The Cristo Rey Network An Historical Profile | August 2011

Contents
Introduction 1. In the Beginning 2. Expanding the Vision 3. The Christian Brothers Annual Education Conference: Chicago - 1998 4. Foundation Partnerships & Fact-Finding Visit to Fe y Alegria in Lima, Peru 5. Feasibility Studies and Continued Growth Towards Replication of the Cristo Rey Model 6. First Meeting of the Cristo Rey Network (may 23-24, 2001) and the first Network Standards 7. Formal IRS Approval and Gates Foundation $10 million Grant 8. New Schools in 2002 & 2003 9. Testing the Mission Effectiveness Standards through Collegial Visits to Member Schools 10. 2004 Expansion to 10 Schools 11. Cristo Rey Network Office, Cristo Rey Network Board Growth, and Gates Foundation Influence 12. Fr. John P. Foley, S.J. Elected as Cristo Rey Network President 13. Faith Formation 14. New Leadership -- 2007 15. New Schools Open in 2005 - 2007 16. 2008: Strategic Planning with the Bridgespan Group 17. New Schools Open in 2008 18. December 2008: Board Launches New Strategic Plan - the Educational Enrichment Initiative (EEI) 19. New Schools Open in 2009 20. June 2009: First leadership Academy at Kellogg School of Management 21. Changes in fall of 2011 22. Vision for the Next Ten Years In Conclusion 1 3 5 7 8 10 11 13 15 16 18 20 22 24 25 26 29 31 32 33 34 35 36 38

August 31, 2011

INTRODUCTION When Cristo Rey Jesuit High School opened its doors in September, 1996, no one anticipated that the movement would grow to 24 schools in just fifteen years. Such an accelerated rhythm of opening schools took us very much by surprise. Almost a year ago we reflected that it might be a good idea to gather the founders of the Cristo Rey Network for a day of reflecting, remembering how the movement began and who it was that helped us reach the point where we are today in our service of some 6,500 students. Last January we spent a day doing just that. Those who were present were Kristy Blackmore, B.J. and Bebe Cassin, Rich Clark, John P. Foley, S.J., Preston Kendall, Matt Powell, Jim Stoeger, S.J. and Jeff Thielman. The president of the Network, Rob Birdsell, joined us to listen so that he could have more of an understanding of the Networks beginnings. I was the person responsible for putting this list together. The conversation was generally free-wheeling, and the result was twenty pages of notes taken by the participants along with eight hours of recorded conversation. Those two sources were brought together in the narrative that you have in your hands right now. Recalling our history helps very much to define who we are. As time goes on, may the lessons learned here help us to serve the thousands of young people who have yet to reap the benefits of the blessings of the Cristo Rey model. John P. Foley, S.J. Executive Chair Cristo Rey Network

The Cristo Rey Network -- An Historical Profile

August 2011 This history incorporates the collective memory of the Cristo Rey Network Founders as recorded during their January 2011 meeting at BJ Cassins home in California. The hope is that this document will assist Network faculty and administrators, Board members and sponsors, and others interested in learning about the history and development of this unique educational initiative that aims always at Transforming Urban America One Student at a Time.

One

In the Beginning

uring his years of service (1991-97) as provincial of the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Bradley M. Schaeffer, S.J. worked hard to increase within the province a lived commitment to the service of faith and promotion of justice. This theme was formally articulated by the 34th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus (1995) as the result of the Societys long-standing commitment to service of the poor and those at the margins. In the early 1990s, Fr. Schaeffer had several conversations with Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Archbishop of Chicago, about just how this vision and mission might take shape in terms of the Chicago Provinces service within the city and Archdiocese of Chicago. As they talked, Cardinal Bernardin suggested the considerable needs of Mexican and other Latino immigrants who were pouring into the Pilsen neighborhood on Chicagos near southwest side. The Cardinal noted the particular challenge of sustaining Catholic education for this growing community. As a first response to this pastoral need, Cardinal Bernardin invited the Jesuits to become pastors at St. Procopius Church, located at 18th and Allport Sts. Fr. Schaeffer assigned Fr. James Schultz, S.J. as pastor in July, 1992. In the summer of 1993, to further determine how the Jesuits might best respond to the needs of the Pilsen community, Fr. Schaeffer invited newly-ordained Fr. James Gartland, S.J. to conduct a needs assessment study within the Pilsen community. During this year-long effort, Fr. Gartland met with numerous community residents, ward and church leaders, members of the local and city and archdiocesan education communities, as well as with various Jesuits and others experienced in urban education. When all of this input was sifted through several reports, committees, and policy boards, the final recommendation was to establish a new Jesuit-sponsored high school in the Pilsen neighborhood. With Cardinal Bernardins blessing, Fr. Schaeffer announced this decision at a press conference at St. Procopius in January 1996. Fr. Schaeffer also announced that he was assigning Fr. John P. Foley, S.J., a veteran educator with 30 years of school leadership experience in Peru, as the founding president of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. 3

