Partnership with Archdiocese of Seattle Aims to Fill Teaching Need

Finding teachers for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle is an annual challenge but Seattle University partnered with the Ferry Family Charitable Foundation, Fulcrum Foundation and the Office for Catholic Schools to help.

In August, SU launched the inaugural Catholic Schools Teacher Corps (CSTC) program as a way to enable new educators to pursue their Master of Education at Seattle University while serving their local communities.

While the program is new to SU, similar programs have been launched at other Catholic universities including Loyal Marymount, where Seattle University Provost Shane P. Martin co-founded the successful LMU Partners in Los Angeles Catholic Education program during his time at that school.

“Catholic schools play an important part in educating the youth of the Seattle region for the common good of society,” Provost Martin says.

The groundwork for the program is underway with the inaugural cohort of 4-to-6 participants enrolling in 2025, with a goal of increasing the next cohort to 8-to-10. Eventually the program plans to support an annual cohort of 15-to-20 students with at least 75 percent continuing to teach in Catholic schools after graduation, creating a growing alumni community with a reputation for supporting participants and their schools.

Christopher Smith was hired to direct the CSTC program and will partner with leaders from the Office of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle. Smith was a natural choice for the position as he graduated from Creighton University’s Magis Catholic Teacher Corps and was placed in Maȟpíya Lúta Owáyawa (Red Cloud Indian School), a Jesuit Lakota school on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. After five years there, he moved to Seattle and spent time as a catholic school principal. He holds a MA in Educational Leadership from the University of Notre Dame’s Remick Leadership Program and a Doctor of Education from Boston College.

During the two-year CSTC program at SU, participants will be placed in Catholic schools, giving them an opportunity to teach while helping schools fill needed teaching roles. They will live together in groups of four to eight in housing arranged by the Office of Catholic Schools to cultivate deeper learning and their shared mission of service.

“We are incredibly excited to launch the Catholic School Teacher Corps to address the critical need for committed, well-prepared, and faith filled educators in our local Catholic schools, especially in underserved schools,” Smith says. “By integrating teaching experience, graduate education, community living, and spiritual formation, CSTC members are part of a transformative program that prepares participants to become compassionate, faith-driven educators who impact their students and communities.”

Besides classroom work, participants will focus on deepening their faith and cultivating their spirituality through retreats along with interactions with Seattle University’s Office of Campus Ministry and experiences within the Office of Catholic Schools.