Solving Diversity In Education and the Workforce - E17

Elizabeth Goettl, the inspirational CEO of Cristo Rey Network of Schools and a national award winning educator is interviewed about her expertise and successful leadership of the largest network of high schools serving students facing poverty in 37 cities across 24 states in the US.

• The Cristo Rey Network comprises 37 Catholic, college preparatory schools that today serve 13,000 students annually, of all faiths.
• CRN exclusively serves students from limited income families. 
• Mission effectiveness standards fill in academic gaps and elevate the level of rigor to ensure that students are ready for college.
• A Corporate Work Study Program provides an educational environment that equips students to excel in their undergraduate and post-graduate lives.
• 20,000 graduates and 98% students of color.
• Students gain four years of college preparatory education while gaining four years of workforce experience.
• Corporate partners often increase diversity while increasing job engagement.
• More than 60 university partners supports 90% college enrollment

Listen to this interview with Elizabeth and Lenora to hear so much more about how their program works to help students and businesses in the Corporate Work Study Program, providing benefits to both.

To join the movement and learn more, click the Cristo Rey Network and discover how you or your business can get involved.

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Note: Episode was recorded under the former podcast name of "3Ps in a Pod"

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Transcript

Solving Diversity and Workforce Opportunity In Poor Communities Across the US

Lenora Turner:   I'm Lenora and this is 3Ps In A Pod podcast. Purpose, pathways, and perspectives are what we talk about. You know, I've worked with a global Fortune 500 network for more than a decade. Trained thousands of employees on many topics and have worked in the nonprofit sector for more than a decade as well. With highly diverse populations in both spaces. And right now, more than ever, there are so many businesses looking to make a greater difference in their communities and looking to get their industry and business opportunities in front of more diverse audiences. 

[00:00:43] One of the things I've seen is that simply the extreme busy-ness of life and being unaware of options are two great hindrances to taking simple steps towards bridging gaps in the workforce, connecting education to business, and leveraging effective solutions for our communities. Well, I have a really great solution for you today.

[00:01:04] Today's an interview with Elizabeth Goettl, CEO and president of the Cristo Rey Network of Schools, which you're going to hear about an amazing solution to get involved with extremely diverse populations in your communities. If you're in any one of 24 states. And you could still get involved, even if you're not nearby. But you're going to want to hear Elizabeth's experience and the effectiveness of the Cristo Rey Network of Schools.

[00:01:28] The website is cristoreynetwork.org, C R I S T O R E Y N E T W O R K dot O R G. Check it out and enjoy today's episode of 3Ps In A Pod.

[00:01:47] Welcome to this podcast, Elizabeth. I am very, very pleased that you're going to be a guest today because I'm a huge fan of your work and the network that you are a part of. So, this is Elizabeth Goettl. You're the CEO and president of Cristo Rey Network of Schools.

[00:02:03] Elizabeth Goettl: That's right. Good morning Lenora 

[00:02:05] Lenora Turner: Good morning.  We're going to talk about a couple different things. One is just learning a bit about you, because again, I'm very impressed with your whole background. And then we'll talk about your current network of schools, because I think, I've seen, certainly, what can be kind of common is disconnection between schools and the work people actually do, or business and the schools.

[00:02:30] And you have a beautiful solution going on with the Cristo Rey network of schools. So, I just want to unpack that. So, I'm talking already and I want to just say again, welcome. And can you tell them audience and tell me just more about your career because you've done some pretty amazing things in your academic support of the success of schools.

[00:02:51] Elizabeth Goettl: Oh, sure. Thanks. Lenora. Well, right now I lead the Cristo Rey Network of Schools, and I know we'll talk more about that, but over the course of my career, I have been an educator in a number of different settings. So importantly, I taught for 10 years and I think anyone who will be an educational leader must have done the most important work, which is classroom teaching. 

[00:03:12] Teaching and learning in the classroom is the most important thing that happens in schools each and every day. And good teachers can do their work better with good leaders. And so, I went from classroom teaching for 10 years to serving as a school principal for 17 years in three different schools.

[00:03:30] And then I served as associate superintendent. This was in a very fine, small, public school system, the Catalina Foothills School District in Tucson, Arizona. Where students have so many opportunities for 21st century learning. 

