In a bold and transformative step, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis Office of Catholic Schools (OCS) has fully committed to the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS). This framework is now at the core of every aspect of school planning, professional development and accreditation in the OCS. By embracing the four domains outlined in the NSBECS, the archdiocese ensures that its schools continue to provide excellent education and foster strong Catholic identities, creating a blueprint for schools to thrive academically and spiritually.
The NSBECS focus on four essential domains that guide every facet of Catholic school life and form the central foundation for all planning, documentation and evaluation efforts.
Mission and Catholic Identity: Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis ensure that Catholic identity remains at the heart of the educational experience. Schools are dedicated to integrating faith and Catholic values into their curricula and daily life, enriching students’ spiritual formation while helping them grow in academic knowledge.
Academic Excellence: Achieving the highest standards of academic rigor is a top priority. The NSBECS guide schools to provide challenging and comprehensive curricula integrated with Catholic culture, ensuring that students develop critical thinking skills, intellectual curiosity and a capacity for lifelong learning.
Leadership and Governance: Effective leadership is essential to creating a school environment where everyone—students, staff and families—can flourish. The NSBECS emphasize the importance of strong, ethical and visionary leadership that promotes collaboration, supports professional development and fosters a culture of excellence.
Operational Vitality: A healthy and sustainable operational model is key to ensuring that schools are equipped to meet both immediate and long-term goals. The NSBECS encourage Catholic schools to focus on financial stability, resource management and strategic planning to enhance school vitality while keeping a focus on the mission.
The Archdiocese of Indianapolis is shaping a vibrant future for Catholic education that honors both faith and excellence.
Professional development across the Archdiocese of Indianapolis is centered around the four domains of the NSBECS. Educators and administrators engage in ongoing learning and training designed to reinforce and deepen their understanding of these key areas. This commitment ensures that all staff, from teachers to school leaders, are consistently building their capacity to implement best practices within the mission.
The archdiocese’s approach to professional development is not just about acquiring knowledge—it is about creating a culture of continuous improvement. Every professional development session is intentionally focused on enhancing teachers’ and administrators’ ability to integrate the four domains into their daily practice. This helps ensure that schools remain aligned with the NSBECS standards and continue to move forward in their journey of growth and improvement.
The Archdiocese of Indianapolis is also partnering with Lumen Accreditation, offered by The Catholic University of America, a leading organization in the national accreditation landscape, to support schools in aligning with the NSBECS. This partnership provides schools with a structured and transparent framework for accreditation, ensuring that all schools are making measurable progress toward meeting the national standards and growing toward their mission. Lumen Accreditation works with schools through a process of self-reflection, documentation and site visits. The result is a collaborative effort that drives schools toward continuous improvement while reinforcing their commitment to the mission of Catholic education.
The NSBECS are now the guiding standards for all continuous improvement accreditation visits within the archdiocese. Not only will schools meet the required standards, but they must also engage in a deep, reflective process of growth. These accreditation visits are more than just evaluations—they are opportunities for schools to demonstrate their commitment to improvement while receiving valuable feedback that guides their future efforts.
The continuous improvement model also fosters collaboration among schools, allowing them to learn from one another’s experiences and successes. By aligning the accreditation process with the NSBECS, the archdiocese ensures that each school is held to a high performance standard across all domains.
To further solidify its commitment to excellence, the archdiocese has aligned its school improvement plans and strategic plans directly to the NSBECS. By using the NSBECS as a guide, every school in the archdiocese is able to ensure that its goals and action plans are grounded in the best practices for Catholic education.
This alignment provides clarity and direction, ensuring that school leaders and faculty are working toward common goals that reflect the archdiocese’s commitment to mission-driven education. It also facilitates greater accountability, as school improvement and strategic plans are now explicitly connected to the four domains of the NSBECS. This process allows schools to measure their progress and also adjust their strategies based on ongoing evaluation and reflection.
The Archdiocese of Indianapolis is committed to ensuring that Catholic schools remain at the forefront of education by providing high-quality academic experiences while fostering deep spiritual growth. Through the adoption of the NSBECS, all school operations—from professional development to accreditation, and from school improvement to strategic planning—are aligned to reflect the four domains at the heart of the NSBECS.
This strategic alignment ensures that Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis are not only meeting national standards but are also empowered to provide a transformative education that prepares students for lifelong success. By embracing continuous improvement, engaging in meaningful partnerships and focusing on the four essential domains, the archdiocese is shaping a vibrant future for Catholic education that honors both faith and excellence.
Through this comprehensive approach, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis is creating a sustainable, forward-thinking model for Catholic schools; one that will continue to serve as a beacon of academic excellence and spiritual formation for generations to come.
Sarah Jean Watsonis assistant superintendent for elementary education, Archdiocese of Indianapolis.swatson@archindy.org