The NativityMiguel Coalition (NMC) was established to support excellence in member schools that share a common alignment in all the following areas: mission, governance, core beliefs, and outcomes. Below is an outline of the common alignments (Core Beliefs, Mission, Governance, Outcomes) which frame the NativityMiguel Coalition’s identity and drives achievement in the education of our student communities
Core Beliefs
Commitment to Core Beliefs:
A school is aligned with the NativityMiguel Coalition if they believe in and commit to the following Core Beliefs, which guide effective school design and support student achievement. Rather than standardize how the Core Beliefs are implemented across all schools, the NMC believes that school autonomy drives innovation and adaptation. While all member schools commit to the Core Beliefs, decisions on how the Core Beliefs should be implemented are the responsibility of each member school based on resources, personnel, needs, and other factors.
Member are responsible for how their school adheres to each Core Belief. This holds a school accountable for its commitment and facilitates sharing and codifying best practices.
1. Faith-Based:
A member school is faith-based in its mission, education, and programming. (As explained in Mission-Aligned I)
2. Serve the Economically Poor and Marginalized:
A member school offers a financially accessible, non-tuition-driven education to students from low-income families in underserved communities, and reflects the faith, cultural, and racial demographics of the community it serves. (As explained in Mission-Aligned II)
3. Educate the Whole Child:
A member school addresses the academic, physical, social, emotional, moral, and spiritual needs of a student, and nurtures the growth of the student in all areas.
4. Partner with the Family:
A member school involves the family and the student’s other support systems in the education of the child; and provides an opportunity for the growth of the family and support system as well.
5. Extend the School Day: and Year
A member school extends the hours and days that a student is in session and thereby offers additional structured opportunities for learning, enrichment, and growth.
6. Support Students Beyond Graduation:
A member school offers a Graduate Support Program that eases a graduate’s transition into the next level of education; supports, advocates for, and/or maintains a connection with all graduates; and tracks the continued growth and achievements of all graduates. A member school sets the expectation that all students will graduate from high school and complete some form of post-secondary education or specialized program.
7. Employ an Effective Administrative Structure:
A member school thrives when governed by an effective administrative structure that includes a strong governing body comprised of leaders committed to the financial and academic oversight of the school; and a strong administrative team that employs operational and educational strategies that support excellence in mission. (As explained in Governance-Aligned above)
8. Value On-going Assessment and Inquiry:
A member school engages in a process of ongoing assessment and inquiry to assist the staff in providing a quality education that prepares students for success in the next level of education and beyond.
9. Actively Participate in the NativityMiguel Coalition:
A member school is stronger as an active participant in the NativityMiguel Coalition than as a single school.
Mission-Alignment
Mission-Aligned I: Faith-based
Schools of all faith traditions and faith-based schools that are non-denominational are eligible for membership. While most of our member schools are Catholic, Episcopal schools currently represent 9% of the membership, and non-denominational schools currently represent 20% of the existing membership. All member schools define and describe how they live their faith-based identity in terms of governance; board, faculty and staff, and student formation; school worship and prayer; intentional community life; religious formation and study; and service that is inspired by faith, social justice, and the common good of the community.
Education is faith-based; reference to faith traditions and faith identity should be a part of each school day throughout the full school day. This ensures that the entire school community can speak freely about God and to directly tie core values to faith traditions and sacred texts such as the Bible and other books. This is verified in one of three ways:
1. School is sponsored by a religious congregation(s) and/or diocese and undergoes a review from the congregation(s) and/or diocese.
2. School is endorsed by a religious congregation, diocese, and/or other organization such as the National Association of Episcopal Schools, and the endorsing congregation, diocese, and/or organization supports and affirms their faith identity.
3. An independent school that is either non-denominational or that adheres to the faith traditions of a particular denomination without sponsorship or endorsement is asked to clearly define and live their faith identity accordingly. Documentation of this faith identity is necessary for membership in the Coalition (which may be of service to review and assess the faith identity of the school).
*Rather than full membership, the NMC extends a partnership affiliation to schools that are not faith-based but mission-aligned.
Mission-Aligned II: Serves the economically poor and marginalized
The NMC was founded to support schools with a primary mission to serve and educate the economically poor and marginalized. A school is mission-aligned in terms of service to the economically poor and marginalized if the three criteria below are met:
1. Most students enrolled in the school are eligible for the national free/reduced lunch program or an equivalent determination of a child living in poverty. Typically, 85% of all students enrolled in member schools are eligible for the free/reduced lunch.
2. The school is non-tuition driven. Member schools are accessible to all students regardless of their ability to pay. Not having the means to pay tuition or fees is never a reason for a student to be dismissed or not to be enrolled. The school’s financial model is not driven by more students paying more tuition. At most 40% of revenue can be generated from tuition; typically, only 5% of revenue in member schools is from tuition.
3. The education program is intimately linked to the economically poor and marginalized. The school design delivers the culture, curriculum, instruction, assessment, schedule and supports most appropriate for the students most impacted by the mission.
Governance-Alignment
Governance-Aligned I: Employ Effective Governance Structure
Member schools in the NMC are led by a governing body whose primary responsibility is to safeguard the integrity of the school’s mission. A school is governance-aligned in terms of an effective governance structure if the three criteria below are met:
1. The governing body is comprised of at least three people and can oversee the execution of the mission over time in the best interest of students and families, including the implementation of key strategic decisions related to facility, finances, leadership, and policy. The governing body protects and invests in the integrity of the school’s mission by ensuring that the school has the necessary resources and personnel.
2. At the same time, the governing body provides the head of school with the appropriate autonomy to make decisions as needed.
3. The governing body is committed to the mission, core beliefs, and outcomes of the NativityMiguel Coalition and believes in the value of membership in the Coalition.
The engagement of a sponsoring congregation in the governance of the school is not a requirement for membership.
Rather than full membership, the NMC extends a partnership affiliation to parochial schools governed by the pastor.
Governance-Aligned II: Employ Effective Leadership
Furthermore, the NMC promotes effective leadership as a primary driver of achievement in all member schools. In a member school, the governing body selects, employs, and annually evaluates the head of school, and the head of school appropriately distributes responsibility for executing on mission across the leadership team, faculty, staff and the full school community. The head of school also advances the mission, governance-structure, core beliefs, and outcomes supported by the NMC.
Schools that employ variances on the President-Principal leadership model are eligible for membership in the NMC. Given the reliance on the external community, however, an effective leadership model in a member school has the capacity to appropriately reach, engage and involve external constituents as well as manage internal members of the school community.
Governance-Aligned III: Employ Effective Policies, Systems and Resources
The governing body and school leadership ensure that effective and efficient school-wide policies and systems have been implemented, and that appropriate resources and personnel are in place to support the mission of the school. Since many member schools are still fledgling organizations with policies, systems, and resources evolving over time, the expectation is that member schools understand the importance of these policies, systems, and resources, and continuously involve key stakeholders to identify gaps and address needs. The policies, systems, and resources also prepare for more seamless leadership transitions as the school institutionalizes the knowledge and role of a founder, leader or key staff member.