Montessori Mindset: How NCEA Supports 140,000 Educators and 1.6 Million Students

Summary

In this episode, Melissa Rohan interviews Mary McElroy, a leader in Catholic education and new head of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). They discuss her journey, the role of NCEA in supporting Catholic schools, recent trends in Catholic enrollment, and innovative initiatives like the Education Freedom Tax Credit and AI in education.

 Keywords: Catholic education, NCEA, education policy, Catholic schools, education innovation, scholarship tax credits, Montessori, AI in education, Catholic identity, school support

 Guest  name: Mary McElroy


Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Mary McElroy and her background
01:20 Mary McElroy's journey into Catholic education
04:45 The importance of policies reflecting Catholic identity
05:34 NCEA's role in supporting educators and schools
08:05 Catholic enrollment resurgence and trends
12:59 NCEA's impact as a resource for schools
16:16 Key initiatives: Scholarship tax credits and policy advocacy
20:36 Supporting inclusive education and special needs students
30:48 Innovation in education: AI and technology integration
35:07 Catholic Montessori and its role in modern education
37:23 How parents can participate in NCEA
38:18 Final thoughts: The importance of Catholic education and community

 Resources:
National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) - https://www.ncea.org
Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) - https://www.ncea.org/NCEA/Advocacy/Education_Freedom_Tax_Credit.aspx

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Welcome back to Montessori Mindset, where we explore education through the lens of the whole child, mind, body, and spirit. Today, I am delighted to welcome Mary Um McElroy. Did I pronounce that right? I should have asked a little bit. Yes, McElroy, yes. Thank you. Yes, okay. Who has recently stepped into a new leadership role at the National Catholic Educational Association, an organization that has a long been at the center of supporting and advancing Catholic education across the United States. Mary brings a wealth of experience in Catholic education, and her work now has the opportunity to shape conversations, support schools, and strengthen communities nationwide. In today's episode, we'll talk about her journey into this role, what excites her most about this next chapter, and how NCEA is continuing to serve schools, educators, and families in a rapidly changing educational landscape. Congratulations, Mary, and welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Oh, great, Melissa. Thank you so much for inviting me. It's really an honor to meet you and such a pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Oh, I'm so excited about this. I've been excited for a couple weeks now. So um, and I'm happy to have you. So, can you tell everybody a little bit about your background and what led you to this position at the National Catholic Educational Association?

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Sure. It's um a bit of a story, but to um break it down to the treetops, I've always been interested in education, and I'm a product of Catholic education. Um, I'm one of five children, and my dad worked extra hours in his job. He'd go out, you know, and do all the overtime he could get, and he would say to us, that's the shoe money. And we'd be like, What do you mean, dad, shoe money? And he would say, Well, that's the money for your uniform shoes, and all the other things that went along with it with going to a Catholic school, choosing a Catholic school. So I grew up with that example, um, was happy to have attended Catholic schools myself and wanted Catholic schools for my own children. Um what I did after college, I had been drawn into the law, so I went to law school, but I had been an education major and you know went into private practice for a few years, but still that pull of education was there. And I actually, when my two oldest were little, I took a job as a teacher back to my education roots, and I taught kindergarten and first grade in our local parish school. And then, you know, life continues, and an advocacy position came available in our local Archdiocese of Newark. I live in uh New Jersey. And that was wonderful because it allowed me to combine the law background with the practical experience of Catholic education. And in that position, I've been there at the Archdiocese of Newark for 25 years and have had other educational components along the way. You know, administratively supporting and working with elementary school principals, high school principals, working on the government programs that really impact our schools and making sure that our schools have what they need so they can continue to thrive. So it's been a bit of a journey, but I'm really um happy and grateful that I've wound up in Catholic education.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

I I love that. I think that um what you're doing and what you're embarking on is so, so important. Um recently I had a nice conversation with the um the Newman Society, and we and one of the things that we were talking about was how important our policies need to reflect our Catholic identity. And um, as an independent school, one of the things that I always found really tricky was navigating all of the laws and making sure that our policies are fitting within the different nuances. And I it's really important, I think, for schools to have that what you're talking about is that support so that we can continue to be Catholic, but also continue moving forward uh legally, right? And in in navigating the political and the legal environment. So I yeah, and the the amount of um liability that we hold in these positions for for so many reasons, uh it it makes it hard and challenging at times. So your role helping schools navigate that that is just so, so huge. Um so NCEA though, can you talk specifically what their role is in supporting schools on the ground, both the administrators and the teachers?

