Volume 1, Number 1
September 1997
Table of Contents
Editors' Comments
Introducing the Journal (pp.3-5)
William F. Losito, Joseph F. Rogus
Articles
The Catholic High School and American Educational Reform: Challenges and Opportunities Bruno V. Manno
Hudson Institute
(pp.7-20)
This paper provides answers to two questions. First, what challenges and opportunities does the movement to reform American public education, and to make it more accountable, raise for Catholic high schools? Second, what challenges and opportunities does the effectiveness of Catholic high schools in educating disadvantaged students raise for American public education?
Being Alert to the Reform Agenda: A Response to Bruno Manno (pp.21-23)
Karen Ristau
St. Joseph College
Rejoiner (pp.24-26)
Bruno V. Manno
Hudson Institute
The Culture of Catholic Schools
James L. Heft, SM
University of Dayton
(pp.27-36)
This article explores the elusive but important role culture plays in making Catholic schools distinctive. It examines the connection between ritual, especially the Eucharist, and the everyday practices and habits of those who constitute the school community. It further examines the relationship between dogma and dialogues, affirming that both are necessary for Christian life and community.
A Catholic Future for Catholic Higher Education? The State of the Question
David J. O’Brien
College of the Holy Cross
(pp.37-50)
Catholic higher education is prospering, but most colleges and universities exhibit uncertainty about their specifically Catholic mission and identity. For 30 years, these schools have lived with the consequences of separate incorporation, as religious orders passed control to mixed boards of trustees and the institutions sought to improve the quality of their programs. Now their faculty and staffs are lay, highly professional, and religiously very diverse. If the institutions are to be meaningfully Catholic, trustees, faculty, and professional staff must develop programs which foster Catholic intellectual life and influence the work of teaching, research, and service. In doing so, they have reason for confidence, because the tradition is rich and the contemporary Church is filled with resources, but also for modesty, for there are no blueprints for Catholic scholarship and teaching. The keys are commitment, the decision to be constructively Catholic, conversation, willingness to engage the entire community in a dialogue about the religious dimensions of academic life, and competence.
New Learning Paradigms for Catholic Education
Angela Ann Zukowski, MHSH
University of Dayton
(pp.51-66)
A paradigm shift is needed in Catholic education for the 21st century. The new paradigm needs to communicate that the purpose of Catholic education is not to transfer knowledge but to create environments and experiences that bring students to discover for themselves, to make students members of communities of learners that make discoveries and solve problems. The New Frontiers for Catholic Schools project supports educators in making technology a vital part of the future of Catholic education.
Blondel and a Living Tradition for Catholic Education
John Sullivan
St. Mary's University College/Strawberry Hill
(pp.67-76)
This paper suggests that an appreciation and application of the notion of Maurice Blondel’s “living tradition” would help in addressing some concerns about Catholic education. Blondel’s key insights and his contributions to Catholic thinking and a living tradition are discussed along with the educational implications for Catholic schools.
Research Symposium
Introductory Comments (pp.77-78)
Julit K. Biddle
University of Dayton
The Role of Research in Catholic Education
Karen L. Tichy
Archdiocese of St. Louis
(pp.79-82)
A Superintendent of Schools Challenges the New Journal and the
Catholic Educational Community
Elaine M. Schuster
Archdiocese of Chicago
(pp.83-90)
Research Agenda of the Center for Catholic Education
James Youniss, John Convey, & David Baker
University of Dayton
(pp.91-94)
Book Reviews
The Contemporary Catholic School (pp.106-107)
By Terence McLaughlin, Joseph O’Keefe, & B. O’Keeffe
Reviewed by Edwin J. McDermott, SJ
Independence and a New Partnership in Catholic Higher Education (pp.108-109)
By Alice Gallin, OSU
Reviewed by Mel Anderson, FSC
Jesuit Education and Social Change in El Salvador (pp.110-112)
By Charles J. Beirne, SJ
Reviewed by Shane P. Martin, SJ