Twenty Catholic school educators in Oklahoma recently graduated from a pioneering credentialing program designed as a Catholic alternative to secular state teacher licensure — the only program of its kind in the country.
The graduation ceremony was held at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Oklahoma City, marking the second cohort to complete the Catholic Educator Formation and Credential Program run by the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE). Oklahoma is the only state to offer the program to all of its Catholic educators, through both the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma.
The 18-month program combines in-person workshops, weekly online classes, homework, and teacher observations.
"By providing the CEFC program to their teachers, Oklahoma is leading the way within the Church in forming Catholic school teachers," ICLE President Ryan Messmore said in a March 2 statement. "It is refreshing to see the leadership — from the Archbishop to the superintendents to the school principals — make this sort of intentional investment in renewing Catholic liberal education."
Aly Barnes, director of the Oklahoma cohort, said the program's emphasis on formation sets it apart.
"We aren't just a credential program; we seek to form the teachers, to help them to see their students and the subjects they teach through a Catholic lens," she said in the same statement.
Emily Strah, who graduated at the top of the cohort, reflected on the program's impact on her teaching.
"Throughout my career, I have known that the mission of a Catholic educator is to bring students closer to Christ the Teacher," she said. "But, after CEFC, I am actively living out this goal more than I was before."
Graduates are eligible to apply up to 12 credit hours toward graduate degrees at eight partner institutions, including Franciscan University of Steubenville, Christendom College, Benedictine College, and the University of Dallas.
Applications for the next cohort are open on a rolling basis.