SPEAKER_00 5:31

Sure. So NCEA is the oldest and largest professional education association in the country. And it's one that parents don't really hear much about. Um, it has almost 140,000 educators as members. That's serve, 1.6 million students throughout the country. So the NCEA is the voice, really, and has been the voice for Catholic education in the United States. So what the NCEA does is their their tagline is is everybody has a tagline. So their tagline is lead, learn, and proclaim. And in a nutshell, that's what they do. They lead Catholic education, they're always inviting educators to learn more about their mission, their craft, and they're unabashedly proclaiming the value of Catholic education in our world, especially in our world as it is today. So to be involved with the NCEA is a blessing because the NCEA is a resource. There's an understanding that, you know, they say all politics is local, but all education is local too. And to have an organization that really can look at education writ large across the country, and then be able to synthesize it for what's happening in different parts of the country, recognizing what's the same, celebrating what's different, encouraging everyone in that mission, and always bringing us forward to where we can go to serve our students and families.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

I that's important. That is so important. I I've got so many questions, follow-up questions. Okay, sure. Yeah. Um, so I'm wondering, because so we probably will cover this through the questions that I have prepared, but it's just okay. So I just read how um this year we had brought in this Easter, we brought in um 38% more Catholics into the fold. And oh, I got goosebumps. I mean, this is so so exciting nationwide. And um, so are we seeing an uptick? Because you mentioned how many students your teaching your teaching uh membership is representing. How are we seeing, are we going to see or have we seen an uptick yet?

SPEAKER_00 8:18

I would say yes, there is an uptick, but it's not an even uptick. Okay. It's um, you know, it's in different parts of the country. Okay. I think, you know, where you're seeing a resurgence of Catholicism, and that's really been a headline. How you know younger people especially are awakening to the Catholic Church and because they're searching, they're looking for something. And it's it's thrilling and exciting and goosebump worthy that they're finding that in the Catholic Church. So we want to celebrate that. And and yes, I think the hope and the expectation is that you know the need for additional Catholic schools will go from there.

SPEAKER_01 9:05

So, for those who may not be familiar, how would you describe the mission impact of NCEIT today?

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Impact is to be a resource. There are so many different things competing for our time. And as a principal, you see that. Your email box is overflowing. Everyone is, you know, looking for you to spend money that you don't necessarily have on the latest, greatest thing, in addition to all the parent things and all the things of running a school. So NCEA has really um made, I think, a conscious effort to marshal resources, to see what's out there, and to be able to connect educators with resources that can help them. So they act as a clearinghouse in a lot of ways for those kinds of things, and also to be a reliable voice that people can go to for assistance. So, for example, Sister Dale McDonald is the vice president of public policy, and she has had a 30-year career at NCEA. Um, and Sister is just a walking font of information, a treasure of public policy. And to talk to Sister Dale, all you need to do is shoot her an email or pick up the phone and call her. And I have done that a number of times myself in my work previously. And Sister is a fabulous resource and can cut through some of the rhetoric that you might be hearing, can really narrow in on what a particular piece of legislation means for your experience in your Catholic school. And that's that's invaluable.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

Yeah, oh my gosh, no, it really is. Um, so you um you've got sister, and um what about like um professional development?