[00:03:47] Lenora Turner: Well, I read that you were the national distinguished principal for Arizona.

[00:03:53] Elizabeth Goettl: Oh, true. Yeah, that was fun.

[00:03:55] Lenora Turner: Don't keep those important things out. That's impressive. 

[00:03:58] Elizabeth Goettl: Well, I tell you that that was a fun experience because every state, every year under the national association of elementary school principals selects one principal who was demonstrating the kind of leadership that we hope other principals demonstrate.

[00:04:13] And I just had the honor and the privilege of being selected for Arizona and taking trip to the White House. And they did it up big. It was really, really a fun experience. But I think what, I'm more proud of than that, It's kind of you to mention that, is that two of the schools where I served as principal, applied for and were noted as a United States Department of Education, Blue Ribbon Schools.

[00:04:37] And that was really a demonstration of this strong team we had built. The strong team of educators and parents working together to ensure that their young people were receiving education of the highest quality. So it was really a wonderful opportunity to discern how is our school doing? Where are we strong? And where do we want to get better?

[00:04:58] So it wasn't just getting the award. It was the thoughtful process of application for the award. The celebration was great because our parents and our teachers thought they had the best school in their area. And so of course that was fun, but it was really the thoughtful process of thinking about where are we now and where do we want to go next? 

[00:05:17] Which is the most useful to an organization. 

[00:05:20] Lenora Turner: Well, when you get those awards again, that's no small task. I was reading about the Blue-Ribbon award, as well. To be recognize that way what are like the top two key things you have to kind of show you're successful with to say, "Hey, this is a school worthy of this award."

[00:05:35] Elizabeth Goettl: Sure. 

[00:05:35] So, we needed to demonstrate that students were achieving at high levels, that they were making academic progress, that our teachers were well-trained, developed and supported, that our parents are engaged in the community. And that we provided a comprehensive well-rounded program for our students that included, not only core academic subjects, but, visual and performing arts and other opportunities for students to engage in the life of the school.

[00:06:01] Lenora Turner: Wow. And I wanted to bring that up just because of what you're doing now. I just think it ties in so well with the kind of academic excellence that's happening. But go ahead, please tell us more about your pathway. 

[00:06:13] Elizabeth Goettl: Well, just a little bit more. I left the Catalina Foothills School District to serve as president of the Cristo Rey school in Tucson, Arizona in its early years.

[00:06:23] You know, many people who work at Cristo Rey will tell a similar story. I wasn't job hunting; I was most satisfied in my work. But I was invited by a friend and board member, Cindy Parseghian, who served on the board, at the school in Tucson. And she said, "We want you to come and visit the school."

[00:06:39] And I said, "I would love to." I'd heard about this new school kicking off. And when I visited, I had no intention of applying for the role of president, but I walked in the door and it took me about two minutes to realize that this was my new mission. 

[00:06:54] Because it was the same type of high quality, rigorous, college preparatory education that we were offering people in my small fine public-school system, but the students in this area didn't necessarily have access to that sort of quality education. 

[00:07:10] So it's all about opening the doors of access. So, I wanted to be part of that. So, I served as president of that school for several years, and then the national office, which is based in Chicago, invited me to move with my family to Chicago and serve as the network's first chief academic officer.

[00:07:27] This was in a time in the network's development, where we had 18 schools and it occurred to all of the schools that it didn't make sense for them to be doing their own academic work in isolation. So, we pulled the schools together and we collectively developed national academic standards, sets of professional development supports and leadership development for the principals, so that the principals could collaborate together and access these tools and frameworks and not have to invent everything on their own.

[00:07:56] So in other words, while their schools are in separate local communities all over the U S they could collaborate together as one coherent network, rather than working in isolation. So, moved here and did that for five years and I've been in, this is my fourth year in my role as president and CEO. So I have the privilege of working with all of our 37 schools across the country.

[00:08:19] Lenora Turner: It's in 24 States now, correct? 

[00:08:21] Elizabeth Goettl: That's right. 24 States. 

[00:08:23] Lenora Turner: Okay. Again, for the audience sake, the Cristo Rey school, like you said, has a very targeted audience, which is unusual and you're the largest network of high schools that does this. So can you kind of say who's the target audience and why that's so powerful, for the sake of preparation for future opportunity and successful pathways?

