Secretary for Catholic Education Carol Kostyniak announced that the Diocese of Buffalo Catholic Schools Department has received a grant from the Cullen Foundation to enhance the "Thoughtful Leaders Thoughtful Schools" model. The amount of the grant has not been made public, but the funding will be used for professional development to implement the Thoughtful Classroom tools for both administrators and teachers.

The Thoughtful Classroom (TTC) is a comprehensive system for observing, evaluating and refining classroom practice. Designed in partnership with over 250 teachers and administrators, the ultimate goal is to create a common language for updating lesson design and improving classroom practice. The tools and strategies focus on the student building core literacy, tackling challenging math problems systematically, and developing high level thinking skills.