"When the definitive history of American Catholicism is written, inner-city Catholic elementary schools will be remembered as one of the most significant achievements of the U.S. Catholic Church. At their outset, these schools served the children of European immigrants who, because of prejudice, faced daunting prospects. Thanks in large part to Catholic schools, immigrants and their descendants moved quickly out of poverty and into the middle class. The Center for Catholic Education at Boston College will lead the way toward a vibrant and revitalized future for Catholic education in America."
- Joseph M. O'Keefe, S.J.
Dean, Lynch School of Education
As the top-ranked school of education at a Catholic university, the Lynch School has a long tradition of concern for Catholic education at all levels. Uniquely poised to lead the charge of building new models of sustainability for Catholic schools across the country, Boston College's Center for Catholic Education brings under one banner various successful initiatives related to Catholic education.
The Center for Catholic Education will:
- Provide a locus for research and analysis of central issues affecting Catholic education
- Expand and strengthen degree and certificate programs related directly to Catholic education
- Develop effective processes and structures for strategic planning, financial management, enrollment management, governance, and leadership of Catholic schools/systems.
- Develop new models for effective practices in curriculum and instruction and student/family support processes in Catholic schools
- Provide professional development in key areas of curriculum, student support, and leadership to staff and leaders of Catholic schools/systems
- Create and sustain effective partnerships with selected Catholic schools that would illuminate the mutual interactions between research and school-based practices.
