Susan and Sherry will present the tenets of the Excellence Initiative (EI), a collaborative effort between the University of Dayton’s Center for Catholic Education and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Catholic School Office. In its fourth year, the EI claims four pillars for continual improvement in academic achievement for students and professional growth for teachers. Activities and programs filled with surprises, success, and disappointments regarding curricular, assessment, instructional, and professional learning community endeavors will be explained and evaluated.