Fr. Foley quickly went to work assembling a leadership team. These included Sr. Judy Murphy, OSB as principal and Preston Kendall as director of the newly-conceived student work-study program. With Fr. Schaeffers assistance, Fr. Foley also assembled inaugural members of Cristo Reys Board of Trustees. Pilsen native Luis Nieto, alumnus of St. Ignatius College Prep and executive of a national food company, was elected as the first chair of the Board of Trustees. With the assistance of Bishop Raymond Goedert, of the Archdiocese of Chicago, St. Stephen grammar school at Cermak and Wolcott Sts. became Cristo Reys new home. After an incredible amount of dedication and hard work on the part of those noted above, as well as a small army of new Cristo Rey friends and its first group of corporate sponsors, the school welcomed less than 100 sophomores and juniors for classes on Sept. 5, 1996 (as a concession to local Catholic schools who saw the program as a threat to their admissions it was agreed not to take freshmen in the schools first year). The first graduation took place in June 1998. Having completed its 15th year, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Pilsen remains committed to serving families with limited financial means, who seek out a Catholic, college preparatory education for their children.

First day of school at Cristo Rey Jesuit

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Chicago

Two

Expanding the Vision

t was clear from Cristo Reys beginnings that this imaginative model of urban Catholic education was opening new paths. This was especially evident in its dual language curriculum and in its innovative Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) which allows each student to earn approximately 70% of the cost of their education by working five full days each month in entry-level positions at various Chicagoland businesses and corporations, as well as in several non-profit agencies. An unanticipated CWSP benefit is that, in addition to financing a major part of their tuition, the hands-on work experience has provided students with unsuspected dividends such as exposure to a wide variety of career opportunities, desirable job experience and marketable skills, as well as a strong work ethic and an increase of self-esteem. In a word, no one had anticipated the impact of the job program on the lives of these adolescents; they were so proud that they could hold down an adult job that over time you could see them growing in confidence and self-worth. A new future was opening up for them. As word spread about Cristo Reys ground-breaking urban education alternative, various civic and educational think tanks began to take notice of this ray of hope on Cermak Road. Religious communities and Church leaders also picked up the Cristo Rey story. At some point in those early years the leadership team began to wonder if some other Jesuit province or other religious community might become interested in replicating this new model of Catholic urban education. The leadership had team grown to include Jeff Thielman who came aboard as the Cristo Rey development director in 1998. John Foley also mentioned the opportunity of replicating the Cristo Rey model to Rosemary Croghan, the second chair of Cristo Reys Board of Trustees. These musings became a serious option with the1998 interest of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (FSC). 5

Photos: Fr. John Foley, SJ with Cristo Rey Jesuit High School students

Three

The Christian Brothers Annual Education Conference: Chicago - 1998

he 1998 international Christian Brothers meeting in Rome challenged members worldwide to find creative ways to serve the poor. Later that year, as a guest speaker at the annual education conference of the U.S. Christian Brothers schools held in Chicago, John Foley, S.J. challenged the Brothers to replicate what was happening in Chicago. Not long afterwards, Mr. Matthew Powell, current president of De LaSalle North Catholic High School came to visit Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago and liked what he saw. Matt Powell and others took up the challenge. Soon he met with Jeff Thielman. Matt indicated that the Christian Brothers had committed $1 million to open an urban school in Portland, OR. As Matt became more acquainted with John Foley, Judy Murphy, Preston Kendall, and Jeff Thielman the Cristo Rey model seemed ideal for the sustainability of the new school in Portland. But its coming to fruition did not take place without a number of educational and political challenges. The Christian Brothers were open, helpful, and humble in forming a new type of school board with both business leaders and educators working together. The Portland Board of Directors was formed in July 2000. There were subsequent visits of Portland leaders to Cristo Rey Chicago, and in November 2000 Cristo Rey leaders traveled to the new facility in Portland. De LaSalle North Catholic High School opened its doors in 2001, with Matt Powell as president. It began with the full Cristo Rey Corporate Work Study Program business model. De LaSalle North points with pride to the reality that it De La Salle North Catholic High School, Portland was the second school within the new Cristo Rey Network. 7

Four

Foundation Partnerships & Fact-Finding Visit to Fe y Alegria in Lima, Peru

We were helping tens of children, but we knew we were missing the leverage where we could help thousands of children. BJ and Bebe Cassin, Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation

uring his early Cristo Rey Jesuit High School fundraising efforts, Jeff Thielman had occasion to renew his friendship with a College of the Holy Cross alumnus named B.J. Cassin, president of the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation. Jeff had met Mr. Cassin years earlier during a project they both participated in when Jeff worked in Peru, South America. B.J. was long-standing in his support of Jesuit education and became intrigued when he heard about the Cristo Rey urban education model with its work study component. After several invitations from Jeff, BJ visited Cristo Rey in Chicago. He and his wife Bebe then committed $12 million from the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation to support the replication of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in other U.S. cities.

B.J. Cassins commitment led to an October fact-finding trip to Lima, Peru. The goal was to understand the Latin American Jesuits successful Fe y Alegria urban education model, with the hope of discovering points of congruence and applicability between that model and Cristo Rey.