[00:08:42] Elizabeth Goettl: You bet. So, Cristo Rey schools are Catholic private college preparatory schools. Usually that sounds like expensive tuition-driven schools. What's unique about Cristo Rey schools is that we aim to have the same sort of quality education in the Catholic tradition, but that we exclusively serve students from limited income families.

[00:09:05] So students whose families couldn't pay this tuition and perhaps in their neighborhood, they can't access a quality private, public, or charter school that sets them on the path for college. So we're very strict about those income guidelines. And we have a very specific process for determining those because we want to open the door of access to students who may not otherwise have it. 

[00:09:28] And I mentioned that our schools are Catholic and we are all Catholic schools. However, our students need not be Catholic. So, our doors are open to all, about 60% of our students are in fact Catholic. but our students and staff may or may not be Catholic.

[00:09:41] We share our Catholic values and traditions, and we are sponsored, each school, by a religious sponsor. So, people listening know about Jesuit Schools or Christian Brothers Schools, or Sisters of Mercy. So examples of some of the Catholic religious sponsors that may sponsor all of our schools.

[00:10:03] Lenora Turner: Yeah. It's beautiful.  I'm a person of faith, but I'm not Catholic.  When it came to the work that I've done and looking at programs, we exclusively look at programs that are just plain effective.

[00:10:15] And I know that, the fact is you're producing amazing results through the graduates. And that's what we look for is, "Hey this is something that's really making an impact on community, really making an impact on any child, regardless of what their faith is, it's going to your school?" And you just can't deny that the third party or just the reports and the data you've put out. 

[00:10:38] And then I've visited, I think at least six schools across the country, and I've been terribly impressed every time. What I've noticed is the principal whoever's taking us around the school, the number of students they know, how personal the connection is, how engaged the students are, how well they present themselves.

[00:10:58] And just the buildings themselves have just been usually amazing, either historical or just beautiful buildings, a lot of work done. But you cannot help but be impressed with the people that are involved in your local schools and the passion that there is to make a difference. So, and again, the results that you're getting is why I just fell in love with this network, which I was introduced to by some executives at a company called Expeditors.

[00:11:23] Elizabeth Goettl: Well, you and Expeditors have been very supportive of Cristo Rey schools and joining with us in our corporate work study program. So thank you. We're grateful to you for that partnership. 

[00:11:33] Thank you. And like I said, there are so many individuals that care and once they get and involved, you see so many people get that personal passion and it's everything about, they just care about these kids.

[00:11:43] They see the mission; they see that it's effective. They want to be a part of it. They want to be a part of encouraging a young life, helping them see opportunity. So, now again, you went from Arizona to Chicago. Yeah, it's definitely different in weather. People tell us we did that backwards, but we do love Chicago and we love Arizona 

[00:12:05] Lenora Turner: And Chicago, I've been there just, I think once or twice. And it's a beautiful city, some amazing views there. And again, I've just been just short trips, so there's so much I didn't see. But how has this transition been since you've come in? I know that each school is run independently in the sense of what they have to do to get started, yet they're a part of this network. 

[00:12:26] So, how do you work through that network mentality and putting together those best practices, which I do think personally is critical. We've done it ourselves with our program that's very, very, very different, but have you worked with that to put together some of those best practices and strengthen the team?

[00:12:43] You've mentioned some things, but expand on that a little.  

[00:12:45] Elizabeth Goettl: Sure. So, our 37 schools are those small, complex organizations, because these are college preparatory schools who are serving students who typically walk in the door a little bit behind academically, because as ninth graders, they may not have had access to quality K-eight education.

[00:13:04] So, we're both closing that academic gap and elevating the level of rigor to ensure that they're ready for college. So that is a challenge right there. When you just think of a school and what it's trying to accomplish. And then right in the middle of that school we plop an employment agency, the corporate work study program.

[00:13:22] So they are complex organizations. So our job at the national office is really to support the schools and lighten their load a bit. We do two things, one, we hold all of our schools mutually accountable for 10, what we call, Mission Effectiveness Standards. And these 10 standards describe what it means to be a Cristo Rey school.

