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From Doubt to Affirmation: Reflections on the Recent History of Catholic Parochial Education Timothy Walch
(pp. 120-129) Volume 1, Number 2; Dec 1997
The author of a new history of parochial schools reviews the soul-searching that gripped Catholic education in the 1980s and shows how doubt and anxiety forced Catholic educators to face a simple but vital fact of life: As long as there are parents, pastors, and teachers interested in parochial education, these schools will survive and thrive. Even though American Catholic parochial education will never again attain the position of influence it had in the middle of the 20th century, parish schools will remain important education laboratories for the
coming century.
The Past is Prologue: American Catholic Education and the New Century
Timothy Walch
(pp. 355-363) Volume 4, Number 3; March 2001
The author of a recent history of American Catholic education points to three ongoing traditions—tenacity, adaptability, and identity—as evidence that parochial education will continue well into the next century. In this personal essay, Walch challenges pessimistic assessment of Catholic education that appeared in Phi Delta Kappan. He also highlights other, more positive assessments of Catholic schooling. Walch concludes that even though American Catholic parochial education will never again attain the position of influence it had in the mid-20th century, parish schools will remain important education laboratories for the
coming century.
The School Choice Movement in the United States: How It Will Affect Catholic Schools
Theodore J. Wallace
(pp. 464-478) Volume 2, Number 4, June 1999
In this article, some of the most prominent school choice initiatives will be described. Opinion research trends regarding school choice and initial results from comprehensive research efforts to document student achievement in privately funded school choice scholarship programs will be summarized. The article concludes with implications which this exciting but increasingly complex arena of school choice may create for Catholic educators.
Choice and Schools: An Analysis of Free Market Financing and Educational Values
Joseph Watras & Edward St. John
(pp. 400-413) Volume 1, Number 4; June 1998
In the public policy discourse about vouchers, many Catholic school advocates have been aligned with the new conservative critics of public schools. A review of the Dayton, Ohio, area Catholic schools reveals that need-based student subsidies, which are a variation on vouchers, might reverse the declining urban enrollment in Catholic schools and continue their tradition of educating poor and disadvantaged students. However, the case suggests that choice schemes can alter the educational aims of schools in unexpected ways.
My Brother’s Keeper: Violence and School Liability
Sarah M. Watson
(pp. 454-463) Volume 4, Number 4; June 2001
Violence has become a major issue for employers, and regrettably schools have not been immune to this development. As the incidents of school violence have increased, so have the opportunities for litigation. This article discusses the most recent court cases arising from school violence concerns and provides recommendations for educators in the following areas: documenting student misbehaviors, especially violent incidents; providing clear behavioral rules for school and school-related activities and instructions about how to follow those rules; negligence; peer harassment; weapons at school; and foreseeability.
Border Catholic Schools: Unique Stakeholder Alliances
Karen M. Watt
(Part I; pp. 27-48) Volume 6, Number 1; Sept 2002
This article, the first of a two-part series, presents an analysis of data extracted from the dissertation The Impact of Catholic Schooling on Low-Income Mexican-American Students (Watt, 1999). The research was prompted by the author’s interest in The Coleman Report of 1966, a controversial document that claimed multiply-disadvantaged minority Catholic school students outperformed their public school counterparts. This study was qualitative in nature, exploring four case studies of 3rd-grade teachers, their schools, and their classrooms in a Hispanic cultural context. Findings will be presented in Part II.
Border Catholic Schools: Unique Stakeholder Alliances
Karen M. Watt
(Part II; pp. 168-188) Volume 6, Number 2; Dec 2002
The article presents the results of a qualitative study extracted from the dissertation The Impact of Catholic Schooling on Low-Income Mexican-American Students (Watt, 1999). This study explored four case studies of third-grade teachers, their schools, and their classrooms, in a Hispanic cultural context. Findings revealed that the Border Catholic Schools were communities of consensus with regard to the nature and mission of Catholic schooling. All stakeholders “held the same stake,” agreeing on the curriculum, instruction, and operation of the Border Catholic Schools. Part one of this study was published as “Border Catholic Schools: Unique Stakeholder Alliances (Part 1)” (Watt, 2002) in Volume 6, Number 1.