Three Jesuits (John Foley, Larry Reuter, and Jim Stoeger) and one layman (Richard Clark) made the trip to Lima. As part of their deliberations, this group came up with a listing of nine nonnegotiables which defined the fledgling Cristo Rey model. This original list of non-negotiables included: 1) schools committed to serve the urban poor 2) a college preparatory educational program 3) a dual language program which would enable graduates to read, write, and speak fluently in both Spanish and English 4) an instructional model appropriate to the needs of urban, immigrant students 5) a commitment to the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) 6) a community based, neighborhood school 7) a Catholic school 8) the engagement of strong family support 9) the development of an integrated curriculum to incorporate these non-negotiables.

Five

Feasibility Studies and Continued Growth Towards Replication of the Cristo Rey Model

hrough effective publicity and considerable word-of-mouth accolades across the United States Catholic education community, a number of religious congregations and other Catholic groups contacted Cristo Rey Jesuit High School to assess their own readiness to inaugurate feasibility studies. As part of the process, most of these schools also applied for start-up grants from the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation. De LaSalle North Catholic High School in Portland prepared to welcome its first class in September 2001. In addition, feasibility studies were being led by the following people in their different cities: Cleveland, OH (Rich Clark St. Martin DePorres High School), Denver, CO (Fr. Tom Cwik, S.J. -- Arrupe Jesuit High School), Los Angeles, CA (Fr. Bill Wood, S.J. to convert the existing Verbum Dei High School into a Cristo Rey school), New York, NY (Bill Ford Cristo Rey New York High School), and Austin, TX (Todd Austin San Juan Diego High School). It was becoming evident that the movement to replicate Cristo Rey Jesuit High School was going to grow quickly. It also became clear that the school did not have the capacity nor the mission to support this rapid growth. BJ Cassin requested that Jeff Thielman, in representation of the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation, meet with Fr. Richard Baumann, S.J., the new provincial of the Chicago Province. One of the questions to be raised was whether or not the Cristo Rey Network should become a Jesuit work, and thus connected in some way to the national Jesuit Conference. As a result, a presentation was made at the fall of 2000 meeting of the United States Jesuit Conference. At that meeting, the assembled provincials deemed it preferable that the Cristo Rey Network should stand as an organization independent of any religious community or diocesan group working to form and lead the various schools of the Network. They thought it would be a stronger institution if it included different religious congregations. 10

Six

First Meeting of the Cristo Rey Network (May 23-24, 2001) and the first Network Standards

he discussions noted above, as well as the ongoing feasibility studies in various cities, paved the way for the first formal meeting of the Cristo Rey Network. It took place in May 2001 at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago. Invited to the meeting were the six approved groups who were conducting feasibility studies funded by the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation. This meeting turned out to be pivotal for the long-term success of the Cristo Rey Network since it set forth several key agenda items for future attention by the newly-formed Network. The interaction of the approximately 30 participants engendered both commitment and connection to the larger vision of the Cristo Rey Network, which then became implemented in appropriate ways at the local level. This first Network meeting developed the original set of criteria for a Cristo Rey Network school. Five criteria were noted: 1) Cristo Rey Network schools will serve materially poor families 2) the curriculum will be college preparatory 3) the school will be faith-based, sponsored by some Catholic religious community or diocese 4) the school will be primarily funded through a corporate work-study program 5) the school will be culturally sensitive, with a high level of family involvement The following point of pride should be noted here. May 2001 marked the initial designation of the Cristo Rey trademark: Cristo Rey Network Schools: Transforming Urban America One Student at a Time. 11

Subsequent to this first meeting of the new Cristo Rey Network, Jeff Thielman, acting on behalf of the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation, continued to work with the various groups conducting feasibility studies. In the process, he realized the need to develop a set of criteria to properly evaluate these feasibility study requests. Using accreditation standards developed by the schools of the Religious of the Sacred Heart and the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus to assess mission effectiveness, as well as the experience of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Chicago in this area, Jeff developed an initial set of standards applicable to the Cristo Rey replication process. In October 2002, Jeff convened a working group including Rich Clark, John Foley, Preston Kendall, Jim Stoeger, and himself to refine and strengthen this document. This first set of Mission Effectiveness Standards for the Cristo Rey Network was circulated in preparation for the first meeting of Cristo Rey presidents. At this meeting, held in January 2003 in Los Angeles, the assembled presidents discussed, refined, and approved these first Standards. The Mission Effectiveness Standards as approved by the presidents were these:
1. A Cristo Rey school, affiliated with the Catholic Church, is explicitly religious in mission and enjoys Church support on a diocesan and local level with sponsorship by a religious congregation if required by the local diocese. 2. A Cristo Rey school serves the economically disadvantaged. It is for students of various faiths and cultures. It is culturally sensitive and community based. 3. A Cristo Rey school is family centered and plays an active role in the local community. 4. A Cristo Rey school is accredited by a recognized regional accrediting association. It has a college preparatory curriculum designed for a high level of student engagement in their learning. 5. A Cristo Rey school requires participation by all students in a work-study program that follows the Corporate Internship Program (CIP) developed at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago. 6. A Cristo Rey school has an effective administrative structurenormally a separate President, Principal, Executive Vice President (CIP Director/CFO) and Development Director and a Board structure that includes religious, education, community, business and civic leaders. 7. At full enrollmentnormatively 300 to 500 students, after five yearsa Cristo Rey schools revenue from tuition and work-study covers operating expenses. In addition, the school maintains an aggressive development/advancement program to ensure financial stability. 8. A Cristo Rey school seeks to understand, assure, and improve how and how well its students learn and grow. 9. A Cristo Rey school is an active participant in the collaboration, support, and development of the Cristo Rey Network.