SPEAKER_00 11:06

Is that part of the resources or um yes, yes, definitely very robust professional development. Um there are you just need to go onto the website, which is www.ncea.org. Okay, and you'll see um for educators, there's a wealth of resources. There are webinars, um, there are things that are on demand. So if it's something that maybe you missed or you hadn't been thinking about it at that point, now it's come to your attention. That's something you need to deal with. You can find a webinar on that topic. There are conferences that are held. They've just finished the big convention. That's Easter week every year. It was out in Minneapolis. Next year it's Indianapolis. And, you know, there are live things that people can go to throughout the year. There's the big convention, there are webinars, uh, there's a blog, there's a podcast. There are so many things that really are designed to meet busy educators where they are.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

That's amazing. And um so can you talk a little bit about you know, going into this position? What are some of the key priorities that you want to bring to your to the position, or what do you see on the horizon as far as some of the initiatives that you'd like to tackle?

SPEAKER_00 12:31

There's a lot of excitement about the federal scholarship tax credit, freedom tax credit. There's so much buzz about that. Um that I am super excited about. Um, it's it passed last year as part of the big beautiful bill. And what it does is it frees up scholarship money through tax credits. Anyone, um regular people, not corporations, but individuals can make a donation to a scholarship organization, and they get a tax credit, which is better, and I'm no accountant, but a tax credit's always better than a deduction. And we're getting, you know, we're at the cusp of tax time. So that that resonates with people that a tax credit's a good thing. And then scholarship organizations can give out more scholarships. We have scholarship organizations across the country that are working hard to really make Catholic education available for families, and this is a shot in the arm. This would help them tremendously.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Um, to clarify real quickly, um, NCEA has the scholarship organizations in across the country.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

No, NCEA is a voice in this discussion. Uh-huh. The scholarship organizations are all your various organizations that exist. Um, many dioceses will have already a scholarship. That's good to know. Okay. But they've set up, you know, just over time to help families be able to choose Catholic education. So that's what I mean when I say a scholarship organization. Okay. I'm sure there are there are, you know, many in in DC, probably the Archdiocese of Washington, would have, I know the other dioceses do across the country as well. And then there are other groups that can start a scholarship organization, but the scholarships would flow through a scholarship organization so that you know it's not the Wild West. So it's a group that knows they, you know, they have to meet criteria, they they know what they're doing. This is what they do, grant scholarships, and they make sure that they're done appropriately and and as they should be. So that's why we say scholarship organization. But the trick is that every governor needs to opt in to this program. It's not state money, it's federal money. So if a state doesn't opt into it, they're really leaving money on the table, in a sense, that could help the people in their states. So what we're talking about now, and NCEA is a voice in this, um, trying to assist states to talk to their governors, to educate their families about how important this tax credit scholarship is. It's the Education Freedom Tax Credit or EFTC. It's had a few different names, but this is the one that seems to be sticking, EFTC. So there's going to be a lot more that's coming out about it. It's not in effect right now. What's happening right now is that the Treasury Department is working on what regulations will be for this program, talking about the scholarship organizations and how the money is to flow and things like that. And then the program itself is to launch January 1st, 2027. So it's coming and it's exciting, and it will give tremendous opportunities to families to choose Catholic education and for schools to really get their message out there. So not something we're super, super excited about. And then and then continuing the work of the NCEA. NCA has always been involved in trying to make special education accessible. Um, you know, that's a whole another area that you know really always needs, you know, care and attention and and really making inclusivity in practice, not just in in words. And what does that look like? We want to be inclusive, we want to welcome all. Jesus says, welcome all the children. We want to do that um professionally and effectively and compassionately because we serve families, right? This is all about serving families. Absolutely. That's why we exist.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

I talk about that a lot, is just recognizing the dignity of every child. Every human and a child is just a shorter version of human, right? That is developing and growing. And so, what does that look like from you know the top end over there, you know, up here? How do because you're you're kind of at the top here, trickling down all this information to all of these Catholic schools across the nation. So, what does that look like as far as supporting the teachers on the ground who want to and who feel um compelled to be there for every child? What does that look like?