[00:13:42] So for example, one standard is we exclusively serve students from low income families. So if your family thinks this sounds like a great school, but your family makes too much money, then we think that family has other options. So, yeah, those 10 standards really drive the school's work. So our job at the national office is to hold schools mutually accountable for those standards and secondly, to support schools in achieving those standards. 

[00:14:07] So we support them in developing frameworks and tools. So for instance, in the academic program, common curriculum standards. A whole array of professional development and supports for teachers and for principals. Sometimes we deliver those supports ourselves, or sometimes we partner with other national agencies.

[00:14:28] So for instance, in our teacher math professional development program, we're working with the Silicon Valley math initiative. A Wonderful or organization that has evidence-based practices to increase math achievement. They're the experts. We partner with them and make that work available to our schools. We can also fund that from the national office so we can raise money and fund it so that our schools that probably couldn't afford that training on their own can have access to the best.

[00:14:56] Or we work with some professors from Harvard in looking at school quality and school coherence. So we've been working with Dr. Candice Bocala to do that. So just a couple of examples of how we connect with people outside of our network. But we provide those tools and resources and frameworks so that the schools have the best resources available to them so that they can deliver on the promise they made to their students, which is to get them ready to go to and through college.

[00:15:25] Lenora Turner: Wow. And so again, I want to say this, cause I need this here, this one again, out loud, which I'm very familiar with.  

[00:15:30] You have 37 college preparatory schools with an amazing percentage of success. We'll talk about that in a minute. And yet what you're doing, though, here is making sure you're targeting those who, you know, can't afford it. And to get them up, I think the average is a couple of grades from when they may be behind academically by maybe two grades when they come into the ninth grade.

[00:15:53] And so you're not only bringing them up to what's more expected, you're getting them ready to go into a four-year college in a way that is mentally and what the work that they've done, the discipline that it requires is already in place through the four-year practices that, that they're in while they're attending the school.

[00:16:13] Elizabeth Goettl: Exactly. Exactly. And you mentioned the discipline, and earlier you mentioned a school visit to six different schools, and whenever a person visits a Cristo Rey school, they have a similar reaction as you did, as I did when I first walked in the school in Tucson. And that is this remarkable feeling of something great happening in this place.

[00:16:33] So, sometimes when people picture a stereotypical quote, "inner cities school," they might have a different vision. And so to paint a picture, when you walk into a Cristo Rey school, which is in the center city by design, typically, we're only in large cities or medium-sized cities, you will find a very orderly environment, a very respectful environment.

[00:16:55] You'll see students typically with smiles on their faces in a non-COVID environment, students would stop you in the hallway, look you in the eye, and shake your hand and greet you and welcome you to the school. You would see young men and women wearing professional dress, both to school and to the workplace, which I know we'll talk about later, but you would see the young man wearing a professional shirt and tie, and you would see the young women wearing a collared blouse.

[00:17:19] And so it's this professional culture that is pervasive both at the school and at the workplace. So we are a, we have a professional culture and a college going culture. So you would say you see that in action, if you visited a school. Which, in a typical time, we would welcome our listeners to do. 

[00:17:38] Lenora Turner: Yeah. And we'll touch on that maybe later, because this is quite a year to say the least. Let's switch over to that workforce piece, because again, I know how it came about, but I'd like you to share that. But what happens, for the audience sake, is these students are going to school for four days a week.

[00:17:55] And then the fifth day, they are, whichever day it is, there's a rotation. A fifth day they are on-site with a business and that business is paying for the work of that student. But that's covering a large portion of the cost of this college preparatory education. 

[00:18:12] Elizabeth Goettl: That's exactly right. 

[00:18:13] Lenora Turner: It does so many things. I think the reason why it was set up was because it was a great financial solution, but the ripple effects have gone all over the place. 

[00:18:24] Elizabeth Goettl: That's exactly right Lenora. So the first Cristo Rey school opened 25 years ago in Chicago. And, the original idea of the corporate work study program was really an alternative to expensive tuition.

[00:18:38] How would we actually operate such a school for families who really can't afford to pay a high tuition? So the corporate work study program was born in that way. But since then it has evolved into a very structured and integrated portion of our program. So, we are focusing on college readiness and career preparation in an integrated manner.

[00:18:59] So as you said, students attend classes for longer days each week. And one day a week, roughly, they go to work at a real job at a real workplace. And these are professional places. They typically work in places where the other people who work there needed to earn a college degree or some sort of professional training.

