69传媒

Opinion
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion

Faith-Based 69传媒 Matter. Here鈥檚 Why

Faith-based ed. has a history of serving marginalized and immigrant communities
By John Schoenig 鈥 May 31, 2017 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

From their origins as the progenitors of the American urban education system through the demographic shifts that characterized so much of the latter half of the 20th century, faith-based schools have always mattered a great deal to our K-12 landscape. In many ways, they matter now more than ever.

They matter because of their legacy of serving the most marginalized鈥攐ften recently arrived immigrant鈥攃hildren and families. They matter because they . They matter because they have been the bedrock of so many of our most at-risk communities for generations, providing a high-quality education at a fraction of the cost of their traditional public school counterparts. They matter because, at their best, they will stop at nothing to help their students realize the greatness for which each and every one of them was made.

BRIC ARCHIVE

For all the reasons that faith-based schools matter today, the most urgent and important may be the unique and integral role they play in attending to the alarming inequality of educational opportunity that many of our most at-risk children face. While they represent a small portion of our overall educational ecosystem, these schools are nonetheless vitally important in nurturing the soul of our nation. They challenge children to persist in the face of adversity, to take pride in being constant learners, and to treat others with the infinite dignity with which all of us are endowed.

As my colleagues and I at the University of Notre Dame鈥檚 Alliance for Catholic Education Program, or ACE, are fond of saying about the Catholic schools we have been privileged to support, these schools help place at-risk young people on the path to college and heaven.

Signs of hope continue to abound throughout the country in the form of 鈥渢hree-sector reform鈥 strategies. These include vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, and other publicly funded scholarships for low-income families; school-level accountability; and innovative teacher and leader pipelines.

I have supported some of these efforts in my role with ACE. In ACE, we help strengthen and transform Catholic schools in service to children on the margins of society. Through our formation programs, which include Teaching Fellows, our STEM education research programming, and comprehensive partnership efforts, we partner with dioceses, schools, and local communities to provide a high-quality Catholic education to as many children as possible.

All of this work is animated by our firm conviction that every child is made in the image and likeness of God. We believe that education is an integral part of sanctification, and we know that we have been granted a sacred trust in helping form future saints.

Over the course of the past quarter-century, issues of educational inequality have consumed oceans of ink. Unfortunately, much of what鈥檚 been written reflects an abiding divisiveness that is unworthy of the children entrusted to our care. Amid this sturm und drang, I hope our policymakers鈥攔egardless of their personal creed鈥攃ontinue to push for reform that will serve families who are interested in a high-quality education in a faith-based key. At a time when so many of our communities are characterized more by what divides them than what unites them, these schools are sacred spaces that provide an invaluable civic purpose.

A version of this article appeared in the May 30, 2017 edition of Education Week as Our Children Are Made for Greatness

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness These 69传媒 Are the Hardest for 69传媒 to Track After Graduation
State education chiefs are working with the Pentagon to make students' enlistment data more accessible for schools.
5 min read
69传媒 in the new Army prep course stand at attention after physical training exercises at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., on Aug. 27, 2022. The new program prepares recruits for the demands of basic training.
69传媒 in the new Army prep course stand at attention after physical training exercises at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., on Aug. 27, 2022. State education leaders are working with the Pentagon to make graduates' enlistment data part of their data systems.
Sean Rayford/AP
College & Workforce Readiness As Biden Prepares to Leave Office, He Touts His 'Classroom to Career' Work
At a White House event, the president and first lady highlighted their workforce-development efforts.
3 min read
President Joe Biden speaks at the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
President Joe Biden speaks at the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Nov. 13, 2024.
Ben Curtis/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Can the AP Model Work for CTE? How the College Board Is Embracing Career Prep
The organization known for AP courses and the SAT is getting more involved in helping students explore potential careers.
5 min read
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024.
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024. Long an institution invested in preparing students for college, the College Board increasingly has an eye on illuminating career options.
Ileana Najarro/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness The Way 69传媒 Offer CTE Classes Is About to Change. Here's How
The revision could lead to significant shifts in the types of jobs schools highlight, and the courses students are able to take.
4 min read
Photo of student working with surveying equipment.
E+