Read this first!

A WELCOME FROM YOUR BOOK STUDY FACILITATORS

Jeremy Alexander, Ph.D.

Instructional Coach
Roche Center for Catholic Education
Boston College

John Reyes, Ed.D.

Director of Research, Program Evaluation, and Innovation
Boston College

Welcome to the third edition of the Roche Center for Catholic Education’s Summer Virtual Book Club! Our Summer Book Clubs are situated as opportunities for Catholic school educators across the country to engage in communities of solidarity, reflection, and encouragement in serving students and families in Catholic schools and communities, and we are more excited than ever to provide this opportunity for learning and growth.

This year’s book is The Age of Identity by Dennis Shirley and Andy Hargreaves, our colleagues here at the Boston College Lynch School of Education. We recognize that our schools and communities exist at a time where addressing issues of identity, inclusion, and belonging are more important than ever. Inspired by our Catholic faith tradition and Catholic social teaching, our summer book club’s goal is to invite and accompany Catholic school teachers and leaders on the journey to create these much-needed spaces.

Each week, you can expect selected chapters from The Age of Identity to read, a blog post to set the context for those readings from us, and online discussion forums for you to reflect and respond to some of the key concepts and ideas in each week’s readings. We will also have podcasts where we invite some incredible guests and partners in the mission of Catholic education to help us extend and expand our thinking and engagement with supplemental readings to deepen the connection to Catholic schools. Finally, during weeks one and four, we’ll be hosting live small group discussion sessions to connect you with Catholic school educators across the country!

We encourage you to make this work for you, and to engage in the resources, discussion spaces, and supplemental texts as you feel best fits! Our virtual community space is set up so you can access all of the community resources wherever you may be, whenever you need it. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. Thanks for joining us this summer, and we hope your experience in this community is blessed and fruitful.