9 Comments

  1. sfernandez

    Your research states some insightful considerations of parents when considering Catholic schooling for their child. You note that teacher efficiency and academic value-added in Catholic schools is good to know for the parent. Thus, overall Catholic parents want the best educational setting for their child.

  2. acortez21

    The information you shared is very insightful and can be used to address not only attracting students, but retention. In a time when Catholic Schools are closing due to low enrollment I think it is beneficial for schools to promote data and use the information as a marketing tool. When I chose a school for my children I did not do my homework. I knew I wanted a Catholic education for my children, but primarily I looked at cost and location. I am pleased with the decision I made many years ago, but if I had to do it again I would certainly look into data, success rate, and test scores. Marketing is so important and perception is not always a reality. Parents need to see evidence and real data when making a choice for their child’s education.

  3. rmayhan

    I enjoyed reading your paper. We, as a Catholic school or Archdiocese school system, have to be evaluating what Catholics schools offer over charter schools or public schools. The data driven research you have included in this paper is a starting point. As a family, we decided to keep our three girls in the Catholic school system. We also decided to keep them in a single sex Catholic high school. The schools were reinforcing not only their faith but were teaching them social justice. I was never too concerned about how they were comparing to other Catholic schools because I was very invested in the school they were attending. But things have changed and choosing whether to send your child to a Catholic school or a Charter school or public school plays a big part in making a conscious educational choice. Or even which catholic school.

  4. jclifford

    ‘That parent is looking for something more than reaching minimum standards.’

    That statement really hit the nail on the head for me. Everyone stresses out about money one was or another, so I think its something that parents of catholic faith will often not even consider if money is tight. Why send your child to a school that literally could cover a car payment if there is one for free. If you’re raising your child as a catholic it is because that faith is important to you, and you want your children to have that strong sense of faith built into their education. ‘The parent wants the whole package.’

    This paper really made me think about the difference in catholic and public education and I think you did a really good job of getting your points across.

  5. jzibluk

    This paper was really in-depth. I have to admit, I struggled to understand a lot of the terms you used throughout it, I learned a lot of new definitions from google! I also really like your comparison and contrast between public and catholic schools, especially how when it comes to Catholic Schools, personal satisfaction takes precedence over the statistical numbers of analysis one sees from public.

  6. ovanhook

    Growing up, there were only 3 private elementary schools and one private high school. I attended public school my entire life. I wasn’t very familiar with private schools until I started grad classes here, which made me learn quite a bit. I’ve always thought, when I have kids they will be put into public school because thats what I’m use to. After reading your paper, my thoughts have changed. I like what you said about catholic schools having more discipline and more homework. It’s important that student’s receive a high level of learning like catholic schools provide. It seems that private schools will prepare students for college better than public schools will. I enjoyed your paper!

    • cbriseno4

      Along with Olivia, there were very few private schools where I was from and I could agree that I always thought when I have kids I would send them to a public school as well because that’s what I did and I managed to be prepared for college. There is a statement on page 11 that focuses on course selection and it states:
      -“That manipulated variable is the stronger academic orientation of Catholic schools in terms of course selection. Catholic schools tend to have fewer non-academic, lower-level courses, such as vocational courses, to choose from. Moreover, they usually offer more higher-level (college readiness) courses than public schools. (p. 7)”
      I found this interesting because as much as you want your child to be “college ready” and take courses that are challenging, I do think that having non-academic courses, such as electives, are important to a child’s learning as well because it expands their horizon of thinking and their creativity.
      I found this to be a very interesting paper and has made me have second thought on where I would like to send my kids if it was solely based on education purposes. There are plenty other factors that come into play, like sports for instance. It gave me something to think about, well done!

  7. amiller17

    Your paper gave me much food for thought. Overall, I dislike the idea of one Catholic School being in competition with another. However, I know it is the nature of the beast. We are all fighting to fill our seats and keep our doors open. The idea that I found the most intriguing from your paper is the data dashboard. But again, I struggle with the competition side of that – which school has higher scores or how much money each school has / raises seem like such touchy items to me. However, as you have explained it, it can be a quick snapshot of what a parent may be looking for. I guess when it comes down to it, each of our Catholic Schools has a gift to offer each student that chooses our schools. The gifts your school offers versus the gifts mine offers can be appealing to different people. I imagine that our communities will dictate what kind of information we advertise by what they are looking for.

  8. kbarton

    I enjoyed reading you paper. I am a product of Catholic school and attended one from kinder through undergrad. I am a very firm believer that Catholic schools have an advantage over other schools because of the student-teacher ratio and the the Catholic identity that is integrated into the curriculum. The biggest reasons why my mother chose to send both my brother and I to Catholic school is because of the school safety and the rigorous academics. However, when I attended Catholic school, tuition was more affordable. With the increase in tuition and a comparable education at a charter school, I am not sure if my mother would make her decision based on the same criteria today. The data you have provided is a conversation starter in building a curriculum that surpasses what the other schools offer and make Catholic schools an option that more parents can see as a necessary investment.

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