[00:19:21] And so they're exposed to a world, perhaps, different than they or their families have been exposed to before. So as an example, our students work in hospitals, law firms, accounting firms, professional services, and the like. In so doing, they're not only developing their technical skills, like Microsoft Excel, but their human skills like decision-making, oral communication, but they're also seeing a vision of a future, perhaps, that they had never considered before.

[00:19:55] Lenora Turner: And that to me is so powerful because it's one thing to tell someone you can do it; it's possible than it is to be in a place where they begin to feel like it's possible. They begin to believe it's possible because they see an opportunity or a piece of it while they're doing it. So here they've got four years where one day a week they're in a business.

[00:20:15] It may be a different one each year, or it varies, whether they would stay with one place for a couple of years or however that might happen. But what we've seen, what I've seen is, any opportunity where you're actually having the students onsite in a business it's beginning to shift. Their vision and their possibility, they begin to see, Oh, this isn't something for somebody else out there or somebody different.

[00:20:41] If, like you said, maybe they haven't been in the environment; hadn't even been aware of the industry, and they get this experience, it opens their eyes to what's possible. And that's a big deal. I think that's huge for a true shift upward and to something more than they'll actually believe they can accomplish. It's a powerful piece of that.

[00:21:05] Elizabeth Goettl: That's exactly right. If you bump into a Cristo Rey student in the hallway in a typical year and say, well, "Tell me about your school, what do you like about it?" The students will typically respond with two things. They'll say, "I like my teachers." And I'll say, "Why?", and they'll say something like, "Cause they care about me."

[00:21:21] They know they're loved and cared for. And secondly, not necessarily in this order, they'll say, "I like my job in the corporate work study program." And I'll ask, "Why?", and they'll usually respond about how they feel like they are respected; they are treated as young adults. I mean, it's a real job for real pay.

[00:21:38] So, students job-share a full-time job equivalent in an entry level role. And they may be, on a given day, sitting in their lunch room with the CEO, or meeting with the supervisor, maybe attending a team meeting, and so opportunities to develop their own skills to learn and also to contribute. So, we see it as, very helpful for both our corporate partner and for the student, we think there's some mutual benefit that occurs there. 

[00:22:07] Lenora Turner: There is. It's also where the person on the job, because we have been involved at the, again, this is a personal podcast, but at a company called Expeditors that there's been 16 different offices that have had students on site. 

[00:22:22] And at times those students are pretty nervous coming in, but you also see employees discovering the massive impact they can have on a young life just by, over that school year, having them being a bit of a mentor, a coach, doing certain tasks, and the impact you have on someone else, it's just inspiring to the employee. 

[00:22:43] There's more connection on the job. Often, being involved with something like that effort increases the interest and engagement on the job. There again, knowing that the things that you begin to take for granted on the job, your ability to do something well, when you share it with someone, and it's brand new for them. And it rekindles your own engagement as well. Your day-to-day impact is literally changing someone's life. 

[00:23:12] Elizabeth Goettl: We hear that from our corporate partners, that the supervisors at the workplace, because every student is of course matched with a real-world supervisor at his or her workplace. The supervisors are very motivated. I've heard supervisors say, “I was going to get a promotion and move to another department, but I declined it because I didn't want to lose my Cristo Rey workers.”

[00:23:31] That sort of thing is really mind-blowing. But there are a number of structures in place to help the students be successful. And so close communication with those supervisors at the workplace supervise your development, onboarding and support is important. And we train our student workers. So from the day they walk onto our campus before they're even freshmen, the summer before they have a two-to-three week training in some of the initial skills they'll need to walk into the workplace and be successful. 

[00:23:59] Everything from how to shake hands, to how to answer a phone, to how to tie a tie. And then that student’s worker development continues over the four years of the student's participation in the program.

[00:24:10] So we have students right now who are working on getting their Microsoft Excel certification so they can provide real value to the workplace. But as you said, we have so many loyal partners such as Expeditors; you and Jose Ubeda had been such wonderful mentors and partners. And I do believe that the supervisors in the workplace get something back from that experience of mentoring our students.