SPEAKER_00 17:54

I think it begins with everyone, especially people who work in policy. Policy can be a little bit theoretical and and sometimes it can be in a vacuum, but to always remember that we're talking about students, we're talking about young children, we're talking about high school seniors and everything in between, and the families who love them and support them, and the educators who are working tirelessly to really, you know, impart Catholic education in their school communities. So to keep that in mind that it's the whole child we're talking about, it's families we're talking about, and to use that lens to say, well, we have policy, and policy can sometimes be up here in the clouds sometimes, and it's you know, jargon and it's not easy to decipher, but to look at that through this lens of how will it help a student? How will this policy allow a teacher to do what the teacher needs to do? And if we look at it through that lens, we can take the what's up here and we can distill it. Because a principal says, I have six million things that I have to do before 3 p.m. today. What does this mean about the title programs? A district called me and said, Oh, you have some money in Title II and you have to spend it. And the principal might say, if I'm being really honest, I don't remember what Title II is. You know, been realizing that. Or how does Title I work again? Is what the person from the district who's very sincere is is what they're telling me actually how it works? I'm not sure. And maybe they weren't 100% sure either. But to look at it in that way, that what this is all about is empowering families and educators to really be their best in Catholic education and to always look at it that way. How will this help our mission?

SPEAKER_01 20:01

So when you're talking about titles one through four, uh, real quickly, are you seeing any changes um moving forward? Because I know that there's like a lot of changes happening at the federal level. So how is that going to, if it's going to affect um the you know, the different um schools at the ground level?

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Those programs have been around, many of them, since the really the Johnson administration.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

And schools do rely on them because they can be helpful. And yes, we have seen changes. You know, you have the whole U.S. Department of Education, which is really being dismantled, and functions of it are being shifted to other departments, and the states will have more responsibility for administering them. Um, there was some you know kerfuffle in the summer about would these programs be funded, and then at the last minute they were, but not necessarily to the level that we had hoped. So there will always, I think sadly, be variations in funding. However, where I think we're going now is NCEA and groups like us can help educators and principals in particular be able to talk to their districts and really folks at the state level about these federal programs. They're federal programs, they'll always be federal programs, but to maybe know a little bit more about them than they have in the past, so they can then really advocate and say to the district and say to, you know, going up the chain on the state level, so the folks that will have to administer these programs now, maybe a little bit more intentionally than they had to in the past, to be able to explain to them what it means for their school. Not that anyone, not that. Principal has to be an expert on federal title programs. That's not what I'm saying at all, but to know what it means for your school. So when we talk about Title II, which is professional development, for a principal to say, you know, when I look at my students, I'm seeing that maybe we could do a little bit more in math. You know, maybe we need to do something more with like analytical reasoning and mathematical reasoning. And I talk to my teachers about that. And then we come up with, you know, what we think would be a really good, you know, professional development program. They're out there. You don't have to make it up or reinvent the wheel. And then to be able to say to the district, with our Title II money, this is what we need for our school. It's great that the district is doing, you know, something else, perhaps, maybe they're working on close reading. But we need to work on this particular aspect of math because our students need it. And we know that because we are their educators. And so in other words, to be able to have a clear voice that's relative to what you know, which is your students.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

No, I I think that when we get our um our numbers at the beginning of each uh budget cycle, um there are so many things we would like to do, and we have to, we, you know, as a board and and and myself, we kind of have to figure, okay, we have to prioritize gonna do the needs versus wants. It's it's a process, it's a process. If only and actually I was um in a meeting last month, and I said, you know, I actually don't need all that much. I just need like a little bit, and I can make that, I can make magic out of it. That's the Catholic school way, right? We do so much with so little. I do so much. I, you know, just just it's we're just falling slightly short. And uh, but yeah, that and we and it was uh Father Nick over at the Catholic Montessori Institute, we were laughing about that. And uh wait so sweet. But um, yeah, I think that like that's really great that you're able to, because as a I can say from personal experience with the board and myself, we don't always necessarily know, you know, it's not clear, there is so many ways that we could use that money. And so bouncing off with an organization such as the NCEA, who has all, as you said, over 30 years of experience and really being able to synthesize all the different things and figuring out a path or at least got some kind of guidance on a path forward to make sure that we're recognizing all of our weaknesses and where we can like bolster so that we can support the most students. It is in each year, you know, the the students we get, there's always it's you know, it all changes, it's like an amoeba a little bit. Yes, yes, right.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