In a very real sense, these Standards, as strengthened over time, constitute the DNA of the Cristo Rey Network. In 2004, Preston joined the Network staff and encouraged the Network to have a tenth standard that integrated the work program and academics. It became standard six because it follows the standards for academics and the work program. 12

Seven

Formal IRS Approval and Gates Foundation $10 million Grant

n important development in the history of the Cristo Rey Network took place in December 2002 as the Network applied for legal incorporation as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. This incorporation took place as one of the requirements for the Network to receive funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Internal Revenue Service granted non-profit status to the Cristo Rey Network in March 2003. Then, in May 2003, the Gates Foundation formally committed a grant of $9.9 million to the Cristo Rey Network to continue replication of new schools according to the Cristo Rey Network standards. This grant marked a significant milestone in the Cristo Rey history and provided the Network with funding for future growth, along with a well-deserved national reputation for innovation and excellence. The Gates Foundation grant was critical for Cristo Rey Networks future. How did it come about? During a family visit to Denver, Tom VanderArk, at that time the executive director of education for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, saw an article in the Denver newspaper about the Jesuits opening Arrupe Jesuit High School, which would operate with a new educational model. Toms initial interest led to conversations with Fr. Steve Planning, S.J. in Denver, as well as with Jeff Thielman. Subsequently a program officer from the Gates Foundation met with Jeff in Chicago in Dec. 2002. Other Gates Foundation staff members assisted in preparation for submitting a formal grant proposal. VanderArk also suggested that the Cristo Rey Network open its own central office. (Up until this point the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation in California was acting as the Networks official legal office with support for the staff at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School.) It is important to recognize the impact of the Gates Foundation grant for the ongoing maturity and development of the Network. In particular, the stipulations from this grant brought a new discipline to the Network. Metrics were put into place in various areas, including the academic program, across Network schools. In effect, Tom VanderArk was the one who made support from the Gates Foundation possible for the Network schools. 13

Cristo Rey is magical. What you see is hope and optimism. Melinda Gates, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

May 21, 2003

Success of Innovative Urban Catholic School Sparks Major Investment

$18.9 million grant to replicate Cristo Rey model, expand options for disadvantaged youth CHICAGO - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation today announced plans to grant $18.9 million to create 12 new small college-preparatory high schools across the country. The new schools will be modeled after the highly successful Cristo Rey Jesuit High School of Chicago, which serves low-income and minority youth using a proven formula of rigorous coursework, an innovative work-study program and high expectations for all students.

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Eight

New Schools in 2002 & 2003

he third Cristo Rey Network school, San Juan Diego High School in Austin, Texas, opened in September 2002, with Todd Austin as president. (The Austin school remained part of the Network until 2006 and left because it did not want to solely serve economically disadvantaged students.) Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles became the fourth member of the Cristo Rey Network. Previously an Archdiocesan high school, it re-invented itself as a Cristo Rey Network school with the support of Cardinal Roger Mahoney and formally re-opened as a Cristo Rey Network school in September 2002, with Fr. Bill Wood, S.J. as president. The Jesuits of the Missouri Province opened the fifth Cristo Rey Network school. Located in Denver, it was called Arrupe Jesuit High School and opened in September 2003 with Fr. Steve Planning, S.J. as president.

Verbum Dei High School, Los Angeles

Arrupe Jesuit High School, Denver

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Nine

Testing the Mission Effectiveness Standards through Collegial Visits to Member Schools

nce the nine Mission Effectiveness Standards were adopted by the presidents of the Cristo Rey Network schools at Marina del Rey in January 2003, Jeff Thielman from the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation coordinated the first series of collegial visits to the four original schools. Visiting team members included Matt Powell (then in his second year as president of the Cristo Rey school in Portland, OR), Rich Clark, Fr. John Foley, Preston Kendall, Kristy Blackmore (then a Cristo Rey Jesuit High School employee who worked as the Cristo Rey Network liaison), Fr. Jim Stoeger, and Jeff Thielman. It is interesting to note that the visits took place as the national Cristo Rey Network was being formally organized. These visits would provide an opportunity to understand just how the Standards were being implemented in each Cristo Rey Network location as well as to understand what specific obstacles and challenges were being faced by administrators in the four Cristo Rey Network schools. For these visits each school could select the particular standards it wanted to review with the visiting team. The first collegial visit took place at Verbum Dei High School, Los Angeles, in March 2003, with similar visits in the following months to Portland, OR and Austin, TX. The principal neuralgic issue in those first visits centered on Standard Two: A Cristo Rey Network school serves the economically disadvantaged. In order to fill the student body, some administrators had begun to admit students with means. For instance, Verbum Dei discovered that successful alums of the school really wanted to send their children to the Verb. As a result of similar pressures, Cristo Rey Network schools found that the level of net family income was gradually creeping upwards. Similar accountability and compliance issues developed around curriculum and school governance issues. An evolution took place across the Network as individual schools made adaptations they deemed critical to meet their local situation. This local independence versus Network accountability ferment actually turned out to be helpful. 16