[00:24:34] So again, that mutual benefit. We hear from supervisors in the workplace that on the days Cristo Rey students are there, their own employees dress a little bit better, walk, a little taller, maybe behave a little bit better. Cause they're modeling for the next generation of leaders. And so all of that works very well.

[00:24:52] Lenora Turner: Yeah, thank you. And we also have worked at times on the business side of things to say, because depending on your business, whether you have things that are more naturally in place for someone that's a young student to take on or not. So, we've worked on what are our best practices, what are our things that we take things at one branch office that may do well and share it with another, and all kinds of beautiful ideas come together.

[00:25:14] And I tell ya, we have a number, so many different people, that are so passionate about my students, and it's just beautiful to watch because it's just the impact of business and community. Again, I think it, it does so many things. It's the mentoring. 

[00:25:28] We also add like a peer mentor, someone else besides a supervisor, who's just paying attention just to say hi, check in, things like that. As well as knowing that the networking that accidentally happens over time, they're getting coworkers or colleagues in an industry in a couple of different companies that they wouldn't have had connection with. 

[00:25:49] So down after college graduation or on whatever pathway they end up on, they can have someone else to contact. They have, you know, most people get jobs through some form of networking. And it's beautiful to add that piece. So, your model also does that. So there are so many nice ripple effects. 

[00:26:10] With COVID, of course this year, it's, you've got a lot of shift to being just remote. I know that we're and again, it's hard for me sometimes I want to separate, this is a personal podcast, but there's some really great things that the company at Expeditors is doing to help reach out to students, even in the remote environment.

[00:26:28] But talk a little bit about this year. And hopefully we'll get back to more sense of a normal, and I'm sure it varies across the country as to who's remote and who's on site and things like that. 

[00:26:37] Elizabeth Goettl: Sure. Well, this year is a hard year for everybody in so many ways. For the Cristo Rey network schools, it's a particular challenge because the typical operational model for a Cristo Rey school is that about 50% of the operational revenue is actually earned through students' work at the corporate work study program. 

[00:26:59] So instead of paying expensive tuition, students are literally earning their college preparatory education. Every family pays some amount of tuition on a sliding scale. It's about 10% of the school's total operational budget. That means school is fundraising about 40%.

[00:27:16] So we think it's a sustainable financial model to provide the sort of quality private education to students who otherwise couldn't afford it. So what does that mean in a year like this year? If 50% of your operational revenue goes out the window, you have a problem. So of course, our corporate partners are loyal and wonderful and struggling in their own ways.

[00:27:37] So many of our corporate partners have stayed with us about a little over or 50% of our corporate partners have signed contracts for the current year. Some of the students are actually working in the workplace. Some of the students are doing remote work this year, and some are just continuing their student worker development as they await their opportunity to be assigned to the workplace, either remotely or in person.

[00:28:02] So there are all sorts of configurations. But we're so grateful to our corporate partners who've stayed with us through this tough time. There are some, who've made the typical fee for service payment, a charitable contribution for the first semester of the year, you know, awaiting the second semester in the hopes that things are starting to improve. But it's a real challenge for our schools to be able to sustain financially through this environment.

[00:28:28] Lenora Turner: Yeah, you think about, and the so many challenges this year and the compassion of industries, and some of them in great pain, others doing okay. And, the struggle for anybody in different ways. And then I've talked to some people and said, Hey, you think about this with the struggles that business may have, think about a nonprofit, the nonprofit doesn't get to invoice the kids they're helping. They don't get to invoice whoever their audience is. 

[00:28:51] So they are really dependent on the generosity of others, as well as you have such a model that does produce value. And like I said, I think it's great to hear those that have stayed in contact and hopefully this podcast will help other business people, other businesses, business owners want to find out if there's a Cristo Rey school in their area, how they could get involved because it's powerful.

[00:29:15] And it's a great way that while you're working, you can even impact your community. Cause I want to think about it. I've thought about that sometimes, too, is how many people are really busy with their work schedules with family, with just keeping their own life in order. I think the average person certainly wants to help their community.

[00:29:34] And sometimes they don't even necessarily know how, and how do I find that time? How do I make an impact? And this is one way that is so, again, another nice outcome. You can be on the job and be doing the very thing that long-term will solve a problem in someone's preparation, someone's opportunity, someone's skill building.