Teachers for Whom? A Study of Teacher Education Practices in Higher Education
John L. Watzke
(pp. 138-167) Volume 6, Number 2; Dec 2002
This article presents the results of a study of teacher education practices at 80 Catholic colleges and universities. The impetus for this work was the many Church documents in support of Catholic schools and the cooperative work of diocesan superintendents and educational leaders in the matter of teacher education. The goal of the study was to investigate questions fundamental to the role of Catholic higher education in the preparation of teachers: From where will the next generation of teachers to serve Catholic schools come? How does the preparation of teachers in Catholic institutions of higher education relate to the unique opportunities Catholic schools afford their communities? Do these programs serve Catholic schools? Given the dearth of research and professional literature specific to these questions, the study and data analysis were exploratory with the goal of identifying themes and issues for continued research, dialogue, and professional action.
Alternative Teacher Education and Professional Preparedness:
A Study of Parochial and Public School Contexts
John L. Watzke
(pp. 463-492) Volume 8, Number 4; June 2005
As staffing in Catholic K-12 schools has transitioned to a predominantly lay teaching corps over the past 50 years, a parallel process of secularization has taken place in teacher education programs at Catholic colleges and universities. The tradition of teaching as a vocation in the formation of vowed religious has been replaced by standard programs of educational foundations, course work, and field experiences with a primary emphasis on the issues and needs of public schools. Many factors contribute to this focus in Catholic higher education: financial concerns; teacher candidate preference; state laws; lack of proximity, affiliation, or experience with Catholic schools. Many programs function under a mission to prepare teachers for any school setting, public, private, or parochial, and view an intentional focus on Catholic Education as limiting or debilitating to the professional development of teacher candidates. This article asks the question: can an alternative teacher program based in service to Catholic education prepare teachers to be effective in both parochial and secular settings? The study investigated the professional preparedness of M.Ed. in program teacher candidates (n= 163) working in Catholic Schools and program graduates (n= 137) and these graduates’ principals (n= 112) working in either Catholic or public schools. Results of the administration of a professional preparedness inventory indicated teacher self-reported and principal reported rates at comparable levels to replicated national surveys. Comparison of graduate and principal responses by school context indicated no statistically significant difference for overall measures of preparedness. Specific areas of significant difference were identified in the Catholic school context (higher preparedness rates in curriculum and instruction and questioning and discussion skills) and public school context (higher rates of preparedness in encouraging critical thinking, reflective practice, and use of technology). Discussion focuses on the Catholic school context as a viable alternative for the preparation of teachers for multiple school contexts.
Pastor-Principal Relationship in the Parish School
Sharon Weiss
St. Patrick School, Washington, Illinois
(pp.7-22) Volume 11, Number 1; Sept 2007
The traditional parish plant—church, rectory, convent, and school—all conveniently located next to each other on a parcel of land, is a fast vanishing model. While some argue that the parish-sponsored elementary school is a vestige of immigrant Catholicism, this article calls for a strengthening of the relationship between the pastor and the principal. By using frames of reference from human resource management and organizational theory, this essay challenges pastors and principals to work through differences, find common ground and ways to collaborate, and resolve or set aside differences for the sake of the higher good.
Hiring and Retaining High-Quality Teachers: What Principals Can Do
Roseanne L. Williby
(pp. 175-193) Volume 8, Number 2; Dec 2004
Many Catholic school principals have limited assistance from their respective central offices in the recruitment and selection of teachers, especially if their objective is to recruit candidates of color or candidates for a particular subject area. Aware that teacher quality is related to student achievement, Catholic school principals must employ up-to-date, effective recruitment and hiring strategies to compete for qualified candidates in today’s market. Mindful that teacher recruitment programs alone will not solve staffing problems, principals must remain vigilant for causes of low retention and strategize to retain their high-quality teachers. Implementing an intensive induction and mentoring program with expert colleagues throughout the year can reduce teacher turnover and expenses.
What Does It Mean to Be Human? Education for World Citizenship
Alan T. Wood
(pp. 96-110) Volume 6, Number 1; Sept 2002
What is the purpose of education in a democracy? What is the meaning of freedom? These questions are explored in depth in this essay as the author attempts to expand the conversation between private and public education. Without reference to religious purposes or Gospel mandates, the article explores possible responses to ultimate questions of meaning by mining language, history, biology, and technology for answers.