42 research outputs found
Perceptions of Catholic Identity: Views of Catholic School Administrators and Teachers
This article presents the results of a survey conducted in 2010 of over 3,300 administrators and teachers in Catholic elementary and secondary schools nationally about their understanding of the meaning of the term “Catholic identity.” The survey was conducted in the fall of 2010 in anticipation of a national conference on the Catholic identity of Catholic elementary and secondary schools at The Catholic University of America, October 2-4, 2011. The vast majority of respondents viewed the school’s culture or faith community as the most important component of its Catholic identity. The longer the teacher or administrator worked in Catholic schools, the higher the rating they gave to the essential nature of the school’s faith community to its Catholic identity. Other aspects of Catholic identity that received high ratings were prayer, the content of the religion course, who taught religion, liturgical celebrations, and participation in service. The respondents viewed the percentage of Catholic students as the least important aspect of Catholic identity
Factors Affecting the Views of Bishops and Priests About Catholic Schools
The attitudes of bishops and priests toward Catholic schools are critical for the school’s success. This article discusses a recent nationwide survey of Catholic clergy that measured the support of bishops and priests for Catholic schools, with a special emphasis on determining factors that affect such support. Overall, a high level of support for Catholic schools is reported by the majority of the clergy surveyed. Factors influencing that support include type and location of ministry, number of years ordained, and one’s own Catholic school background
Motivation and Job Satisfaction of Catholic School Teachers
This article examines the relationship between Catholic school teachers’ motivation and job satisfaction. The data are derived from a survey of 716 teachers in Catholic elementary and secondary schools in three dioceses in the US (Atlanta, GA; Biloxi, MS; and Cheyenne, WY). The school’s academic philosophy and its environment were important predictors of the teachers’ satisfaction with their work with students and with their relationships with administrators and other teachers. The motivation to teach in the school because it was a Catholic school was an important predictor of the teachers’ satisfaction with the school. The results of the study confirm the importance of a religious factor as an important motivator for teachers choosing to teach in Catholic schools and an important predictor of their job satisfaction.
Résumé Motivation et satisfaction professionnelle des enseignants des écoles catholiques
Cet article examine les rapports entre la motivation et la satisfaction professionnelle des enseignants des écoles catholiques. Les données proviennent d’une enquête menée auprès de 716 enseignants d’écoles élémentaires et secondaires dans trois diocèses des États-Unis (Atlanta, Georgia, Biloxi, Mississipi et Cheyenne, Wyoming). La philosophie des études dans l’école et son environnement représentaient des variables explicatives importantes de la satisfaction des enseignants sur le travail accompli avec les élèves et leurs rapports avec le personnel administratif et les autres enseignants. La motivation pour enseigner dans l’école en raison de sa qualité d’établissement catholique constituait une variable explicative importante de la satisfaction de l’enseignant vis-à -vis de l’école. Les résultats de l’enquête confirment que le facteur religieux est important dans la motivation des enseignants qui choisissent d’enseigner dans les écoles catholiques et qu’il représente une variable explicative majeure dans leur satisfaction professionnelle.