[00:29:53] So many of the things that are needed to solve the gaps in opportunity or gaps in our workforce, even also meeting the needs were increased and we need more people that are skilled and equipped. So for every reason, this is a nice solution. 

[00:30:09] Elizabeth Goettl: Absolutely. 

[00:30:10] Lenora Turner: Now, I know what I'll do is I'll put a link on this podcast in the notes of the Cristo Rey network.org.

[00:30:18] That's what it is: cristoreynetwork.org. 

[00:30:20] Elizabeth Goettl: That's right: cristoreynetwork.org. 

[00:30:23] Lenora Turner: And, I still want to talk a little bit more.  If someone's hearing about this for the first time, they're a business hearing about this for the first time, what would you want to say beyond what we've been saying? Why they should get involved and how it might work well for them?

[00:30:39] Elizabeth Goettl: Sure, and they're welcome to contact any local Cristo Rey school, but starting at cristoreynetwork.org, there's a very specific description of the corporate work study program on our site. But why might a business that isn't currently involved want to get involved, especially at this time? 

[00:30:55] You know, we've all engaged in the conversation on race and equity in our country in recent months. We've had corporations reaching out to us and saying, you know, we want to do more in diversity and inclusion. We're not doing enough at our company. And that's a perfect opportunity for us to say, we have a pathway to help you with that.

[00:31:14] We have a system already developed. So we think of the corporate work study program as an opportunity for your company. To think about how do you remove those institutional barriers? So the lack of access to professional networks, the lack of access to technical acumen and social acumen. So we, our program can provide that for you by removing those institutional barriers, we get closer to decreasing economic inequality.

[00:31:41] So by making sure that students have bachelor's degrees, and then all of that works towards advancing racial equity. So we want students, our students to be at the forefront of industry at the forefront of education. And so we have a tailor-made ready-made program, and a company that is interested can learn more and see if it would be a fit for them.

[00:32:03] Lenora Turner: Yeah, that's beautiful. Cause you know, I I've so used to Cristo Rey network that I didn't even say what some of these statistics are to who these schools are. Isn't it, 90% students of color? 

[00:32:14] Elizabeth Goettl: 98% of students of color.

[00:32:16] Lenora Turner: 98%. 

[00:32:16] Elizabeth Goettl: Exactly. 

[00:32:17] Yes. So we are open to all students of course, but because we are serving students of limited income, it turns out that in our country, most of those students from families of low income are students of color.

[00:32:32] Lenora Turner: Okay. And I know you're in many cities, we won't list it all here, but I know you're across the U S from more on the Midwest and East coast, but you're in Portland. I know you're in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Boston, Newark, New York. Gosh, Pennsylvania.

[00:32:50] Elizabeth Goettl: You named a ton. You know, we're in, on the West coast we're in Portland, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland. Yeah, we are really all over the country. You could name almost any big city and there would be a Cristo Rey school. 

[00:33:04] We're in Denver, Las Vegas, Tucson, Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, et cetera, but, 37 different cities on our way to 50 over the next decade, as the time and the place are appropriate. We're more than interested in partnering with other cities that could support this sort of a program.

[00:33:23] Lenora Turner: And I know you also have many college partnerships, many colleges. What's the percentage of those students that do go on, that get accepted into college? And I think you have two to three times the completion rate for that demographic that you're working with?

[00:33:37] Elizabeth Goettl: We do, almost 90% of our students actually enroll in college.

[00:33:42] You know, a lot of high schools like to say "A hundred percent of our students were accepted to college." And we, too, can say that. And that's very important. But what really matters is who enrolls that fall. So we don't use anecdotal data. We only track our data through the National Student Clearinghouse, the authoritative source. 

[00:34:00] And from that, we can say that almost 90% of our students actually enroll in either a two year or four-year program. And yes, our completion rate is far higher. So our completion rate for bachelor's degrees is about two and a half times the completion rate of other, the low income population across the country.

[00:34:20] And we're working to raise that. So we also have students completing two-year degrees. so, they're both important. A bachelor's degree is the game changer though, you know, because over the course of a lifetime individuals with a four-year degree, earn about a million dollars more over their lifetime than individuals without a four year degree.

