Who Will Save America's Urban Catholic Schools?

Thomas B. Fordham Foundation & Institute. 1701 K Street NW Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20006. Tel: 202-223-5452; Fax: 202-223-9226; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/publication/index.cfm

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Urban Schools; Catholic Schools; Catholics; Marketing; Educational Vouchers; Institutional Survival; Educational Change; School Closing; Case Studies; Student Recruitment; Student Mobility; Educational Trends; Educational Finance; Partnerships in Education; Institutional Mission; Colleges; Charter Schools; School Administration; School Role; Public Opinion

Colorado; District of Columbia; Kansas; Tennessee; Wisconsin

America's urban Catholic schools are in crisis. This report finds that over 1,300 schools have shut down since 1990, mostly in our cities. As a result, some 300,000 students have been displaced--forced to attend other public, private, or parochial schools. The school closures have cost taxpayers more than $20 billion to accommodate the additional students that public schools have had to absorb. Is this a crisis worth addressing? Are further closures inevitable, or can Church leaders, parishioners, philanthropists and/or public policymakers reverse these trends? Should they try? This report answers those questions and more. The report includes a comprehensive survey of the attitudes of U.S. Catholics and the broader public toward inner-city Catholic schools, examines this crisis and offers several suggestions for arresting and perhaps reversing this trend in the interests of better education. By looking at seven case studies, the report shows that in a few cities, such as Wichita, urban Catholic education is making a comeback. However, in other cities like Milwaukee and Washington, D.C., despite public voucher programs, enrollment continues to decline and/or schools are being closed or converted into charters. Following a foreword by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Michael J. Petrilli, this report contains eight sections: (1) Wichita: Making Catholic Schools Affordable Again (Bryan O'Keefe); (2) Memphis: Revitalization of Diocesan "Jubilee" Schools (Peter Meyer); (3) Denver: Marketing Efforts Yield Results (Marshall Allen); (4) Independent Networks: Nativity Miguel & Cristo Rey (Peter Meyer); (5) Milwaukee: The Mixed Blessing of Vouchers (Marshall Allen); (6) Washington, D.C.: Archdiocesan Schools to Go It Alone (John J. Miller); (7) Higher Education Partners: Catholic Universities Find Ways to Help Urban Schools (Marshall Allen); and (8) American Opinions on Catholic Education (David Cantor). [This report was produced by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, affiliated with the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.]

ERIC

2008

ED500901