Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Marcolette Madden is an Instructional Coach for Roncalli Catholic Elementary School Mentorship Program in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Learn more about her service to the school.
Jennifer Pelot, as a participant in the Mentorship Program at Roncalli Catholic Elementary School in Manitowoc, is pictured talking with Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Marcolette Madden during a classroom observation post-conference. The pilot program, which was initiated and co-created by the Principal, Mrs. Adrienne Lundy, and Sister Marcolette Madden, began in August, 2022. Since that time, Sister Marcolette’s role is that of an Instructional Coach for new teachers.
When the Diocesan Accreditation Team visited Roncalli Catholic Elementary School in April of last year, they interviewed all 25 teachers. The Team wrote these comments in the Final Report: “The visiting team commends the school for its robust new teacher onboarding and pilot mentorship program. New and veteran teachers commented on what a blessing this support is to the school. The team recommends developing plans and committing resources to continue the mentorship program throughout the schools that is being piloted at the elementary school with Sister Marcolette.”
The purpose of the program is to collaborate with and support the principal in her role of evaluating teacher and staff performance. While the principal has the authority to formally rate teacher performance, the role of the Instructional Coach is to focus on teacher strengths and areas for growth in a non-evaluative way (no formal ratings). The Instructional Coach’s feedback to teachers centers on lesson/curriculum planning, classroom environment, instruction and assessment.
Teachers in the Mentorship Program at Roncalli Catholic Elementary shared the following comments:
“I didn’t realize I was so good at asking higher level questions until we had the post-conference. Now I feel really motivated to build on that strength.”
“This program has helped me reflect on my teaching. The feedback during the conferences and in the reports helps me set specific goals.”
“I enjoyed working with Sister Marcolette and my grade level colleagues. We were encouraged to design a common assessment tool for the math measurement unit. Analyzing that data has guided our team in planning the next steps in instruction.”
“It was great to have the chance to observe a teacher who’s known for being an expert in teaching writing skills. I appreciate Sister covering my class so I could do that.”
Sister Marcolette commented, “I’m so grateful to our Community for the many educational opportunities I’ve had, and the chance to share what I’ve learned by serving as an Instructional Coach. Our legacy in Education has enduring value.”
