2019-01-18-Catholic Schools Week

PAGE A-16 Catholic Schools Week Supplement JANUARY 18, 2019 Innovation From page A-1 Photo by Michele Grimes Under the guidance of Mr. John DiPlacido, St. Dominic Catholic School seventh-graders conducted an experiment comparing their DNA to the DNA found in a strawberry. Edmondson said school lead- ers want Catholic schools to be what Pope Francis has asked of the church: to be “disciple-mak- ing places.” And she hoped they would evangelize in such a way that Catholics and non-Catho- lics would say: “I want that for my child. I want to be part of that community because I feel a goodness about it.” No doubt that was part of the intention of the early Cath- olic schools, to educate, but also educate in the faith, in mission territories and then in cities after the huge influx of Catholic im- migrants in the late 19th century. Catholic schools had plenty of support too. The First Plena- ry Council of Baltimore in 1852 specifically urged every Catholic parish in the country to establish its own school and these schools, primarily led by women reli- gious, flourished. By 1920, there were 6,551 Catholic elementary schools teaching 1.8 million stu- dents and by the mid-1960s, 4.5 million students attended more than 13,000 schools. That hardly compares with today’s statistics. The most recent NCEA fig- ures, for 2017-2018, show Cath- olic school enrollment at 1.8 million students in 6,352 Cath- olic schools. In 2017-2018, 16 new schools opened and 110 consol- idated or closed, but those that closed include some that con- solidated and re-opened as new entities.NCEA breaks down the closures to a net loss of 66 ele- mentary schools and 11 second- ary schools.The report also notes that 1,872 schools have a waiting list for admission. “The trend line does not look good, but recently it’s balanced out,”said Peter Litchka, associate education professor and direc- tor of the educational leadership program at Loyola University Maryland. He noted the shift in demo- graphics in recent years, causing Catholic schools to close as fam- ilies have moved out of cities.But he also pointed out, as many have said before, that at the height of Catholic school enrollment, it didn’t cost as much to attend these schools, because faculty and staff members were often women religious who worked for low salaries. “Now, most, if not all, are lay teachers,”he said, noting that tu- ition reflects current wages and health benefits. And that, for many, is the bottom line because for many families, it’s just too expensive to send their children to Catholic school. Litchka said most Catholic schools now have enrollment managers who help families tap into available resources to help with tuition. He also said schools are fo- cusing on promoting what they do day in and day out - being Catholic - which is a drawing point regardless of where people are from and can attract new stu- dents. In response to rising costs, Catholic school leaders empha- size that 29 states, including Al- abama, and the District of Co- lumbia have some sort of school scholarship program in place - meaning vouchers, tax credits or education savings accounts. Schools are stepping up to the plate with some innovative fundraising and school tuition models. Dioceses are establish- ing education endowments and religious orders are supporting schools such as Cristo Rey that offer work study programs to supplement tuition. In a recent interview with “The Visitor,” newspaper of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minn., Tom Burnford, NCEA presi- dent, said that Catholic schools are the responsibility of the en- tire Church. “They’re a ministry of the Church in the same way the Church reaches out to the poor. Catholic schools are not just for those who ‘use them’ - as in the parents who have kids in a Cath- olic school. They are an evange- lizing ministry of the Catholic Church and a very successful one. They form citizens who are successful in this life -- in secular jobs, secular roles in the world - and also in faith and in service to the Church. So Catholic schools belong to the entire Catholic population.” In addition to looking to cut costs, schools are also looking to promote themselves better and to focus on their foundational roots. Edmondson said every year during the NCEA convention speakers emphasize: “We stand on shoulders of giants,” refer- ring to the women religious who founded so many Catholic schools. “And we really do,”she added, noting that it’s crucial for schools to keep the orders’charisms alive, something many schools are working hard to do, from stress- ing the school’s history to includ- ing those from the order, even aging religious, in school-spon- sored events. Another key aspect to the enrollment factor is the need to include more Latino students. As Edmondson put it: “If we want our schools to flourish, if we want our enrollment to in- crease and not be on a decline, we have to engage those who are our Church today.” — For more information on Archdiocese of Mobile Schools, visit mobarchschools.org .