Last fall, the Catholic Schools Office set out to develop a program that would foster interest, inform, and support discernment in Catholic school leadership among teachers and staff within the diocese. After seeking input and aid from the Diocesan Advisory Council for Catholic Education, school pastors, presidents, and principals, the program, known as the Aspiring Leaders Academy for the Diocese of Birmingham Catholic Schools, was born.

In general, there is a decline in the number of people going into education, let alone in Catholic school administration. Of course, there are faculty and staff currently in diocesan schools who have considered leadership but either didn’t know where to begin or didn’t want to enroll in a costly master’s program to figure out if that was the right path. In response, the diocese needs programs in place to increase an awareness and love for this service to the Church, and the Aspiring Leaders Academy will provide a relatively easy entry into discernment.

The academy will provide those who participate with insight into Catholic school leadership itself. There are so many areas of responsibility that fall under Catholic school leadership that, unless one has served as a school leader, it’s hard to know them all. This program will offer a comprehensive overview of those responsibilities. It will consist of six day-long sessions led by experienced Catholic school administrators in the area, covering everything from Catholic identity and instructional leadership to budgeting and personnel supervision. Participants will also have the chance to put their leadership skills into practice through a manageable school improvement project done in collaboration with their school principal.

The academy is just another important initiative out of the Catholic Schools Office that will help schools within the diocese secure an already hopeful future. Regardless of the joys and benefits of serving in diocesan schools, there will consistently be positions in leadership available with relocations, retirements, and the like. It’s important to have leaders in-waiting, especially those already committed to the mission of Catholic education and the schools of the diocese. In time, the academy will provide a bench of local school leaders to serve schools as principals, assistant principals, athletic directors, or deans. Though the academy won’t lead to a master’s degree or an administrator’s certification through the state, it will provide participants insight into Catholic school leadership, a process for discernment, and hopefully, a launching point for a future ministry in this wonderful apostolate of Catholic education.

Applications for the first cohort will open in February for the inaugural 2026-2027 Aspiring Leaders Academy for the Diocese of Birmingham Catholic Schools.