Twin Cities Catholic Schools Through a National Lens

Dear Friends,

Earlier this month, the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) brought nearly 4,000 educators and school leaders to Minneapolis. On paper, it's a professional conference for the largest private school membership group in the world. In reality, it was a gathering of dedicated individuals who have quietly committed their lives to making sure children are known, challenged, and loved in Catholic schools across the country.

"Access is only meaningful when it leads somewhere real."

For a few days, that commitment was on full display in our own backyard, in the same community still recovering from the tragedy at Annunciation and the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. What those 4,000 visitors encountered wasn’t a community standing still—it was one continuing to move forward. And they saw school leaders and teachers carrying that responsibility every day.

There's something powerful about seeing your local schools through a national lens.

We talk often about the strength of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis—the 20,000 K-8 students, the dedicated teachers, the communities built around shared purpose. But when you watch educators from across the country encounter that reality firsthand, you begin to see what we might take for granted. Not just as something we're proud of—but as something truly exceptional that we're responsible for stewarding well.

For the Aim Higher Foundation, NCEA was about doing what we always do: showing up. Standing alongside the teachers and principals who carry this mission forward every single day—not as outsiders looking in, but as partners in the same community working toward the same goal. Our role has always been simple: remove barriers so more children can walk through the doors these educators are holding open. Because access is only meaningful when it leads somewhere real.

At our booth, we met hundreds of educators—some who knew our work, many who didn't. Almost every conversation led to the same place: confirmation of what we already believed. There is something special happening in the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The experience isn’t just a good education for kids—it’s a life-changing opportunity for their future. And while access still isn’t where it needs to be, the foundation, built by these amazing school leaders and teachers, is already in place—proven, visible, and ready to reach more children.

Ricky Austin is the president of the Aim Higher Foundation.

During the conference, I had the opportunity to speak on a panel about the federal scholarship tax credit, and I believe deeply that policies like it can reshape what's possible for families. But here's what the NCEA convention reinforced: the policies matter because the people matter. Access isn't ultimately about systems—it's about whether a parent sitting at their kitchen table believes they have a real choice to seek a school leader who shares their values, whether a child sees a school as a place where the teacher helps them belong, and whether we're willing to close the gap between what we believe about children and what we make possible for them.

What became unmistakably clear is that we should be proud—deeply proud—of what already exists. Catholic education in this archdiocese is sustained by people who choose this work every day. And because of that, what we’re offering children isn’t theoretical—it’s real, and it’s already changing lives.

And that's why the future is bright. That's why this partnership between Aim Higher and the Catholic schools we serve isn't just about scholarships—it's about ensuring that a world-class education reaches every child who needs it. We're not building something new; we're expanding access to something already excellent.

Thank you for being part of it—thoughtfully, generously, and with a clear sense of what we're stewarding together. We'll keep showing up, keep removing barriers, and keep ensuring that more children can access the exceptional education the Catholic schools of this community provide.

For the kids.

In Service,