Julien's Journal September 2016 (Volume 41, Number 9) | Page 37

SEPTEMBER 2016

EducationReview

The Best
Kept Secret

Dubuque Luteran School
recommended for accreditation

by David M. Salyer, Ph.D., Director, Loras College Teacher Education Program

D

ubuque Lutheran School (DLS) celebrated the good news. Faculty, staff,
and board members learned in April they would be recommended for
accreditation under the National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA)
program. “This has been a 13-year goal for DLS that has finally transpired,”
said Michelle Fanter, President of the DLS Board of Directors. The visiting
NLSA accreditation team praised Dubuque Lutheran School as the “best
kept secret” in Dubuque.

Dubuque Lutheran School is a kindergarten through fifth grade school located on John F.
Kennedy Rd. The school was established in 2003 by two local Lutheran congregations and
accredited by the Iowa Department of Education in 2006. Dubuque Lutheran School offers
a complete curriculum that is Christ-centered, open to all families in the area, and includes
a homeschool academy program. Student academic performance as measured by the Iowa
Assessments consistently ranks high.
National Lutheran School Accreditation is a program of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
(LCMS), which operates the largest Protestant parochial school system in the United States.
Seeking National Lutheran School Accreditation involves a rigorous and lengthy process of
self-study.

A five-member accreditation team of elementary and higher education teachers and administrators visited Dubuque Lutheran School for three days in April 2016. They reviewed
performance-based evidence and interviewed teachers. “The faculty is amazing and works
as a team,” noted Merrilee Sump, captain of the visiting team. Classrooms were visited where
children “were thriving and focused on learning,” and the principal, pastors, and other stakeholders were interviewed.

This has been a 13-year
goal for DLS that has finally
transpired. The visiting
NLSA accreditation team
praised Dubuque Lutheran
School as the
“best kept secret”
in Dubuque.
– Michelle Fanter

The team’s purpose was to determine how Dubuque Lutheran School was meeting seven
national NLSA standards. The standards benchmark academic quality and the spiritual nature
of the school, and align closely with research-based standards prepared by secular partner
accrediting agencies.

Dubuque Lutheran School is a “young school” observed one member of the visiting team, and
poised to join over 700 early childhood centers and elementary schools that are NLSA accredited. In addition to connecting Dubuque Lutheran School to a network of LCMS accredited
schools, other NLSA benefits include public recognition of school quality based on national
standards; accountability for constituents, congregation, and school community; and laying
a foundation for faculty development and a blueprint for school improvement.

According to Dubuque Lutheran Principal Kevin Kuske, the vision for the future includes
growing enrollment, adding classrooms, and expanding Dubuque Lutheran School to include
the middle school grades. The visiting team agreed: “The excitement of the potential ahead
for Dubuque Lutheran School was observed and felt.”
In late July 2016, the faculty, staff, and board members celebrated again. Dubuque Lutheran
School received full accreditation under the National Lutheran School Accreditation program.
Dubuque’s best kept secret: come and see what they do. v

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