Dear Readers:
National Catholic Schools Week (CSW), January 28 – February 3, 2024, comes just about the time this Momentum hits your mailbox and inbox. Throughout the nation we celebrate the wonderful gifts of Catholic education: students formed in faith, educators answering the call to ministry, communities strengthened by the experience of God’s grace and presence. The new CSW logo and theme, “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community” is well-suited for the week-long celebration and for the whole year.
There is much to celebrate! Catholic school students academically perform among the top in the country, based on data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. The Department of Education reports that Catholic schools have graduation rates of 99 percent compared to 86 percent in public schools. Other religious secondary schools’ graduation rates are 98.2 percent and non-sectarian schools are 90.3 percent. Catholic schools are diverse and strive to serve the marginalized. The nationwide retention of principals and teachers is 81.9 percent and 86.4 percent, respectively. Student/teacher ratio is 11.5:1. Catholic schools impart service-oriented values such as civic duty, volunteerism, and compassion for the less fortunate.
Additionally, studies such as the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s study, Self-Discipline and Catholic Schools: Evidence from Two National Cohorts, highlight other lesser known benefits to Catholic school students:
To anyone who has worked or works in Catholic schools, none of this information is a surprise as Catholic schools are committed to educating the whole child—mind, body and spirit. That is the central mission of our nearly 148,000 Catholic school educators and leaders dedicated to more than 1.6 million Catholic school students in 5,920 Catholic schools across the United States.
The attributes of Catholic schools probably could take up the entire issue of Momentum and a week’s celebration likely isn’t nearly enough to tout all the benefits of Catholic school education. So, make some noise during CSW and beyond to show our Catholic schools truly are united in faith and community.