Volume 7, Number 2
December 2003
Table of Contents
Editors' Comments (p. 149)
Thomas C. Hunt, Ronald J. Nuzzi
Articles
Building Strategic Leadership and Management Capacity to Improve School Effectiveness
Kelvin Canavan, fms
Catholic Education Office, Sydney, Australia
(pp. 150-164)
The building of leadership and management capacity with a focus on teaching and learning effectiveness has been a defining characteristic of the Catholic schools in Sydney, Australia, during the past decade. During the 1990s, the leaders of the 150 parish primary and regional secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Sydney adopted a common leadership and management framework that incorporates long-term strategic planning with an annual implementation cycle characterized by a sharp focus on teaching and learning outcomes. Principals and senior staff are involved in an ongoing performance management plan that is linked to the schools’ annual curriculum goals and targets. This case study provides evidence of a culture of high level managerial leadership that utilizes recent developments in Europe to give validity to “the Sydney cycle.”
Validation and Use of the Catholic School Graduate Characteristics Inventory
Jeffrey P. Dorman
Australian Catholic University
(pp. 165-180)
Scales and subscales to assess the desirable characteristics of Catholic school graduates were developed and validated using a sample of 557 alumni of Australian Catholic high schools. Exploratory factory analysis supported a 4 scale structure (viz., Religious Faith & Spiritual Development, Personal Integration, Social Responsibility, and Life-long Learning Skills). The utility of this instrument, the Catholic School Graduate Characteristics Inventory (CSGCI), is enhanced by the optional subdividing of each scale into 3 internally consistent subscales. The use of the CSGCI revealed statistically significant differences in the characteristics of Catholic school graduates according to gender and year of graduation. These results suggest that the characteristics of graduates are not static and warrant ongoing investigation by school and system administrators.
The Sacred and the Secular: Aligning a Marianist Mission with Professional Standards of Practice in an Educational Leadership Doctorial Program
Darla J. Twale & Carolyn S. Ridenour
University of Dayton
(pp. 181-196)
This inquiry was conducted to explore how the characteristics of our university’s religious mission are interwoven into our educational leadership doctoral program and are manifest in the structure and learning experiences that our students encounter. We examined how these characteristics might correspond to or relate to the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards that resulted from national reform initiatives in educational leadership in the mid 1990s. We concluded that the foundations of the PhD program are built solidly on the distinctive characteristics and identity of our founders and are aligned with these professional standards as well. Implications for universities include our conclusion that when the distinctive mission of a university aligns with the professional standards of a field, more effective leadership preparation will result.
Catholic Higher Education and Latino(a) Students:
Exploring the Experience of University Undergraduates
Lisa M. Raphael, Michael Pressley, & Jennifer Kane
Michigan State University, Michigan State University, & Rutgers University
(pp. 197-218)
The experience of Latino(a) undergraduates at Notre Dame was the focus of this study. In general, the students had a positive experience at the university, but one that included challenges, including physical separation from family and familiar community. Family and spiritual supports were important to the Latino(a) students as they coped with difficulties they encountered at the university, than for a comparable sample of Anglo students attending
Notre Dame.
Focus Section
Sector Differences in Student Learning: Differences in Achievement Gains Across School Years and During the Summer
William Carbonaro
University of Notre Dame
(pp. 219-245)
Public and private schools have been the focus of considerable research, comparing student achievement, attendance, dropout rates, graduation rates, disciplinary incidents, and a variety of educational and prosocial outcomes across sectors. Comparative studies of student achievement have tended to concentrate on the high school years and without any effort to measure gains or losses during specific years. This study concludes that sector differences in learning vary across grade levels and that summer learning rates vary by school sector. More study of sector differences in learning is recommended, especially longitudinal studies that examine seasonal gains across school sector over the entire span of a student’s
academic career.
Sector Differences in Opportunities for Parental Involvement in the School Context
Gail M. Mulligan
University of Notre Dame
(pp. 246-265)
Research has consistently related school effectiveness to parental involvement. Catholic schools in particular have tended to have high levels of parental involvement, more so than public schools. This study measured the opportunities for parental involvement present in private and public schools. While Catholic school parents tend to demonstrate higher levels of parental involvement than public school parents, public schools offer significantly more opportunities for parental involvement than Catholic schools.
Review of Research
Are American Schools Facing a Shortage of Qualified Administrators?
Gregory Hine
Ascension Catholic School, Overland Park, Kansas
(pp. 266-277)
Anecdotal evidence abounds regarding the shortage of principals to lead schools. Sustained attention to the research on recruitment and retention of principals reveals a fascinating development: Ample numbers of teachers have completed administrative licensure requirements and hold the credentials necessary to assume a principalship; however, few wish to apply for the position.
Book Reviews
Authority and Decision Making in Catholic Schools (pp. 278-280)
By Richard M. Jacobs, OSA
Reviewed by Heather Lindsay
What Makes Us Catholic: Eight Gifts for Life (pp. 281-283)
By Thomas Groome
Reviewed by Donna Frazier
The End of EducationL Redefining the Value of School (pp. 283-286)
By Neil Postman
Reviewed by Molly Welzbacher