Volume 8, Number 1
September 2004
Table of Contents
Editors' Comments (p. 5)
Ronald J. Nuzzi, Thomas C. Hunt
Articles
Students’ Choice of Schools for Their Children:
Logistic Regression Analysis on Contributing Factors
Magdalena Mo Ching Mok & Marcellin Flynn
Hong Kong Institute of Education & St. Joseph's College, Australia
(pp. 6-33)
School choice has been an issue in the education systems where parents are given the autonomy to select schools for their children. Previous research suggests that parental decisions are affected by demographic, financial, and value-related factors. This study investigated variables including: demographic and socio-economic background, motivation, quality of school curriculum, quality of school life, and classroom environment as factors contributing to secondary students’ choice of schools for their own children. The sample comprised 8,265 secondary students from 70 Catholic schools in New South Wales, Australia. Analysis of variance and logistic regression were used to identify contributing factors of school choice. Findings suggested that students’ expectations of schools, quality of school curriculum, quality of school life, and the classroom environments they experienced all contributed to their intention to send their own children to the same schools, after controlling for their background differences. On the other hand, students’ intentions were not affected by their gender, socio-economic backgrounds, or country of birth.
“You Love All That Exists… All Things Are Yours, God, Lover of Life…”
A Pastoral Letter on the Christian Ecological Imperative
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
(pp. 34-43)
Focus Section
Introduction (pp. 44-45)
Glenn Anne McPhee, O.P.
Department of Education, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
School Choice Litigation After Zelman and Locke
John A. Liekweg
Office of General Counsel, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(pp. 46-57)
In the past 2 years, the United States Supreme Court has decided two important cases that will bear directly on legislation and litigation involving school choice programs that provide financial aid to parents of children attending religious schools. Those cases are Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002) and Locke v. Davey (2004). The reasoning in Zelman, along with the litigation in the lower courts leading up to that decision, provide useful insights that should prove helpful in drafting school choice legislation and successfully defending it in court when challenged. The decision in Locke may have implications for litigation involving challenges to state laws and constitutional provisions limiting aid to religious institutions and to students attending religious schools. Both cases are discussed below.
The DC Choice Incentive Act of 2003: A Historic Moment for Children
William F. Davis, O.S.F.S. & Christopher S. Pearsall
Department of Education, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(pp. 58-68)
Voucher programs have long endured intense legislative challenge and judicial scrutiny. This article details the recent history of a successful voucher implementation plan for the District of Columbia. The importance of a broad base of politically active and astute citizens, parents, religious leaders, and Federal legislators is highlighted. The success of the voucher program detailed here may serve as a model for other programs.
Improving Public Policy Advocacy Through the Effective Use of Data
Michelle L. Doyle
Office of Government Liaison, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(pp. 69-85)
The focus for most consumers of federal education program services is the end product. Of concern to these customers – students, teachers, and principals – are the quality of the service, the timeliness of the service delivery, and the relevance of the services to the particular need. To ensure that federal education programs can be effective for children attending private schools, it is critical to be actively involved in the legislative process. This article explores an attempt to change and improve a federal education program for Catholic and other private school participants, highlighting the key role in the lobbying process played by high quality, timely data.
Catholic High Schools: Can Inclusion Work Without Significant Publicly-Funded Resources?
Marie A. Powell
Department of Education, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(pp. 86-106)
Catholic high schools do not generally have a reputation for serving students with special needs. This article, using primary sources related to one high school’s history, demonstrates how even an academically elite school can meet the needs of a wide range of students. Specific strategies are suggested that can help Catholic high schools be more inclusive.
Review of Research
Ability Grouping in Catholic and Public Schools
Brandy J. Ellison & Maureen T. Hallinan
University of Notre Dame
(pp. 107-129)
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.
Book Reviews
Women in Catholic Higher Education: Border Work, Living Experiences, and Social Justice
(pp. 130-134)
Edited by Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber & Denise Leckenby
Reviewed by Carolyn S. Ridenour
Catholic From the Inside Out (pp. 134-137)
By The Core Group
Reviewed by Gareth D. Zehrbach
Nine Lessons of Successful School Leadership Teams: Distilling a Decade of Innovation
(pp. 137-139)
By Bill McKeever & The California School Leadership Academy
Reviewed by Phyllis E. Superfisky, O.S.F. & Stephanie M. Flynn