify for the Federal Reduced Lunch Program
• students awarded grants must be in grades K-8 

After a school has determined that a family qualifies, they will submit the form to Fulcrum via email. Grants in the amount of $1,000 each are then approved by Fulcrum on a first come, first served basis until a school has met its max number of grants (3) or program funding has been exhausted for the year ($70,000 total). We will accept grant requests from schools from March 25, 2024, through September 30, 2024.

LINK to Program Overview

LINK to Grant Request Form 

It’s important to note that these are one-time grants for students that are new to the school. They are not renewable. In future years, families are expected to apply to the Fulcrum Foundation Tuition Assistance Grant Program (TAP) via FACTS which they may or may not qualify for based on their current financial information in relation to the total pool of applicants. 

Questions? Contact Susan Ocoma at 206.748.7988 or susan.ocoma@fulcrumfoundation.org.