One of the defining responsibilities of Catholic education is caring for the social and emotional welfare of our students. When schools meet these needs, students experience firsthand our commitment to both legal and moral responsibilities—not only to them, but also to their classmates, families, and the wider community.
The National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS) provide the framework for this mission. Organized into four domains—Mission and Catholic Identity, Governance and Leadership, Academic Excellence, and Operational Vitality—the 13 standards and 77 benchmarks guide us in offering students a faithful Catholic education rooted in the Gospel and Church teachings. Concern for the well-being of our brothers and sisters is at the heart of this vision. Meeting the social and emotional needs of students is one important measure of our effectiveness as Catholic schools.
Although designed as a resource for pastors, principals, and teachers, the NSBECS are also a promise to parents and students: a clear articulation of what Catholic education is and strives to be. They remind us that Catholic schools must uphold both civil and Church law, while also helping students grow as faithful Catholics and responsible citizens. This includes forming students who live their faith in community, and who can challenge injustice when human dignity or rights are not respected. In this way, Catholic schools take seriously the words of St. Paul: “Encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Students are keenly aware of current events, even at a young age. Catholic schools can turn these moments—both joyful and tragic—into opportunities for formation as well as teachable moments. When hardship strikes a classmate or community, teachers can create space for honest, age-appropriate discussion and prayer, while inviting students to offer support. Likewise, when a sports team succeeds or a class excels in a project, the whole school can celebrate. These practices nurture empathy, resilience, and community spirit. Importantly, they also help students learn to interpret events in light of Catholic social teaching, drawing connections between the Gospel and the realities of daily life.
Ultimately, Catholic schools must live as faith families. It is not enough to claim this identity; our everyday actions must reflect it. The joys and struggles of students, families, and staff are part of our life together as Catholic learning communities. How we teach, respond, and celebrate each day should be witness to Christ, justice, and love of neighbor. Faculty and administrators who take time to accompany students through their challenges embody the model of Christ the Teacher, who not only proclaimed the truth but walked with His disciples in love and patience. In this way, the Catholic school becomes a true expression of the Church’s life.
The NSBECS should not sit on a shelf. They are a living framework, meant to guide planning, reflection, and accountability. Principals can integrate them into faculty meetings by reviewing benchmarks, assessing progress, and setting new goals. Teachers can introduce selected benchmarks to students and invite them to plan activities that embody those standards in daily life. Parents, too, should be partners in this process. Presenting NSBECS in parent meetings and engaging families in assessing growth fosters ownership and shared responsibility. Involving parish leaders and pastors further reinforces the unity between school and parish life, ensuring that the spiritual and emotional welfare of students is supported on every level.
Catholic education serves the whole person: academic, spiritual, social, and emotional. When schools embrace the NSBECS as a living blueprint rather than a static document, they ensure that students feel safe, supported, and valued. In doing so, Catholic schools grow stronger, more faithful, and more effective in their sacred mission of forming disciples and citizens for the Church, the world, and everlasting life. In the words of the U.S. bishops, Catholic schools are “an irreplaceable instrument of the Church” in nurturing the minds, hearts, and souls of young people. To safeguard the social and emotional welfare of students, then, is not an optional task, but an essential expression of our Catholic identity and our hope for the future.
Sister Mary Angela Shaughnessy, SCN, JD, Ph.D.is a Sister of Charity of Nazareth and a nationally recognized expert on the law as it affects Catholic schools and Church ministry.Angie.Shaughnessy@lmu.edu