Every year is different. Themes remain the same, but students are different, families are different.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

And really, I think the teachers they come in with a lot of strengths, and we want to lean into those strengths, but they also want to support the things that they need and feel and want more support in. We want to support them as well on the front lines of everything.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

Absolutely, to help them be the best they can be. Yeah, but I think the the most important takeaway with the NCEA is for people to know that they're not alone. You're not alone. I mean, it feels that way, I'm sure, especially when you're the principal and everyone is asking you, well, well, what do you think? What should we do? Oh no, you're on hold. What do we do? Do we come back? Do we stay? You know? And then it's up to you to make those decisions. And you have to make them in the moment many times. But to know that you're not alone. And for an educator, for a teacher in their classroom to be able to say, Oh, I can go out and get some help on something. I'm not sure, maybe how to manage a behavior, or what the best way to present a particular topic would be for my class because of A, B, C, and D. And that's really part of just always growing and moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 26:23

So are you, I'm wondering. So we talked a little bit about supporting uh families through the federal grant money. Um, and we talked about um the dignity of the children and making sure that we're meeting all of their needs. Are you also looking at innovation moving forward? Because I know for me, I'm getting a lot of questions on AI, but that that's not the only innovative thing that's going on. There's other things. Are you looking at some of the innovations moving forward and how that's going to trickle down into the Catholic schools on the ground?

SPEAKER_00 27:03

Yes, absolutely. AI has exploded, and there are many different takes on it. You know, you have some people who said, oh no, we shouldn't do anything with AI. It's terrible. And others who are saying, open the floodgates, all AI all the time. And AI at its core is a tool. Just like computers are a tool, just like the calculator before that was a tool, as was the abacus. Right? All these things are tools to advance the mission of education. So we can't be afraid of them. We need to always keep our values and keep true to who we are, but then to see how these things can help us in our mission. So, yes, the NCEA is is working um with folks in AI, um, preparing and presenting um webinars and and sessions on AI, um, looking at resources that can help schools manage AI. So certainly, you know, the NCEA doesn't ignore anything. It's like, what is happening? What where are the innovations? How can we maximize them? Always remembering why. And yeah, no, I love that. And the mission.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

One of the things that I have noticed from some of the other schools when the children come into our school is um so back with COVID, there was a big shift. It was already kind of starting to happen, but with COVID, it went really quickly over to everything on screens, right? And so, and then when they all went back into the classroom, they shifted slightly back to away from screens, but really they kept a lot of the components and um and platforms moving forward, uh, I would say for the next four years or so. And then AI within the last year or two years has really kind of grown and it's caught on like fire. And so, what I've been noticing in the last couple of months regarding AI is this move away from the screens entirely, which is a little bit of a knee-jerk reaction. And so, uh are you seeing any of that yourself? I mean, I'm just just from like this is more anecdotal than um than anything, but are you seeing anything like that?