It underlined the reality that the Cristo Rey Network was in fact a network. And a network is significantly different from an association (as, for example, the National Catholic Education Association). While a network exercises various forms of authority towards its members, an association functions as an umbrella -- gathering its members through particular services, events, and communications strategies. In truth, the writing and subsequent Board approval of the Mission Effectiveness Standards elevated the influence of the Network precisely because the Standards created a quality control mechanism that has both evolved and been challenged year by year. As new feasibility studies were funded (sometimes by the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation) and then approved by the Cristo Rey Network Board, it became apparent precisely because of the Standards that the members of Cristo Rey Network were so much more than just good Catholic high schools with an added work program. Thereafter a new reality emerged: professional educators across the country, as well as national foundations supporting the Cristo Rey Network, became committed to the Network precisely because Cristo Rey Network schools were expected to adhere to the Mission Effectiveness Standards across the expanding Network. The multiplier effect of the Network became attractive precisely because of its built-in quality control mechanism, represented in the Standards. Clearly a new national educational model for urban schools was up and running.

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Ten

2004 Expansion to 10 Schools

major expansion of the Cristo Rey Network took place in the fall of 2004 as six new schools opened. Each of these schools has a unique background and history. Readers are invited to check the individual websites of these schools to learn more about their history and mission. For the record, these six schools are: St. Martin de Porres High School, Cleveland, OH, with Richard Clark as president, endorsed by Jesuits of the Detroit Province and the Sisters of the Humility of Mary. Cristo Rey New York High School, New York, NY, with Fr. Joseph Parkes, S.J. as president, endorsed by the New York Province of the Society of Jesus, LaSalle Christian Brothers, and the Sisters of the Holy Child. San Miguel High School, Tucson, AZ, with Greg VanderZanden as president, sponsored by the LaSalle Christian Brothers (San Francisco District). North Cambridge Catholic High School (now called Cristo Rey Boston High School), Boston, MA, with Sr. Ellen Powers OSF as president, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Boston. St. Martin de Porres High School, Waukegan, IL, with R.J. McMahon as president, endorsed by the Sisters of the Holy Child, Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, Clerics of St. Viator (CSV), Congregation of the Resurrection (CR), and the Parish of St. Mary, Lake Forest, IL. Notre Dame High School, Lawrence, MA, with Sr. Mary Murphy as president, sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. 18

St. Martin de Porres High School, Cleveland

Cristo Rey New York High School, New York

San Miguel High School, Tucson

Cristo Rey Boston High School, Boston

Notre Dame High School, Lawrence

St. Martin de Porres High School, Waukegan

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Eleven

Cristo Rey Network Office, Cristo Rey Network Board Growth, and Gates Foundation Influence

he Network office was formed in 2000 in the persons of BJ Cassin (in California) and Jeff Thielman who managed daily Network affairs from Boston. Kristy Blackmore joined the network staff part-time while also working at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Chicago. The percent of time these individuals spent on Network business was funded by grants from the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation. (These Cassin Foundation grants amounted to $76,000 in FY2002, $143,000 in FY2003, and $395,000 in FY 2004.) Work towards a more permanent Network office was accelerated during the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant application process since having a central office location would be required by the Gates grant. Thus, during the summer of 2003, the Network office moved into a six-flat on Wolcott St. in Chicago. Preston Kendall joined the Network staff in July 2003 as VP of Work Study and Administration, and Kristy Blackmore began full-time work for the Network. (Jeff Thielman continued to work part-time for the Network and part-time for the Cassin Foundation.) It should be noted that the Network office moved again in October 2009 at the invitation of DePaul University. DePaul had always been a strong partner with Cristo Rey Network, and now welcomed the Cristo Rey Network offices to DePauls downtown campus on Jackson Blvd. in Chicago. As a result of this move, Cristo Rey Network had an accessible downtown Chicago presence within a Catholic university setting. This move also provided mutual independence for the Network from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in the Pilsen neighborhood. 20

The application process with the Gates Foundation raised the need for increased accountability for the academic performance of students throughout the Network. In particular, Gates required Cristo Rey Network to adopt some common tool for assessing student performance. In response, after consultation with Network principals, the decision was made to use ITED (Iowa Test for Educational Development) scores as this common assessment instrument. This was approved at the Annual Meeting of 2003 and continued in effect until the Annual Meeting of 2009 when the ACT-EPAS battery of tests was adopted unanimously by the school principals as the new Cristo Rey Network common assessment tool. Use of ACT-EPAS was implemented at the beginning of the 2009-10 academic year. How did it come about that the member schools actually own the Cristo Rey Network? This ownership structure was developed for Cristo Rey Network by lawyers at Winston & Strawn, Chicago, precisely to meet the tests required for 501(c)(3) non-profit status. The first meeting of the Cristo Rey Network Board of Directors took place on May 13, 2003 in Chicago. It adopted the current ownership structure and indicated that the stated purpose of the Network is to support the Cristo Rey Network schools. That Board meeting also clarified several items in the Cristo Rey Network By-Laws and voted that a majority of the members of the Cristo Rey Network Board are to be elected by its members. Further, it adopted the provision that a twothirds vote of the Board is necessary to remove a school from the Network. At that meeting, the following individuals were elected to a 3-year term: B.J. Cassin, James Stoeger, S.J., Jeffrey Thielman, Matthew Powell, and John P. Foley, S.J. These newly-elected Directors elected the following corporate officers: John Foley, S.J. (Board Chair), Jeff Thielman (President), James Stoeger, S.J. (Secretary), and B.J. Cassin (Treasurer). With this structure in place, the Cristo Rey Network Board has continued to address the following issues over the years: growth of the Network, assessment and quality initiatives, financial realities, school governance, and leadership challenges.