Resumen MotivaciĂłn y satisfacciĂłn laboral del profesorado de escuelas catĂłlicas
Este artĂculo examina la relaciĂłn entre la motivaciĂłn y la satisfacciĂłn laboral del profesorado de escuelas catĂłlicas. El corpus ha sido extraĂdo de un cuestionario completado por 716 profesores de escuelas primarias y secundarias catĂłlicas de tres diĂłcesis de EE. UU. (Atlanta, GA; Biloxi, MS y Cheyenne, WY). La filosofĂa acadĂ©mica de las escuelas y sus ambientes fueron importantes indicadores de la satisfacciĂłn del profesorado en su trabajo con los estudiantes, y de sus relaciones con los administradores y demás profesores. La motivaciĂłn para enseñar en la escuela por ser catĂłlica fue un importante predictor de la satisfacciĂłn de los profesores hacia la escuela. Los resultados del estudio confirman la importancia del factor religioso como un motivador importante para que los profesores elijan enseñar en escuelas catĂłlicas y un predictor importante de la satisfacciĂłn laboral
Urban Catholic Education: Tales of Twelve American Cities, Edited by Thomas C. Hunt and Timothy Walch
Seminarian Sentiments About Catholic Schools
Three hundred sixty-one seminarians from the 48 diocesan seminaries in the United States and the North American College in Rome, Italy responded to a survey regarding their sentiments about the value of Catholic schools, their effectiveness, and the importance of financially supporting them. The results suggest that while diocesan seminarians are generally supportive of Catholic schools, they are more positive about the value of Catholic schools and the importance of providing financial support than they are about the effectiveness of Catholic schools, especially their religious effectiveness. The seminarians’ sentiments toward value and financial support are comparable to those of previous studies of priests. The seminarians’ own backgrounds in Catholic schools, selection of the most important purpose of Catholic schools, age, Hispanic ethnicity, and whether the seminary provided academic instruction about Catholic schools are factors that influenced their sentiments, particularly of effectiveness. The study did not include seminarians from religious congregations
The Impact of Catholic School Identity and Organizational Leadership on the Vitality of Catholic Elementary Schools
In order to fulfill their role of teaching children to receive Jesus and live out his call to create the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, Catholic schools need to possess and foster the distinctive characteristics of Catholic school identity. This study examined the relationship between Catholic school identity and organizational leadership and the extent to which these predict aspects of school vitality in Catholic elementary schools. The results of the analyses point to the signifi cant predictive relationship of Catholic school identity on each subscale of school vitality and at least one subscale of organizational leadership on three of the four subscales of school vitality. In addition, years of teaching in Catholic schools and percent of Catholic students are signifi cant predictors of Catholic school identity
Slogging and Stumbling Toward Social Justice in a Private Elementary School: The Complicated Case of St. Malachy
This case study examines St. Malachy, an urban Catholic elementary school primarily serving children traditionally marginalized by race, class, linguistic heritage, and disability. As a private school, St. Malachy serves the public good by recruiting and retaining such traditionally marginalized students. As empirical studies involving Catholic schools frequently juxtapose them with public schools, the author presents this examination from a different tack. Neither vilifying nor glorifying Catholic schooling, this study critically examines the pursuit of social justice in this school context. Data gathered through a 1-year study show that formal and informal leaders in St. Malachy adapted their governance, aggressively sought community resources, and focused their professional development to build the capacity to serve their increasingly pluralistic student population. The analysis confirms the deepening realization that striving toward social justice is a messy, contradictory, and complicated pursuit, and that schools in both public and private sectors are allies in this pursuit
Perceptions of Catholic identity: Views of Catholic school administrators and teachers
W hen I was growing up in Philadelphia in the 1940s and 1950s, the Catholic identity of the parish elementary school and Catholic high school that I attended was not really given a second thought. Clearly, they were schools with a strong Catholic identity. All the teachers in the parish school and all but one of those who taught me in high school were members of religious congregations. Only Catholic children attended our large parish school and all but a very few students in the high school were Catholic. We learned from the Baltimore Catechism in the elementary school and the daily high school's religion classes were rigorously taught like the other academic subjects. Prayers were said at specific times of the day in the elementary school-at the beginning of the day, before lunch, when we returned from lunch, and at the end of the day-and every class in high school began with a prayer. Liturgical celebrations were frequent and religious symbols abounded. We were challenged to be "soldiers of Christ" and to "spread the good news." Some years ago I was conducting a meeting on Catholic identity with a 18
Perceptions of Catholic Identity: Views of Catholic School Administrators and Teachers
This article presents the results of a survey conducted in 2010 of over 3,300 administrators and teachers in Catholic elementary and secondary schools nationally about their understanding of the meaning of the term “Catholic identity.” The survey was conducted in the fall of 2010 in anticipation of a national conference on the Catholic identity of Catholic elementary and secondary schools at The Catholic University of America, October 2-4, 2011. The vast majority of respondents viewed the school’s culture or faith community as the most important component of its Catholic identity. The longer the teacher or administrator worked in Catholic schools, the higher the rating they gave to the essential nature of the school’s faith community to its Catholic identity. Other aspects of Catholic identity that received high ratings were prayer, the content of the religion course, who taught religion, liturgical celebrations, and participation in service. The respondents viewed the percentage of Catholic students as the least important aspect of Catholic identity