SPEAKER_00 29:37

Yes, I can say that certainly where I I am now in my own diocese, I've seen that. And talking with principals, they're saying things like, we want to go back a little bit more to pen and paper. Yeah. Um, in colleges, you know, the back in the day you had a blue book and you had to write your essays in that. Yeah, sales of blue books have, you know, all of a sudden increased. Um because teachers are looking at how they can assess and really know that a student has mastered, you know, the material. And they're all different ways to measure assessment. Certainly in the Mantessori model, you're very in tune with the idea of the child leading and the child growing, and and how is the child, you know, taking in this information and how they make it, making it a part of themselves. So, you know, AI might help in terms of imparting information in certain aspects, but it's always the job of the teacher to make sure that that's internalized and it's understood. And then the child is able to show growth in that and facility with what the concepts are. So I would say, yes, anecdotally, I am seeing the sense of, you know, that pen and paper is good, conversations are good, yeah. You know, questioning and response and dialogue, they're all keys to understanding.

SPEAKER_01 31:06

Yeah. So I'm glad you mentioned about the Montessori. I was going to ask, do you in your membership are do are you seeing, do you have Montessori teachers or Montessori schools um in in your in your membership?

SPEAKER_00 31:23

In the NCEA, um, yes. But I don't know how many there are because I haven't gotten into that yet. Um I've seen, you know, certainly familiar with the Montessori model, but I'm I'm excited about Catholic Montessori because I think Dr. Maria Montessori's work really lends itself, you know, that idea of the whole child and moving at your pace, you know, that really dovetails so beautifully with the Catholic idea of we look at the whole child made in the image and likeness of God.

SPEAKER_01 31:56

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

Thank you for saying my words for me. Because that's been like that. That's all part of why I'm doing the podcast, is because there is that big misunderstanding. Um, there are some people who have taken Dr. Montessori's work and have hijacked it to mean something else. And so the Catholic Montessori Institute, it's two years old now, and they're trying to like reclaim what Montessori work is and what she stood for and what she presented to the world, which is like you said, very much in God's image of child and of humans, and that's what it is. And and she does it beautifully, and she says it so eloquently, like a lot of the work that she had created back at the early 1900s, have um been rewritten by people to take out all of her words, which included God, Jesus, Saint Francis, you know, and they just crossed it all out. Um, and so it she was very Catholic and she um and it's very clear in her writing. And um, and so yes, as you said, you're excited about Catholic Monsori me too. Great. So I'm glad to hear that. So that's good to know as well. So that our Catholic Montessori schools are welcome to be part of the membership and participate. That's good to hear. And um I also wanted to ask you from the it's okay. So from the parent perspective, how can the per the parents participate in NCA, NCEA?

SPEAKER_00 33:48

I think looking on the website to see if there are resources, but yes, um being aware that this organization exists, and then it's ultimately to support them because it's supporting the the people that will help their children.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

Oh, I love that. Well, is there anything that I missed, or is there anything that um you want to introduce?

SPEAKER_00 34:14

Um I think what I'd like to to leave everyone with is the idea that NCEA exists as a as a health, as a resource, and it's as it should, it's constantly evolving and growing. I don't think that we as Catholic educators should be um afraid of you know public policy things in particular, because that's the area that I'll be working in. I think that as we have this resurgence in Catholicism and and people aren't afraid to talk anymore about being Catholic that that's um something that is really to be proud of, and that we should say yes, you know, Catholic education is a gift and it's it's a wonderful thing, and we celebrate it and we advance it because that's part of our mission of being fully formed in the image and likeness of God.

SPEAKER_01 35:20

Thank you. That is so beautiful. Um thank you so much, Mary. I think you said that beautifully. I think that um that's why we're all here is so that we can honor and um and bring the children on their own journeys with Jesus uh and in the in God's love and and in his mercy. And Mary, thank you so much for joining us today and for sharing your vision and heart for Catholic education. It's clear that this moment brings us both challenges and opportunity for sure, but also renewed sense of purpose in how to serve children and families. For our listeners, I hope this conversation gives you a deeper understanding of the work being done at the national level through NCEA and how it connects to your own school communities. Thank you again, Mary, for being here. And uh to our listeners, if you found this conversation helpful, be sure to subscribe, share it with fellow parent or educator, and explore more episodes of Montessori Mindset. Until next time, keep nurturing the whole child. Thank you. Thank you.