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Spiritual Formation for Catholic Educators: Understanding the Need
Patricia Helene Earl, I.H.M.
(pp. 513-530) Volume 8, Number 4; June 2005
This article discusses the need for thoughtful programs of spiritual formation for lay educators who staff Catholic schools. The importance of teacher formation in spiritual growth and in knowledge of the Catholic faith and daily living of the Gospel is highlighted.
Enacting Social Justice to Teach Social Justice: The Pedagogy of Bridge Builders
Karen E. Eifler, Jeff Kerssen-Griep, & Peter Thacker
(pp. 55-70) Volume 12, Number 1; Sept 2008
This article describes a particular endeavor, the Bridge Builders Academic Mentoring Program (BAMP), a partnership between a school of education in a Catholic university in the Northwest and a community-based rites of passage program for adolescent African American males. The partnership exemplifies tenets of Catholic social teaching, in that it is community-based, justice-oriented and in many ways countercultural. The pedagogy aligns with the goals of service learning; that is, the service extended by university students satisfies a genuine community need, and at the same time affords those engaged in service an opportunity to acquire crucial knowledge, skills, and dispositions to which they would not otherwise have access. Implications for translating this program to other contexts are provided.
Doing Well and Being Well: Conceptions of Well-Being Among Academically Successful Adolescent Girls of Color in a Catholic School
Jennifer Ekert & Eleanor Drago-Severson
(pp. 183-201) Volume 3, Number 2; Dec 1999
This article reports the findings of an ethnographic study conducted in an urban Catholic high school, with a focus on girls of color. By giving voice to this regularly neglected group, this research gives us the opportunity to hear from girls of color and to learn firsthand of their successes, joys, and struggles. Academic achievement and psychological health are presented as goals for high school programs.
Education for Peace and Justice
John L. Elias
(pp. 160-177) Volume 9, Number 2; Dec 2005
This article explores theoretical and practical issues related to education for peace and justice. It briefly presents educational theories of Plato, Aristotle, John Dewey, and Paulo Freire, recent papal and conciliar teachings, and the work of prominent religious educators. The power of education for aiding in justice and peace education is shown through guiding principles, curricular and methodological arrangements, ways of handling controversial issues, and the effective use of the arts.
Ability Grouping in Catholic and Public Schools
Brandy J. Ellison & Maureen T. Hallinan
(pp. 107-129) Volume 8, Number 1; Sept 2004
Researchers have found that students who attend Catholic high schools tend to outperform public high school students on standardized tests of achievement. Although many aspects of this finding have been examined in subsequent research, little attention has been paid to the issue of how ability grouping affects achievement across school sectors. A nearly universal practice in middle and secondary schools, ability grouping works to channel learning opportunities to students. The authors trace the history of ability grouping and review the findings regarding ability group effects, the assignment process, and mobility across groups in each school sector. Their analyses suggest that the way ability grouping is implemented in Catholic schools contributes to the Catholic school advantage in achievement.
Mentorship: Adult Formation for Educators in Catholic Schools
Leona M. English
(pp. 398-409) Volume 2, Number 4; June 1999
Catholic history is filled with examples of seasoned believers sharing their faith and witness with younger generations in order to help inculturate them into the ethos of Catholicism. This essay presents a model for mentoring in Catholic schools, arguing that such collaboration is not only institutionally life giving, but also congruent with the stated community-building purposes of the school. Noting that even Jesus sent his disciples out “two by two,” the author describes the spirituality required of teachers as best experienced through sharing.
Working With Gay and Lesbian Students at Catholic Colleges and Universities:
A Student Affairs Perspective
Sandra M. Estanek
(pp. 151-158) Volume 2, Number 2; Dec 1998
Controversy often surrounds issues of sexual ethics on campus. This article offers a helpful framework for consideration of one of today’s difficult issues: ministry to gay and lesbian students at Catholic institutions. By demonstrating how one may be faithful to Magisterial teaching, the Gospel command to love, and solid principles of human development and psychology, the author offers concrete steps for establishing and protecting a climate of conversation.
Assessing Catholic Identity:
A Study of Mission Statements of Catholic Colleges and Universities
Sandra M. Estanek, Michael J. James, & Daniel A. Norton
(pp. 199-217) Volume 10, Number 2; Dec 2006
Since the publication of Ex Corde Ecclesiae (John Paul II, 1990), Catholic colleges and universities have become more deliberate and intentional regarding their institutional and Catholic identity. This article continues the conversation about catholic identity as it relates to student outcomes, and proposes some preliminary strategies for assessment.
Educational Leadership for Social Justice:
Enhancing the Ethical Dimension of Educational Leadership
Susan Toft Everson & Leslie Hazle Bussey
Saint Louis University
(pp. 176-187) Volume 11, Number 2; Dec 2007
Much criticism has been levied in recent years on professional preparation programs in schools of education offering the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree. This article chronicles the attempt of one Jesuit university to respond to that criticism in designing a professional degree with an ethical focus on social justice.