Who Will Save America's Urban Catholic Schools?

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 taxpayer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThomas B. Fordham Institute
Main Author Hamilton, Scott W., Ed
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published Thomas B 2008
Subjects
Case Studies
Catholic Schools
Catholics
Charter Schools
Colleges
Colorado
District of Columbia
Educational Change
Educational Finance
Educational Trends
Educational Vouchers
Institutional Mission
Institutional Survival
Kansas
Marketing
Partnerships in Education
Public Opinion
School Administration
School Closing
School Role
Student Mobility
Student Recruitment
Tennessee
Urban Schools
Wisconsin
District of Columbia
Colorado
Tennessee
Kansas
Wisconsin
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Summary: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.]