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Twelve

Fr. John P. Foley, S.J. Elected as Cristo Rey Network President

fter a time of personal discernment, John Foley, S.J. resigned as President of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in June 2004, in order to become the new president of the Cristo Rey Network. He was elected by the Network Board on August 18, 2004 and took up his new position on January 1, 2005. At that point, John succeeded Jeff Thielman as Network president. BJ Cassin was elected as Cristo Rey Network Board Chair and Jeff Thielman became Cristo Rey Network Treasurer. Jim Stoeger, S.J. remained as Secretary. At the same time Rosemary Croghan was elected to membership on the Cristo Rey Network Board, as were Anne Kelly Feeney from Portland and Richard Clark from Cleveland. John Foley poured his usual energy and creativity into the Networks agenda. This agenda included meeting with a growing number of groups across the country who were in the process of submitting new school feasibility studies. He also advanced continued conversations with Network schools on implementation of the Mission Effectiveness Standards, and addressed various curriculum development issues. Curriculum standards and student evaluation procedures were key concerns at the time of the Gates Foundation grant. Cristo Rey Network schools also realized the need to step back and re-define learning outcomes and student assessments to match the unique reality of Cristo Rey Networks students and its integrated academic/work study program. These conversations on curriculum development gave particular emphasis to student success, faculty and staff hiring, college acceptance and graduation rate, etc. In all of this curriculum discussion, everyone recognized that Cristo Reys secret sauce is indeed its work-study program. 22

The Cristo Rey Network Board tackled several other key issues once Fr. John Foley became its president. The Board decided not to make any changes to the Mission Effectiveness Standards without input from the school presidents. It also determined that ongoing articulation of the Cristo Rey mission would always continue as a key focus of the Cristo Rey Network Board. In 2005, the Board approved a new statement of Standard Two which included use of PSAS (Private School Aid service) as the Cristo Rey Network third party data collector to validate family income. The Minutes of the April 2006 annual meeting of the Cristo Rey Network reflect that the school presidents further agreed to the following governance provisions: The Cristo Rey Network Board has the power to make decisions. The Network does not look for consensus, but rather a fuller understanding of the data. Decisions are to be communicated back to the presidents. The Board is the governing body of the Network. 1) It is the ultimate authority insofar as the school is a Cristo Rey school and a member of the Network. 2) It also functions as a service organization. Schools do report to the Network. On its own the Network staff is not authorized to make decisions applicable to the presidents, but only when this is empowered by the Board or by the presidents. Schools belong to the Network thanks to a mutual agreement they entered into with the Network. The chairs of all the Boards signed these agreements at the outset, and either party can withdraw if they so choose. A third statement of Standard Two was adopted by the Cristo Rey Network Board at its meeting in May, 2007. This third version of Standard Two remains current and reads as follows: (A Cristo Rey school) serves only economically disadvantaged students. The school is open to students of various faiths and cultures. Here again the descriptor is important. This revision tied the job price to 75% of the local median family income. Rather than the average family income, now every student admitted had to be below the 75% per capita family income threshold.

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Thirteen

Faith Formation

n 2004, the Network received a grant from an anonymous donor to write a faith formation plan for the Network schools. This topic has been a challenging issue within the Cristo Rey Network, in part because of the differing charisms and spiritual traditions of the Roman Catholic religious congregations which have sponsored the various Network schools. Of particular interest was the process of approaching this area of faith formation as a new school forms. The initial document on faith formation for students, faculty and staff, school leaders and board members was presented in 2004. After a period of due diligence, the Board appointed an Adult Faith Formation Committee to develop a revised document as a primer on spirituality and faith formation for the entire Cristo Rey Network. This new Faith Formation document was approved in May 2008 and was subsequently updated in March 2010. This latest document, authored by Fr. Robert Welsh, S.J., articulates three core elements of a Cristo Rey Network spirituality -- message, community, and service. These core elements were developed out of the U.S. Catholic Bishops 1972 document on Catholic education, titled To Teach As Jesus Did. This U.S. Bishops document declares that Jesus himself is the message! Going further, the Faith Formation document states that a Cristo Rey Network school expresses its spirituality through the following means: school culture, gospel values and beliefs, a community of faith-centered persons, an adult faith formation program, and a school service program. Further details can be found in the March 8, 2010 Network document, titled: A Cristo Rey Network Spirituality. 24

Fourteen

New Leadership -- 2007

significant step forward for the Network took place in August 2007 as Robert Birdsell, a proven leader with a strong background in Catholic school teaching and educational research and consulting, was elected by the Board as the new President of the Network. At this time Fr. John Foley assumed the position of Executive Chair for the Network. This strengthening of executive leadership brought increased vision and focus to the Networks agenda. In particular, Robs seven years of teaching in Jesuit high schools and eight years of business experience gave him the background, experience, and deep-seated commitment to lead the Network to its next level of excellence as the Cristo Rey Networks second president.

