Reaching the Youngest Hearts and Minds: Interviews with Diocesan Leaders Regarding Catholic Early Childhood Education

Early childhood is a critically formative stage of human development and the educational experiences of children at this young age impact their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical competencies. In the U.S., early childhood education has grown dramatically since the 1960s, both in federal and state dollars invested and in terms of overall enrollment. However, despite what is known about early childhood education in general, the picture of whether and how the Catholic education sector—particularly diocesan schools and parishes—is serving early childhood needs remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to begin mapping the landscape of Catholic early childhood education in several dioceses across the United States. A qualitative interview protocol guided interviews with 15 (arch)diocesan administrators about their current practices regarding Catholic preschool education. Findings are grouped according to the major thematic issues covered, including issues such as curriculum, teacher qualifications, accreditation, finances, enrollment, marketing, and Catholic identity. Whereas early childhood education shows great variability in form, content, and delivery both within and across dioceses, this sample indicated an overall increase in enrollment over the previous five years, as well as a strong insistence that early childhood is an important lever for both child and family faith formation. Early childhood programming must be considered a strategically significant component of the Catholic educational enterprise

Mission Driven and Data Informed Leadership

The contemporary challenges facing Catholic schools and Catholic school leaders are widely known. Effective and systemic solutions to these mounting challenges are less widely known or discussed. This article highlights the skills, knowledge, and dispositions associated with mission driven and data informed leadership—an orientation to school level leadership that we believe holds great promise for the renewal and revitalization of Catholic schools. The conceptual framework developed in this article takes specific shape through an examination of the problem-based learning strategies embedded in the curriculum of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program in the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame, and three exemplary action research projects completed by program graduates and current leaders in Catholic schools

Leading the Way: Catholic School Leaders and Action Research

Recent research extols the value of problem-based learning strategies in exemplary school leadership preparation programs as one way to provide school leaders with the appropriate tools to systematically use data to make important decisions. The purpose of this study was to address the current gap between the noted importance of problem-based learning strategies in leadership preparation programs, and the demonstrated effect these strategies have on the knowledge, skills, behaviours, and values of school leaders. The study employed a longitudinal mixed-method research design to examine discrete action research skills, behaviours, and values of 44 candidates enrolled in a Master of Arts in Educational Administration degree program. Inferential analysis of the pre- and post-test survey data indicated a statistically significant increase in self-reported preparedness and capacity for all but two of the 14 core research activities assessed on the survey instrument. There are powerful and potentially long lasting outcomes for leadership candidates that complete a full cycle of action research as part of a principal preparation program. This study allows some tentative mapping of the actual skills, behaviours, and values that school leaders may evince as a result of deep exposure to practitioner driven action research

Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry & Practice: A Ten-Year Retrospective Review of Catholic Educational Research

The journal has a brief but important history, encompassing the support of major Catholic colleges and universities across the United States. In particular, the University of Dayton and the University of Notre Dame have provided a home for the editorial offices and the contributed services of the editors. As the journal prepares for a transition to its third home at Boston College, this article offers a summative and evaluative overview of the contents of the journal since its inception. Recommendations are offered regarding ways to continue to grow the field of educational research situated in Catholic schools

Pastors’ Views of Parents and the Parental Role in Catholic Schools

Over 300 years of official Church teachings and documents affirm the importance of the home-school relationship, yet relatively little research has systematically explored the need and value of parent involvement in the school community. This study is a secondary analysis of survey data collected for the Notre Dame Study of U.S. Pastors (Nuzzi, Frabutt, & Holter, 2008) and examines pastors’ views of parents and the parental role in Catholic schools. The article closes with recommendations for action based upon analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data trends from pastors’ responses