Notre Dame Teachers Participate in Professional Development Session

Jay B. Marks, Ph.D.

At an all-school faculty professional development program held after school on Wednesday of this week, Dr. Jay Marks of Oakland Schools presented to the NDPMA staff a discussion titled “Cultural Competence: A Concept for Pursuing Diversity, Academic Equity, and Race Relations in Our Schools and Community.”

In addition to his presentation, Marks recommended a number of readings to the Notre Dame teachers as well as website links as aids for developing lesson plans and for general classroom discussion. He said the information was designed to help support the creation of essential questions to drive student inquiry.

Wednesday's session was one of a number of faculty professional development and retreat workshops that Notre Dame has hosted over the years. School administrators also encourage its teaching staff to pursue off-site seminars and workshops that allow them to reconnect with academic interests, deepen content knowledge, and explore current as well as new scholarship.

According to this week's session organizer Kala Parker, NDPMA’s dean of diversity and associate dean of admissions, a number of new kits have been ordered (complete with teacher guides) for classroom use, with topics ranging from the Holocaust, worker’s rights to segregation and voter’s rights.

Dr. Marks, who was recognized on Jan. 20 by the Walled Lake School District with the Friend of Diversity Award at the district’s annual MLK, Jr., celebration, will be back at Notre Dame later in the school year for a second session with school faculty.

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy

Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.