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Fifteen

New Schools Open in 2005 - 2007

risto Rey Kansas City High School, MO, with Sr. Vickie Perkins SCL as president, sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth KA. (2005) Cristo Rey High School, Sacramento, CA, with Dennis Gorsuch as president, sponsored by the California Province of the Society of Jesus, the Sisters of Mercy of Auburn CA, and the School Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. (2006) Holy Family Cristo Rey High School, Birmingham, AL, with Fr. Alex Steinmiller CP as president, sponsored by the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus. (2007) Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Baltimore, MD, with Fr. John Swope, S.J. as president, sponsored by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. (2007) Christ the King Preparatory High School, Newark, NJ, with Fr. Edward Glynn, S.J. as president, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Newark NJ. (2007) Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Minneapolis, MN, with Fr. David Haschka, S.J. as president, sponsored by the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus. (2007) St. Peter Claver High School, Omaha, NE, with Fr. Jim Keiter as president, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Omaha, NE. (2007) Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, Washington, DC, with Fr. Steve Shafran, SDB as president, sponsored by the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Archdiocese of Washington. (2007) Providence Cristo Rey High School, Indianapolis, IN, with Sr. Jeanne Hagelskamp SP, as president, sponsored by the Sisters of Providence. (2007) 26

Cristo Rey Kansas City High School, Kansas City

Cristo Rey High School, Sacramento

Holy Family Cristo Rey High School, Birmingham

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Baltimore

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Christ the King Preparatory High School, Newark

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Twin Cities

Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, Washington, D.C.

Providence Cristo Rey High School, Indianapolis

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Sixteen

2008: Strategic Planning with the Bridgespan Group

n 2008, the Gates Foundation invited the Cristo Rey Network to apply for a grant to fund a strategic planning project with the Bridgespan Group (Bain Consultings non-profit practice). Given the new leadership at the Cristo Rey Network and the rapid growth of the Network, the Gates Foundation awarded the Cristo Rey Network with a grant to fund a six month project with Bridgespan. The first phase of the project was to evaluate the role and responsibility of the Network Center Office. The consulting team interviewed school leaders and Network staff and in consultation with a steering committee which was comprised of John Foley, Rob Birdsell, Jeff Thielman, Elizabeth Goettl (President of San Miguel Cristo Rey Tucson), Joe Parkes, S.J. (President of Cristo Rey New York) and Bob Mooney made the decision that the Network was neither an association (due to the standards) nor a Charter Management Organization (due to the schools being locally owned and operated). Rather, the Network Center was somewhere in between being given the responsibility to hold the schools true to their mission as defined by the Standards but little power to affect this responsibility. Instead, the Network office was to lead by influence. The second phase of the project was to determine the direction and strategy of the Network Center Office going forward. Was the current strategy (12x12 12,000 students by 2012) the right strategy? 29

In this part of the engagement, the team began to examine some early outcome data of the Cristo Rey graduates. While this data was not complete or definitive, it did open some eyes on the steering committee and confirmed some suspicions of others. Many Cristo Rey leaders had assumed that if 100% of graduates were accepted into college they must all be succeeding. The reality was very different. Early data from the National Student Clearinghouse showed that about 27% of Cristo Rey graduates were actually completing college in five years. Now on the one hand, this was good news as it was twice the average for the population Cristo Rey was serving. But it was far from what anyone expected and it did not fulfill the Network or the schools mission. In this examination of data, the Cristo Rey Network began to realize that data is the plural of anecdote. While many alumni came back and told wonderful stories that rallied the troops, the data suggested that there were many students that were not ready to go to college and succeed. Also, during this phase of the project Cristo Rey Network leaders read much research on low income student success in college. From this research, the number one variable that led to college completion was the rigor of the academics in the students high school. The more rigorous, the more likely the student was to succeed in college. As the project came to conclusion, these findings were presented to the Cristo Rey Network Board of Directors with a plan to launch a bold and ambitious plan to ensure that all Cristo Rey students graduate college ready.

