Spiritual formation for Catholic educators: Understanding the need. Catholic Education: A

This article discusses the need for thoughtful programs of spiritual formation for lay educators who staff Catholic schools. The importance of teacher for-mation in spiritual growth and in knowledge of the Catholic faith and daily living of the Gospel is highlighted. SCHOOL LEADERSHIP Among the various roles assumed by a principal (Hughes & Ubben,1984; Kimbrough & Burkett, 1990; Lipham, 1964), Sergiovanni (1984) maintains that the competent school principal must provide a school environment that is characterized by three forces: managerial, relational, and educational. The managerial force refers to the ability of a principal to use the needed skills to establish an orderly school where students and staff can rationally pursue learning. The relational force refers to the ability of a principal to build a human environment of cordiality, respect, and cooper-ation among students and staff. The educational force refers to the ability of the principal to establish a learning community that is aware of state-of-the-art knowledge related to the functions of teaching and learning. Thes