Volume 8, Number 3
March 2005
Table of Contents
Editors' Comments (p.273)
Ronald J. Nuzzi, Thomas C. Hunt
Articles
Innovation in Educational Markets: An Organizational Analysis of Private Schools in Toronto
Scott Davies & Linda Quirke
McMaster University
(pp. 274-304)
This study examines whether new private schools are innovative, drawing on theories of markets and institutions. Choice advocates claim that markets spark innovation, while institutional theory suggests that isomorphic forces will limit novel school forms. Using qualitative data form third sector private schools in Toronto, three hypotheses about the impact of markets on educational organization are examined: (a) they reverse tendencies toward isomorphism as schools develop client niches; (b) they allow schools to weaken their formal structures; and (c) they force schools to more closely monitor their effectiveness. Substantial evidence exists for the first hypothesis, partial evidence for the second hypothesis, but little evidence for the third. Overall, new private schools are characterized by: small classes, unique pedagogical themes, personalized treatment of clients, and some pragmatic responses to limited resources. Their operators sometimes feel restricted by parental demand, but are able to retain a loosely coupled structure by embracing consumerist understanding of accountability. This essay concludes with a discussion if implications for market theory.
Motherhood and Tenure: Can Catholic Universities Support Both?
Bridget Burke Ravizza & Karen Peterson-Iyer
St. Norbert College
(pp. 305-325)
This paper presents a plan for the implementation of more family-friendly policies at Catholic colleges and universities, both as a matter of justice for women and on behalf of the well being of families. It is motivated by the teachings of the Catholic social tradition that emphasize the equality and dignity of women; the importance of the dual vocations of Christian parents, who are called to raise children and to work more publicly on behalf of the common good; and the inherent value of children and their right to be properly nutured and educated within the Christian family. Our starting point is the condition of families in the U.S. today as they struggle to thrive in spite of tremendous demands placed on parents who also work outside the home. We examine the negative effects on women and families that result from a refusal to accommodate parents with young children in the workplace. We are concerned in particular with the challenges faced by women academics at colleges and universities who are also mothers. We argue that, by and large, these women are not adequately supported in academia, even at Catholic universities, in spite of that tradition’s professed commitment to the health and well being of families. Finally we offer several concrete suggestions by which universities may better support women academics who are mothers, thereby contributing to the well being of women and families.
Teaching: Profession or Vocation?
Joseph A. Buijs
St. Joseph's College, University of Alberta, Edmonton
(pp. 326-345)
Underneath Teaching there lies a conceptual framework through which we view its role and purpose. Different frameworks vary in outlook and imply contrasting attitudes and values. Which one we adopt impacts on what and how we teach. This study explores what it means to think of teaching as a professions versus a vocation. Its focus is restricted to teaching at the university level, but the analysis can be applied to other aspects of an academic career. The issue is of particular interest in relation to the Christian or Catholic identity of denominational colleges and universities. The intent is to show how the conceptual framework of a profession versus a vocation implies a number of contrasting attitudes and values towards teaching. Al though these contrasts need not be incompatible, they are in dialectical tension within academic institutions: excess of one highlights absence of the other, Finally, the study suggests that teaching as a vocation more directly promotes a distinctively Christian or Catholic identity in denominational institutions of higher education.
Focus Section
Narrative Theology in the High School Classroom: Teaching Theology Through the Literature
Louis A. DelFra, CSC
Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish, Portland, Oregon
(pp. 346-374)
If Jesus Taught most Frequently through symbol and story, and the early Church passed on his teachings primarily through story, especially the four Gospels, why is today’s Catechesis and theological pedagogy not more informed by “narrative theology” – theology which focuses on the narratives told by Jesus and the Gospels precisely as narratives? This article provides some basic foundations for the discipline of narrative theology, argues for a more narrative approach to theological instruction, and, by way of application, proposes a full year curriculum for high-school students that enables teachers to teach theology through the narratives of both the Bible and secular literature.
Responses From the Field (pp. 375-380)
Max Engel
Mercy High School, Omaha, Nebraska
Camille Fitzpatrick
Mercy High School, Omaha, Nebraska
Corey M. Quinn
DeSmet Jesuit High School, Creve Coeur, Missouri
Review of Research
Mentorship: Toward Success in Teacher Induction and Retention
Sonya Vierstraete
Holy Redeemer Catholic School, Marshall, Minnesota
(pp. 381-392)
The mentoring of new teachers has proven to be an effective strategy in helping novice teachers succeed. This essay provides an overview of mentorship and suggests concrete, research-based techniques for implementing a mentor-ship program.
Book Reviews
Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior (pp. 393-396)
By Phil Jackson
Reviewed by Elizabeth Baker
The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them (pp. 396-399)
By E.D. Hirsch, Jr.
Reviewed by Daniel Tully
Mestizo Worship, A Pastoral Approach to Liturgical Ministry (pp. 400-404)
By Virgilio P. Elizondo & Timothy M. Matovina
Reviewed by David J. Sullivan
Catholic Schools in Contention: Competing Metaphors and Leadership Implications
(pp. 404-407)
By John Sullivan
Reviewed by Kathleen Asmar
A Digest of Supreme Court Decisions Affecting Education, 4th ed. (pp. 408-410)
By Perry A. Zirkel, Sharon N. Richardson, & Steven S. Goldberg
Reviewed by Sarah M. Watson