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Seventeen

New Schools Open in 2008

hrist the King Jesuit College Prep, Chicago, IL, with Fr. Chris Devron, S.J. as president, sponsored by the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus. (2008) Lourdes Academy High School, Brooklyn, NY, with Maureen Reiser as president, endorsed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, the Passionists, and the Vincentians. (2008) Detroit Cristo Rey High School, Detroit, MI, with Earl Robinson as president, sponsored by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Basilian Fathers. (2008)

Top left: Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory High School, Chicago Top right: Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School, Brooklyn Bootom left: Detroit Cristo Rey High School, Detroit

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Eighteen

December 2008: Board Launches New Strategic Plan the Educational Enrichment Initiative (EEI)

n the aftermath of the consulting engagement with the Bridgespan Group, the Cristo Rey Network began working on a new strategic plan. The hope was to bring together the various strands of Cristo Reys own research and planning, as well as national initiatives aimed at strengthening urban education. The Cristo Rey Networks evaluation of its own academic assessment data (ITED), as well as its college completion results (NSC), indicated that overall the Network was not doing as well as had been thought. As an example, the NSC data indicated that 75% of high school students were going to college at some level, with 27% of these students receiving degrees five years later. The Cristo Rey Network Board embraced this issue at its December 2008 meeting. During this meeting, the Board unanimously approved the new strategic plan which shifted the majority of the Networks resources from growth in schools to quality of student outcomes. Subsequently, the Network hired Elizabeth Goettl (an experienced public high school administrator and president of San Miguel Cristo Rey High School in Tucson) to guide Network schools through this process formally named the Educational Enrichment Initiative (EEI). Two basic questions were asked of each Cristo Rey Network principal: What are your students learning? and How do you know? Overall, this national effort within the Cristo Rey Network raised levels of accountability and discipline in notable ways. As Cristo Rey Network schools began to share best practices and other academic data, a new level of collaboration was developed school-to-school. For years schools shared data and best practices around the business model, the work study program and fundraising; but now for the first time there was a systematic and cohesive approach to enriching the academics in Cristo Rey schools. 32

Nineteen

New Schools Open in 2009

wo new Network schools opened in the fall of 2009, bringing the Cristo Rey Network total to 24 schools. These two are: Immaculate Conception Academy, San Francisco, CA, with Sr. Mary Virginia Leach, O.P. as president, sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, CA. Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory High School, Houston, TX, with Fr. T.J. Martinez, S.J. as president, sponsored by the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus.

Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory High School of Houston

Immaculate Conception Academy, San Francisco

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Twenty

June 2009: First Leadership Academy at Kellogg School of Management

fter Rob Birdsell was hired, he spent the first three months of his tenure visiting all 19 schools that were open as of fall 2007. During this tour of schools, Rob was impressed with the commitment and passion for the Cristo Rey mission across the country. However, he was also concerned about the lack of business management training many school leaders had in their background. Many school presidents were teachers, who became department heads, then principals and were now running $4-5 million organizations, doing corporate sales and leading a sophisticated board of directors. That fall Rob Birdsell and Fr. Foley met with the Director of Northwestern Universitys Center for Non-Profit Management. They talked about designing a custom leadership academy to serve the needs of current and future Cristo Rey school leaders. In June of 2009, the Cristo Rey Network hosted its first Leadership Academy at the Kellogg School of Management. Over the past three years, school leaders have studied under the tutelage of some of Northwesterns best professors, subjects including but not limited to: finance, branding and marketing, board governance, negotiations, and leadership. According to many attendees this program has been one of the greatest professional development opportunities the Network has developed. 34

Twenty-one

Changes in fall of 2011

ePaul Cristo Rey High School, Cincinnati, OH, with Sr. Jeanne Bessette as president, sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. At the same time, the sponsor of St. Peter Claver High School in Omaha decided to withdraw the support of the Archdiocese, given the economic climate situation of the school. The total number of schools in the Cristo Rey Network stayed the same: 24.

DePaul Cristo Rey High School, Cincinnati

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Twenty-two

Vision for the Next Ten Years

he final hours of the January 2011 Founders meeting in California encompassed a wideranging and creative futuring conversation. Its goal was first to dream and then to brainstorm a future agenda for the Cristo Rey Networks ongoing commitment to transforming urban America, one student at a time. While it is next to impossible to capture all facets of this stimulating conversation, its overall architecture centered around three key topics: academics, postsecondary tracking, and the Corporate Work Study Program. Key agenda items for each of these topic areas are noted below: Academics: - Is there another way to educate center-city kids? - Covering six years in four - College graduation rates - Resolving the retention challenge - Next generation of Cristo Rey Network schools: -- introduction of technology -- better education at lower cost -- blended learning Post-Secondary Tracking: - Capturing the energy of our alumni/ae when they are in college - A Hot Jobs portal: alumni/ae job opportunities from our corporate partners - Multiplying the number of college partners many times over - Creating a scholarship fund for Cristo Rey Network alumni/ae 36

Corporate Work Study Program: - Future entry-level jobs: what will they look like? - Securing jobs from alumni/ae - A more professional approach to running a business EEI for CWSP - An empirical study examining the impact of the work program on students college success - ACT longitudinal research on student growth Overarching opportunities to be considered as part of this futuring exercise include the following: - Cost containment - Understanding what makes Cristo Rey Network students successful - Mastering how we help students grow religiously - Becoming a national advocate for Catholic schools

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In Conclusion As the transformation of urban America one student at a time continues, the Cristo Rey Network hopes to realize two dreams: growth to 50 schools with 25,000 students, as well as the opportunity to go international with the Cristo Rey Network as national and continental borders disappear. Such lofty goals can only become realities because, when all is said and done, this is Christs work. It is always His! Viva Cristo Rey!

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