Loyalty to the educational aims of the Catholic school demands constant self-criticismand return to basic principles, to the motives which inspire the Church’s involvement in education. – Sacred Congregation for Education, The Catholic School, n.67 – ICLE—Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has called for the renewal of Catholic education at all levels, from…
This week is Celebrate Catholic Schools Week across America. Catholic schools enrolled more than 5 million students in the mid-1960s but today just 1.6 million. Many things have contributed to this decline including family economic stress, rising college costs, and other factors. And, of course, massive secularization. The stakes are really high. Now, more than…
The more than $2 TRILLION, so-dubbed “Build Back Better” Act squeeked through Congress by merely seven votes, now it heads for the Senate. Amendments are expected, but as inflation is clearly on a major upswing, who in their right mind would approve two-trillion-dollars… TRILLION.. additional government spending that will ultimately come out of the tax-paying…
National Review—Breaking up large districts would restrain teachers’ unions. The many lessons of the COVID pandemic have included an unwelcome one for public-school parents about the outsized power of American teachers’ unions. Even as private schools remained open or reopened, almost half of public-school districts in the United States continued with “hybrid” learning — the unproven…
NOTE: This lawsuit — objecting to the horrific fines imposed for hiring people aligned with a nonprofit’s principles — directly affects Virginia-based Catholic schools and nonprofits . ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A new lawsuit challenges a Virginia law that forces nonprofit ministries to abandon their core convictions in hiring and other policies or face fines up…
In the name of ending white supremacy and systemic racism, school districts are indoctrinating students with a new radical vision of American society. In fall 2020, a fourth-grade class in Burnsville read a book that warns students that police are “mean” to black people, but “nice” to white people. “Cops stick up for each other,”…
An Ohio mother said Monday that she made a “judgment call” in switching her daughter from public to Catholic school, after coronavirus restrictions made it impossible to virtually teach her children and work her job at the same time. She’s not alone… read more / watch short news video >> Contrary to the National Catholic…
CNA—Enrollment at Catholic schools this academic year has seen its largest drop in nearly half a century, according to a new report. A data brief of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) showed that enrollment at Catholic schools was down 6.4% for the 2020-2021 school year—the biggest percentage drop in enrollment since 1973. The overall…
The Annual History Essay Contest, sponsored by the Catholic Textbook Project textbook publishing company, is now underway! All Catholic private, parochial, and homeschool students in grades 4-12 are invited to participate. “It’s a great way for students to sharpen their history and writing skills. Plus, there are prizes for winners and for their schools!” says…
Popular culture holds a dismissive attitude toward history. Common headlines include “unprecedented times”, “worse than ever”, and “never before.” But how often is that really true? What do we face that is truly without precedent? This mindset—that all things have either escalated or de-escalated, that the present is always somehow more or less than the…
More than 700 Catholic educators from across the country and overseas will gather online next week to explore, celebrate, and strengthen the growing movement to save Catholic schools through the recovery of the Church’s proven tradition of education. The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education’s 8th National Conference was forced to shift to an online format…
In his weekly column, Archbishop José H. Gomez called for nationwide support to keep Catholic schools open as many Catholic schools throughout the nation face permanent closure because of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on education funding by the end of this month. The Archbishop…
A renown resource for Catholic educators, The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, announces its conference and retreat line-up for Summer 2020. After sudden lockdowns and being forced to re-invent classroom teaching on a dime, Catholic educators nationwide are ready for a break. Why not take a break that truly reinvigorates your vocation as a teacher,…
The Catholic bishops of Minnesota have published guidelines regarding gender identity and Catholic schools, emphasizing the Catholic mission of schools and the Church’s doctrinal teaching on sexuality and identity. “The Catholic school is committed to providing a safe environment that allows students to flourish academically, physically, and spiritually. Catholic schools are obliged to provide an…
Peter Vlaming, a French teacher at West Point High School in Virginia, was fired in December of 2018 after refusing to address a female student who had begun identifying as male by male pronouns, according to CNN. Vlaming had told the district that he couldn’t “in good conscience” call the student by he/him/his pronouns because…
International Dateline—Oakcrest School announced its departure from the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC) last week, becoming the second school to leave the conference because of the league’s inclusive policy regarding transgender athletes. Mary Ortiz, Oakcrest’s Head of School, wrote a letter to PVAC President Taisto Saloma on June 14 informing him of Oakcrest’s withdrawal from…
CNA—The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case addressing the question of whether states can deny tax credit programs to parents and children who choose religious private schools. “States cannot base laws on hostility to religion. Likewise, no provision of Montana’s constitution can enshrine hostility to religion into state law. We commend the…
Crisis—There have been plenty of examples of our secular culture’s antagonism toward Catholic education: from the Covington School-Nick Sandmann debacle, to activism against the admissions policies of Kansas City’s Catholic schools, and to numerous lawsuits by employees fired from Catholic schools for moral indiscretions. The greatest danger in these situations is not the secularist’s desire…
After nearly 20 years serving as a teacher and then vice principal at the mid-to-lower income, blue-collar school she had attended as a child, Mary Pat Donoghue entered St. Jerome’s door as its new principal in July 2009. The remarkable transformation that took place at St. Jerome’s in Hyattsville, a once-unremarkable school tucked away on…
South Euclid, Ohio, recently passed a new city ordinance that adds religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes under the law. The Lyceum, a Catholic school in South Euclid, has spoken out against this measure from the beginning. Now that the city voted to pass this proposed ordinance, Alliance Defending Freedom…
