Volume 1, Number 2
December 1997
Table of Contents
Editors' Comments (p. 119)
William F. Losito, Joseph F. Rogus
Articles
From Doubt to Affirmation: Reflections on the Recent History of Catholic Parochial Education Timothy Walch
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library
(pp. 120-129)
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.
Emerging Governance Models for Catholic Schools
Lourdes Sheehan, RSM
Department of Chief Administrators of Catholic Education,
National Catholic Educational Association
(pp. 130-143)
This paper traces the early history of Catholic school governance and reviews the status of those models most commonly applied to diocesan and local board levels. The author then explores emerging governance models, explaining their salient features and discussing the advantages and concerns associated with their implementation.
Models of Theological Reflection: Theory and Praxis
John Trokan
College of Mount St. Joseph
(pp. 144-158)
This paper explores the theory and practice of using theological reflection in teaching theology. Specific models of theological reflection, teaching methodologies, and learning outcomes are analyzed and discussed.
A Comprehensive Approach to Character Building in Catholic Schools
Thomas Lickona
State University College at Cortland
(pp. 159-175)
The overall goal of Catholic education is to help students achieve a transformation in Christ. Integral to this transformation is development of the natural moral virtues and spiritual/supernatural virtues. Schools need to implement a comprehensive character-building program which focuses on twelve components, such as caring classroom communities, prayer, and moral discipline.
Dorothy Day: Student of the Moral Life, Educator for the Moral Life
Sandra Yocum Mize
University of Dayton
(pp. 176-190)
Dorothy Day (1897-1980), convert to Catholicism and co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, exemplifies both the educator and student of the Christian moral life. Her own development highlights the extraordinary importance of the ordinary aspects of daily living in the formation of the morally committed Christian.
Historical Sketch of the Official Teaching of the Catholic Church on Moral Education in Schools
Thomas C. Hunt & Nick Compagnone
University of Dayton
(pp. 191-210)
Originally cast against the backdrop of the pan-Protestant public school, the manuscript follows Catholic magisterial teaching on religious/moral education in schools as the Church confronts the growing influence of the secular state in schooling in the latter stages of the 19th century and into the 20th.
Introduction (p. 211)
Joseph M. O’Keefe, SJ
Effects of Catholic School Attendance on Student Achievement:
A Review and Extension of Research
Thomas Hoffer
National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago
(pp. 212-235)
This paper begins with a review of basic descriptive data on achievement differences between public and Catholic school students and the main theories intended to explain Catholic sector effects on student achievement. The main theories are cast in terms of competitive markets, the communities in which the schools are embedded, and the historically institutionalized purposes of the schools. The analytical research is then reviewed and extended with some original analyses from recently collected national survey data on high school students. The main points from the review and extension of empirical research are as follows: (a) Catholic high schools have positive effects on verbal and mathematics achievement, but no discernable effects on science; (b) Catholic school effects are greater for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, especially with respect to family structure and functioning; and (c) the main schooling mechanism accounting for the Catholic school effects is the greater concentration of academic coursetaking among Catholic school students. The most glaring gap in the research record is the lack of data to assess effects of Catholic elementary school attendance. Finally, further work is needed to sort out the larger theoretical issues and practical implications of markets, charters, and communities.
Book Reviews
The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship
By George Marsden
Reviewed by Jerome R. Porath (pp. 237-239)
Reviewed by Diana Stano, OSU (pp. 239-241)
Reviewed by Robert W. McElroy (pp. 241-243)