Show-Me State Times

Saint Louis University's School of Education has established a partnership with St. Louis Catholic Academy, marking a significant collaboration aimed at enhancing middle school education. This affiliation, described as the first of its kind for SLU's School of Education, will see resources provided to the academy's middle school starting this academic year.

The relationship between SLU and St. Louis Catholic Academy began in 2020 through Access Academies, which supports historically underserved middle school students with enrichment programs, counseling, and scholarships. The academy itself has been serving students since 1891 in northeast St. Louis.

During the summer of 2024, both institutions experienced pivotal changes; St. Louis Catholic Academy relocated to a new building on N. Jefferson Ave., while SLU received a historic gift for its School of Education. Gary Ritter, Ph.D., dean for the School of Education at SLU, noted the fortunate timing: “This really was a confluence of positive events for everyone involved,” he said.

As part of their partnership efforts, SLU played a role in hiring new staff for the academy's middle school for the 2024-25 academic year. Kwira Vickers was appointed as the school's first Middle School director and led the recruitment of four faculty members who have revamped learning programs to elevate student performance in reading and math.

SLU is committed to providing additional resources to assist teachers and students who are striving to reach grade-level standards. Monthly coaching and professional development sessions are planned throughout the year for faculty and administrators at St. Louis Catholic Academy.

Angela Moret, Ph.D., managing director of SLU’s Herrmann Center for Innovative Catholic Education, emphasized their supportive role: “Our role is to support the middle school at St. Louis Catholic Academy,” she stated.

To foster positive relationships among students, an in-house competition between grades and classes has been introduced by St. Louis Catholic Academy. Moret highlighted that boosting academic excellence is a primary goal: “We want to make sure that when these students graduate from St. Louis Catholic Academy... they’re not just attending high school but thriving.”

Encouraged by early results within months into the school year, administrators remain optimistic about future successes stemming from this collaboration.