[00:34:39] So if we're trying to lift students out of their current situation and give them access and opportunity, a college degree does make a lot of sense. So yes, we do have university partners. We have 62 of them right now, and those are partner institutions who commit to helping students meet their demonstrated financial need and to ensuring there's a set of supports for them to complete successfully.

[00:35:03] So tutorials, a campus writing center, and that sort of thing. 

[00:35:08] Lenora Turner: I know we did share, I think last year, some access to some of the trade scholarships as well.  because there are so many great incomes in the trades.

[00:35:16] So, is that a piece of it with some of the two-year programs that might be out there? 

[00:35:21] Elizabeth Goettl: There are a number of good two-year programs our students do engage in. We're not specifically focused on the trades. Although I will say through our corporate work study program, the technical skills and the social acumens students develop can be applied in any industry.

[00:35:35] So students are taught and assessed on their skills of taking initiative, decision making, problem solving, oral and written communications. So those sorts of skills that can be applied in any setting, we're trying to teach those transferable skills regardless of this specific domain in which they're now applying them.

[00:35:55] Lenora Turner: Yeah, because again, one thing your network does is allow just so much new vision. I think if you don't see something possible for yourself, don't actually see it. You might hear it, but it is going to pass you on by, but not only are you helping them see it, but they're actually getting to experience it while they're in high school.

[00:36:12] So they're getting a college preparatory education and four years of workforce experience. I'm such a fan. I can praise it all day long. So, we've seen the results and takes a little while to get your feet, but then it's just quite a special partnership. 

[00:36:29] Now, besides anything I've said, how would you want to wrap this up to just, provoke, anything else to get started or anything else you want to share about this very important and very powerful work?

[00:36:42] Elizabeth Goettl: I guess I'd want to share really that, that it's all about serving our students well and keeping the promise we made to our students and their families. When they enrolled as 14-year-olds, we said, look, if you apply effort, if you're ready to work hard, we can almost guarantee you that we'll have you ready for college and to, and through college.

[00:36:59] So what we're doing again is. Opening that door of access. And I think that the opportunity to partner with university institutions with 3,500 corporate partners throughout the United States is so unique and that it's truly a community partnership. These are communities of people of goodwill coming together and say saying, you know, how can you make your city a better place?

[00:37:24] And everybody wants that. So, you know, how can we work together to develop the leaders of tomorrow? There are good schools that are public and private and charter in every city, but every kid doesn't have access to one of those schools. So we just want to do our part to develop the leaders of tomorrow.

[00:37:43] And through this community effort, there are many, many ways to participate. So again, people can go to cristoreynetwork.org and learn for themselves about opening a school, becoming a corporate partner, or any interest they have to participate in this community effort. 

[00:38:00] Lenora Turner: And I think you guys have more than 18,000 graduates now.

[00:38:03] Elizabeth Goettl: We have 20,000 graduates right now. 

[00:38:06] Lenora Turner: I was behind. Sorry. 

[00:38:07] Elizabeth Goettl: And we're really pleased that we actually, for the first time have three of our alumni on our national board of directors. So we're really thrilled to have that alumni voice because our students often guide us in the right direction. 

[00:38:20] Don't they? 

[00:38:21] Lenora Turner: Oh, they do. And we have to know if you're not connecting with who you're actually serving, how on earth can you be on target? And you guys do so many things well.

[00:38:28] Elizabeth Goettl: We have lots of areas for growth as well, but thank you, Lenora. We're always working on getting better. 

[00:38:34] Lenora Turner: That's always true. I think it's a never-ending effort, but I appreciate you. Again, I just see the results, I've met the young people. So many people get just passionately connected when they're involved, because you're getting the results everybody is talking about and needing and wanting to see. 

[00:38:52] So I just hope everyone learns about this Cristo Rey network. At the beginning, it might've been accidentally brilliant, but it has absolutely proven out to be an incredibly smart model.

[00:39:03] Elizabeth Goettl: Indeed. Yes. Thank you. 

[00:39:05] Lenora Turner: Elizabeth, I know we'll stay connected otherwise, and again, thank you so much for all of your work and what you pour into this network of school. 

[00:39:15] Elizabeth Goettl: Well, thank you. Lenora and its partners like you that make it all come together.

[00:39:18] So thank you for your commitment to our young people. 

[00:39:21] Lenora Turner: You're welcome. Thank you very much. 

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