November 6, 2008
By Lisa B. Hamilton

A difficult economic scene is on the minds of Episcopal educators as they gather November 6-8 in Tampa, Florida for the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) biennial national conference.

According to the Rev. Daniel R. Heischman, NAES executive director, the effect of a possible recession on enrollment and budget tops the list of challenges the teachers, chaplains, heads of school and directors of early childhood programs bring. In an interview, Heischman said that a workshop called "Marketing Your Episcopal School" has enrolled more attendees than any other of the 59 workshop offerings. Sessions on planned giving are also scheduled.

Economic challenges aside, Heischman said, "There is still a deep desire to be fed with a spiritual focus on what we do." Accordingly, several workshops are designed to enhance educators' inner lives, to deepen understanding of education as a spiritual activity, to explore Episcopal identity and to design outreach activities.

Perennial, practical concerns will be addressed with workshops such as the second-most popular, "Delivering Difficult News to Parents: Speaking Truth with Grace and Compassion," "An Interactive Chapel Service for Children in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5: A Child-Centered Approach" and "Putting on Other Hats: The Ministry of Coaches and Advisors."

"The constant issue for our members," said Heischman, "is relationship, which is of course crucial in any community. An important component of our mission is always collegiality and transparency." Accordingly, NAES will unveil "Principles of Good Practice" on school-parish relationships at the conference.

NAES will also introduce an endowment fund to underwrite leadership development in Episcopal schools.

A new tradition will begin the first morning of the conference when participants will engage in community service at Metropolitan Ministries, a social services program in Tampa.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will celebrate and preach at the gathering's opening Eucharist tonight. Her presence will mark the first time a presiding bishop has attended a NAES conference. The offering will be equally divided between Metropolitan Ministries and hurricane relief funds of Episcopal Relief and Development.

Educator and author Parker J. Palmer is the conference's plenary speaker. His addresses are entitled "Word Become Flesh: We Teach Who We Are" and "Leadership for Community: The Loaves and Fishes Revisited." He and Amelia J. Dyer, associate dean of Virginia Theological Seminary will offer a dialog entitled "The Body of Christ: Teaching and Learning in Community."

The NAES counts 462 member schools as of the 2007-2008 academic year. According to its website, Episcopal schools serve approximately 160,000 children from preschool through high school. About 25% of those students are Episcopalians.

"One of our challenges," Heischman said, "is to be clear about who we are as Episcopal schools in a population that is increasingly less familiar with denominational terms like ‘Episcopal.'"

However, Episcopal schools are growing at the rate of about one new school a year, frequently in urban areas. The Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys opened this fall in Washington, D.C. St. Elizabeth's School of Denver is in its second year. Heischman said Episcopal schools are in the works in Atlanta and Greenville, South Carolina. "This is a striking contrast to what's happening around the nation," Heischman said. "In the last decade, 400,000 urban children have lost religious schools, many of the schools being Roman Catholic or evangelical Christian."

Episcopal News Service
The Rev. Lisa Hamilton is correspondent for provinces I, II, III and IV.