Volume 8, Number 4
June 2005
Table of Contents
Editors' Comments (p. 417)
Thomas C. Hunt, Ronald J. Nuzzi
Articles
Children’s Cultural Capital and Teachers’ Assessments of Effort and Ability:
The Influence of School Sector
Susan A. Dumais
Louisiana State University
(pp. 418-439)
Bourdieu (1973) theorized that differences in social background correspond to differences in possession of cultural resources (cultural capital), as well as the orientation to those resources (habitus). Additionally, Bourdieu argued that struggles for power occur in different settings (fields). His essay reviews Bourdieu’s main ideas and describes how they may apply to the American educational system. In particular, two setting are considered; public elementary schools and Catholic elementary schools. Based in analyses using data form the Early Childhood, Longitudinal Study (ECLS), Catholic school kindergartners are more likely to participate in arts activities, and their parents are more likely to be involved in and comfortable with the school environment. Regression analysis show that arts lessons and attendance at arts events do not affect teachers’ perceptions of the effort or ability of students in either public or Catholic schools. Parents’ orientation toward school has more of an effect in public than in Catholic schools. In public schools, attending open houses and conferences, volunteering, and feeling unwelcome at school all affect teachers’ evaluations of students’ effort and ability, while only attendance at school events and conferences affect teachers’ perceptions in Catholic schools. These findings suggest that the traditional definition of cultural capital may not be appropriate for young American children, that parents’ orientation toward schooling should be included in future studies of educational stratification, and that more research is needed in the examination of public-Catholic school differences in
cultural resources.
Religious Participation as Cultural Capital Development:
Sector Differences in Chicago’s Jewish Schools
Adam Gamoran & Matthew Boxer
University of Wisconsin - Madison
(pp. 440-462)
This paper uses the case of Jewish schools in Chicago to explore the role of religious schools in the development of cultural capital among youth. The author focus on three sectors of Jewish Schools (Orthodox day schools, non-Orthodox day schools, and non-Orthodox supplementary schools) as contexts for learning and expressing Jewish practices, affiliations, and beliefs, which are understood to be markers of cultural capital for the Jewish community. Survey results from 834 students in grades 7-12 revealed that family and school environments are independently associated with cultural capital development. Generally, the contributions of families are more prominent than the impact of schools, but both school type and learning opportunities also contribute to cultural outcomes.
Focus Section
Alternative Teacher Education and Professional Preparedness:
A Study of Parochial and Public School Contexts
John L. Watzke
University of Notre Dame
(pp. 463-492)
As staffing in Catholic K-12 schools has transitioned to a predominantly lay teaching corps over the past 50 years, a parallel process of secularization has taken place in teacher education programs at Catholic colleges and universities. The tradition of teaching as a vocation in the formation of vowed religious has been replaced by standard programs of educational foundations, course work, and field experiences with a primary emphasis on the issues and needs of public schools. Many factors contribute to this focus in Catholic higher education: financial concerns; teacher candidate preference; state laws; lack of proximity, affiliation, or experience with Catholic schools. Many programs function under a mission to prepare teachers for any school setting, public, private, or parochial, and view an intentional focus on Catholic Education as limiting or debilitating to the professional development of teacher candidates. This article asks the question: can an alternative teacher program based in service to Catholic education prepare teachers to be effective in both parochial and secular settings? The study investigated the professional preparedness of M.Ed. in program teacher candidates (n= 163) working in Catholic Schools and program graduates (n= 137) and these graduates’ principals (n= 112) working in either Catholic or public schools. Results of the administration of a professional preparedness inventory indicated teacher self-reported and principal reported rates at comparable levels to replicated national surveys. Comparison of graduate and principal responses by school context indicated no statistically significant difference for overall measures of preparedness. Specific areas of significant difference were identified in the Catholic school context (higher preparedness rates in curriculum and instruction and questioning and discussion skills) and public school context (higher rates of preparedness in encouraging critical thinking, reflective practice, and use of technology). Discussion focuses on the Catholic school context as a viable alternative for the preparation of teachers for multiple school contexts.
Responses From the Field (pp. 493-498)
Judith Warren
Superintendent of Schools Diocese of Kansas City- St. Joseph, Missouri
John Schoenig
Alliance for School Choice, Phoenix, Arizona
Timothy J. McNiff
Superintendent of Schools Diocese of Arlington, Virginia
Teacher Induction in Catholic Schools
Greg Chatlain & Brian Noonan
Saskatoon Catholic School Division & University of Saskatchewan, Sackatoon
(pp. 499-512)
The purpose of this study was to examine the induction process for beginning teachers in Catholic schools. Data were collected from 100 teachers using a survey that addressed teachers’ level of confidence in the pedagogical, religious, and managerial dimensions of teaching. The results of the study indicated that the induction experiences of beginning teachers in Catholic schools were similar to those of beginning teachers elsewhere. However, there is a need for the development and implementation of a systematic process of teacher induction that consciously meets the needs in the religious dimension for beginning teachers.
Review of Research
Spiritual Formation for Catholic Educators: Understanding the Need
Patricia Helene Earl, I.H.M.
Marymount University
(pp. 513-530)
This article discusses the need for thoughtful programs of spiritual formation for lay educators who staff Catholic schools. The importance of teacher formation in spiritual growth and in knowledge of the Catholic faith and daily living of the Gospel is highlighted.
Book Reviews
Handbook of Research on Catholic Higher Education (pp. 531-534)
Edited by Thomas C. Hunt, Ellis A. Joseph, Ronald J. Nuzzi, & John O. Geiger
Reviewed by Carl F. Starkloff, SJ
Stories of Beginning Teachers: First-Year Challenges and Beyond (pp. 534-538)
Edited by Alysia D. Roehrig, Michael Pressley, & Denise A. Talotta
Reviewed by Lori Moreau
The Good Teacher Mentor: Setting the Standard for Support and Success (pp. 538-540)
By Sidney Trubowitz & Maureen Picard Robins
Reviewed by Pat Bronsard
Room for Talk: Teaching and Learning in a Multilingual Kindergarten (pp. 540-543)
By Rebekah Fassler
Reviewed by Diana Hankins
The Threads of Reading: Strategies of Literacy Development (pp. 543-545)
By Karen Tankersley
Reviewed by Ted Wallach