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As we continue in the Easter season and prepare for the conclusion of another school year, we offer immense gratitude for our many blessings and the good work that the Roche Center is privileged to engage in with all of you – our Catholic education partners and friends.
In this edition of our Register e-newsletter, we recap exciting updates from the past few months (including our NCEA award!), celebrate a new beginning with the announcement of our new TWIN-CS program director, and share more opportunities to join our Roche Center community by participating in our programs and initiatiives. We look forward to seeing you soon!
| | New TWIN-CS Program Director | | |
We are thrilled to announce that, following a comprehensive national search, Katie Ward has been appointed as the next Program Director of the Two-Way Immersion Network for Catholic Schools (TWIN-CS) at the Roche Center for Catholic Education at Boston College. Katie’s history with TWIN-CS, combined with her deep commitment to bilingual education and Catholic social tradition, made her the standout choice.
She will officially join our team on June 1st, just in time to spearhead our upcoming Summer Academy on June 24-26th. Read the full announcement! And know that we will have more to come to honor our outgoing Program Director, Dr. Elena Sada – stay tuned!
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Thank you to the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) for honoring the Roche Center team with the Dr. Karen M. Ristau Innovations Award! This award recognizes an individual, school or program that has advanced the mission of Catholic education through an innovative program or approach. We were honored to have this award be given to the full Roche Center team, recognizing our collective efforts and our Center's mission. Read the full NCEA award announcement.
Members of the Roche Center team joined the award recipients and the NCEA community at the NCEA President's Dinner, which kicked off the 2026 Convention earlier this month in Minneapolis, MN. Thank you to our program participants, alumni, partners, and friends in Catholic education who were there with us in spirit as we accepted the award!
| | Roche Center Team at NCEA & AERA | | In April, the Roche Center had team members present at the NCEA Convention in Minneapolis, MN and at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, CA. Team members presented in sessions, attended meetings, and networked with colleagues at both events. In particular, we are grateful to all who stopped by our NCEA exhibit hall booth for a pair of BC socks and to learn more about our programs, and to those who joined us for our event at Risen Christ Catholic School, a TWIN-CS member school. Special thanks to the Risen Christ community for co-hosting this event and for their hospitality showcasing dual-language Catholic education. We love seeing our partners and friends out on the road, and especially at these two conferences each year! Scroll through our LinkedIn page to see updates, photos, and a listing of our conference presentations from NCEA and AERA. | | | Hispanic Parent Engagement Event & Report | | | | |
Many thanks to the group of over 50 school leaders, diocesan and system leaders, national organization advocates, and partners in higher education who joined us for Cultivating Engagement, our two-day convening on Hispanic parent engagement in Catholic schools! Through collaboration, shared dialogue, and critical analysis, this group of advocates and trailblazers advanced the conversation on and the transformation possible through authentic and expansive Hispanic parent engagement practices.
The report on our Center's national study on Hispanic parent engagement in Catholic schools – led by Dr. Hosffman Ospino of the Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry, and the Roche Center's Drs. Melodie Wyttenbach and John Reyes – will be out soon!
| | Leadership Formation Ireland | | Earlier this month, our School Leaders Fellowship and Executive Leadership Circle cohorts gathered in Dublin, Ireland for their final in-person seminars for this school year. We’re grateful for their joyful spirits, thoughtful engagement, and commitment to leading Catholic education in their schools across Ireland. Congratulations on your program completion! Learn more about our Leadership Formation programs in Ireland. | | | Superintendent PLC Retreat | | | | Last month, our Superintendent PLC gathered for a wonderful retreat at the Bethany Center in Tampa. Thank you to Sr. Barbara Quinn, RSCJ of the Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry for her facilitation. We're grateful for the leadership and service of our Superintendent PLC members, a program offered in partnership with Fr. Ron Nuzzi of Catapult Learning. Learn more about the Superintendent PLC. | | Upcoming Programs & Events | | G.R.A.C.E. June 2026 Colloquium | | Join us at Boston College for the third annual Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education (G.R.A.C.E.) international colloquium in 2026. Hosted from Sunday, June 28 to Tuesday, June 30, 2026, the G.R.A.C.E. Colloquium theme is: "Cultivating Hearts & Minds: Formative Education in Catholic Schools." The full program is now available on our G.R.A.C.E. Colloquium website – a few spots still remain, so register today! | | | Executive Leadership Academy (ELA) | | | | |
A few spots remain! Apply today for our Executive Leadership Academy Cohort IV!
Catholic school leadership today demands more than management—it calls for mission-driven executive leadership. The Executive Leadership Academy accompanies leaders ready to grow into that call. Our new cohort launches July 2026!
The 10-month, cohort-based formation experience for Catholic school leaders and senior administrators serving with active boards develops a close community of peers through:
- In-person kickoff at Boston College: July 7-9, 2026
- Monthly virtual cohort sessions Sept 2026 – May 2027
- Individual coaching and tight-knit peer learning communities
- Mid-year, in-person retreat: January 7-9, 2027
- Capstone Presentations: May 2027
Who Should Apply: PreK–12 Catholic school leaders and senior administrators serving schools with advisory, specified jurisdiction, or independent boards.
Join a community of leaders committed to strengthening Catholic schools through thoughtful, mission-driven executive leadership!
| | Board Development Institute (BDI) | | |
The Board Development Institute (BDI), the nation’s most comprehensive Catholic board formation program, equips Catholic school leaders and board members with the skills, formation, and strategies needed to build high-functioning, mission-driven boards. The next cohort launches in October 2026.
Supported through a generous grant from the Healey Education Foundation, BDI goes beyond the basics, empowering school leaders and board members to:
- Strengthen and advance a school’s Catholic mission through effective governance, meetings, and committee practices
- Recruit board members with the talent, experience, and expertise schools need today and into the future
- Ensure long-term board vitality through intentional recruitment and succession planning
- Use key performance indicators to support financial health, mission clarity, and competitive strength
- Support institutional advancement across enrollment, development, marketing, and donor engagement
Join a growing community of Catholic school leaders and board members committed to building better boards — register today.
| | | Summer Book Club - Free PD Opportunity! | | | | |
Each summer, our Center offers a free online book club for Catholic school educators that runs for four weeks. We're looking forward to kicking off the Roche Center's fifth community-driven online Summer Book Club connecting Catholic educators from across the country.
This year’s book club will focus on the role Catholic schools play as communities of care within the current climate around im/migration, and will be centered on Gabrielle Oliveira's Now We Are Here: Family Migration, Children's Education, and Dreams for a Better Life. Dr. John Reyes, the Roche Center's Director of Research and Program Evaluation, will facilitate the book club.
The book club will begin on Monday, June 29 and run through Friday, July 24.
Joining our free Summer Book Club gives you access to:
- An online community of Catholic school educators nationwide to engage in discussion with
- Weekly reflections provided by the book study facilitators
- An exclusive podcast to guide readers through the key themes each week and provide additional depth and insight beyond the text
- Live small group sessions to meet and share with other Catholic school educators
| | Connect with the Roche Center | |
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Please feel welcome to share this e-newsletter with your colleagues and friends and encourage them to sign-up!
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