April 24, 2026

Google and NCEA Announce National AI Initiative and Multi-Year Commitment to Catholic Education

NCEA seeks six trailblazing education leaders to serve as the founding members of the NCEA Google Educator Group (GEG).

Arlington, VA — Building on a long-standing partnership, the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and Google for Education have announced a major expansion of their collaboration to support the future of Catholic education. This initiative centers on the Google AI Educator Series (GES), a landmark partnership with Google and ISTE+ASCD to provide comprehensive AI literacy training for every K–12 teacher and higher education faculty member in the United States.

To lead this national movement, NCEA is seeking six trailblazing education leaders to serve as the founding members of the NCEA Google Educator Group (GEG) that will support Catholic school educators as they go through the Google AI Educator Series sessions. These leaders will serve as strategic connectors, bridging the gap between national goals and local classroom excellence, and through the GES sessions, learn how to best apply AI to create positive impact in their classrooms.

“This partnership with Google allows our Catholic school educators the opportunity to launch the first-ever Catholic Google Educator Group,” said Dr. Steven F. Cheeseman, NCEA President/CEO. “This community will bring together Google’s resources with the charism and culture of Catholic education to build the AI literacy needed to lead students safely and confidently into the future. Just as importantly, it will help our educators balance the tremendous opportunities of technology with our enduring commitment to human dignity and virtue. We’re excited to identify innovators in our schools who will serve as founding NCEA GEG leaders and guide their peers on this journey.”

A GEG is an independently run, grassroots community of educators who collaborate online and in person to share best practices and support one another in driving student learning through technology. Led by "strategic connectors," these groups bridge the gap between high-level institutional goals and classroom realities by championing the adoption of strong tools for teaching and learning, and in this case, made by and for Catholic school educators. Essentially, a GEG acts as a vibrant hub for innovation where passionate leaders empower their peers to transform the educational experience through collective expertise.

Currently, Google Workspace for Education, Chromebook devices, and Google Classroom represent the most widely adopted technology ecosystem in Catholic schools across the country. This initiative aims to deepen that integration by helping schools thoughtfully adopt Generative AI and advanced Workspace features to enhance both instructional impact and administrative efficiency, with a focus on teachers and administrators supporting student-centered learning outcomes.

"In the Archdiocese of New Orleans and across the country, our mission is to provide an education that is both Christ-centered and academically excellent,” said Dr. RaeNell Houston, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and NCEA Board Member. “Because Google Workspace, Chromebooks, and Google Classroom are already the most widely adopted technologies in Catholic schools, this national AI initiative is a natural and necessary evolution. We are ensuring that every Catholic school teacher has the support to use AI tools, like Gemini, to streamline administrative tasks, and personalize learning while keeping our students safe and grounded in our values."

Over the past two years, Google has solidified its commitment to the Catholic school community, and today marks a new chapter in that investment. As part of this ongoing relationship, Google is offering every Catholic diocese across the country complimentary domain evaluations for all their schools. This service is designed to ensure that diocesan digital infrastructures are secure, optimized, and ready to leverage the full power of modern educational tools.

"Google's commitment to Catholic education has never been stronger. By offering resources such as free domain evaluations and specialized AI training, we ensure that every diocese has a clear path to digital transformation,” said Austin Swift, Google for Education Executive. “We are proud that Google Workspace and Chromebooks continue to be the preferred choice for Catholic schools, and we are dedicated to investing in this new GEG community."

For more information, visit www.NCEA.org/GoogleEduGroup and connect with NCEA on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

###

In service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, NCEA strengthens Catholic school communities by convening all stakeholders and providing professional development, data, public policy and resources to support faith and intellectual formation.