Remembrance of a Christian Brothers’ Education

This study describes the experiences of a group of individuals who attended a southern California Catholic boys’ high school, and the men who taught them. The goal of this study was to relate a narrative that explained how an education, steeped in the Christian Brothers’ mission provided a quality education for the poor, and shaped the lives, perspectives, and values of the graduates. The narrative, reported through a social perspective inspired by Catholic Social Teaching (CST), the philosophical writings of Jacques Maritain and Alisdair MacIntyre, showed how the graduates received a quality education from the Brothers, and absorbed a strong sense of Catholic virtue, including a commitment toward social justice, an understanding of role of building and sustaining community, and an appreciation for giving back to society. Cathedral High, a small Catholic high school in Los Angeles, is an embodiment of MacIntyre’s belief that small communities, dedicated to upholding moral virtue and civility offer the possibility of reforming a society currently mired in individualistic and materialistic pursuits. A further implication is that Catholic schools, with their well-documented record for providing effective education for the poor, should remain an educational option for inner-city families.

Special Education in Catholic Schools Viewed from a Liberatory Hermeneutic

This study explores anew the issue of providing special education in Catholic schools by viewing the ethical implications from a liberatory hermeneutic. By utilizing an interdisciplinary perspective, the research draws upon liberation theology, liberation psychology, liberation pedagogy, and liberation ethics to support the moral mandate for providing education for all God’s children, including those persons with disabilities. The study challenges Catholic educational leaders to reimagine their positions on how schools might promote a more inclusive, liberatory approach to serving the special needs of children with disabilities. Finally, this research provides a Catholic, liberatory, ethical framework for inclusive Catholic education to assist school leaders in the development of appropriate pedagogy and programming to address the issue of inclusion of students with disabilities.

The Influence of School Catholicity on Sport Educator-Coaches

In practice, sports often play a major role in shaping the identity of Catholic schools. Theorists consider how to better integrate religious faith into sports programs. We argue that it is also imperative to investigate how the schools' catholicity influences educator-coaches experiences of sport. Based upon analysis of a phenomenological research project in Edmonton, Canada, our study uncovered factors of lift (i.e., feeling part of something bigger, mentor-coaches as doers of the Word, and communal or relational elements) and drag (i.e., treatment of non-Catholics, seeking an authentic faith, and a lack of reflection on the integration of sport and faith). From these findings, we highlight how factors of lift and drag should effect the way Catholic schools shape their sports programs' religious identity: the importance of the faith community, the value of implicit and explicit signs of faith in secular times, the need for deeper reflection, and possibilities for that reflection.

Preparing Catholic Educators to Educate and Evangelize in 21st Century Schools, Action Research of an Analysis of Educator Preparation Program Requirements Including Professional and Pedagogical, Relational, Formational and Evangelistic Education for P-16 Students (PROFEss)

The preparation of effective, knowledgeable and caring educators whose mission is to serve society through direct contact with and instruction of students, is the topic of this action research. We sought to determine how we as a teacher preparation program within a dynamic Catholic university could ensure that our Catholic identity was truly evident and nurtured in our teacher candidates as they prepare to engage in the extremely important job of offering what is a universal right to an education to PK-12 students, in a variety of learning environments. The analysis of this teacher preparation program included a review of literature specific to Catholic teaching on education, qualitative data collection via interviews, and personal reflection and analysis of curriculum and pedagogy in order to make our Catholic identity explicit. Findings included the need for reinforcing Catholic Identity through professional, pedagogical, relational, formational and evangelistic education for students (PROFEss).

Defining Catholic Higher Education in Positive Terms

Debates about Catholic higher education in the United States sometimes focus too much on what Catholic colleges and universities should not do, rather than what they should do. This article attempts to reframe those debates away from the negative expressions of Catholic identity (i.e., denying guests a right to speak on campus based on their stance on abortion) and toward more positive expressions, like promoting scholarship on Catholic history, culture, and theology. It reviews some key academic literature that approaches Catholic identity from this positive, proactive perspective, and attempts to categorize that literature into common, identifiable themes.