The decline in Catholic school enrollment has some implications for the future, including a loss of community and a related rise in crime, a negative effect on faith formation and Mass attendance, and the continuation of the loss of Catholic identity. These implications are meaningful, and serve to reinvigorate the Church’s commitment to Catholic education.
Loss of Community and the Related Rise in Crime After conducting significant research into the decline of Catholic schools, two Notre Dame University law professors, Margaret Brinig and Nicole Garnett, theorized “that urban Catholic schools are uniquely suited to build and grow social capital, not just among enrolled families or parishioners, but among all residents of the neighborhoods they serve.” (Seath, 2015) Furthermore, these authors describe Catholic schools as “intentional communities” where the commonality of religious beliefs shared by the school community helps to develop good social habits that extend beyond the school building and into the larger community. Other researchers theorized “that tight social ties between teachers and parents allowed Catholic schools to control misbehavior and reinforce positive norms for children,” thereby contributing to safer communities for all. (MacGregor, 2012) Concurring with this, Garnett stated in a 2014 interview, “Catholic schools… appear to suppress crime and increase social capital. They increase trust and social cohesion. And the neighborhood that loses its Catholic school becomes more dangerous, more disorderly and less socially cohesive.” (OSV, 2014) Supporting this statement is the research conducted by Garnett and Brinig concluding that from 1999-2004, there was 30% less serious crime in Chicago neighborhoods with Catholic schools, than in neighborhoods that did not have a Catholic school. Ethnicity, poverty, unemployment and other demographics were controlled for purposes of these findings. Garnett and Brinig describe the Catholic school as “the beacon of hope” in many of urban America’s most depressed neighborhoods. Decline in Mass Attendance and Faith Formation Leading the study for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, Georgetown University, Mark Gray, Ph.D, concluded that Mass attendance and faith formation are deeply impacted by Catholic schools. “Having attended Catholic school has an effect on Mass attendance, especially among” Catholics born after 1982. In this generation, 34% of Catholics who went to Catholic school attend Mass regularly; whereas in the group of Catholics who did not attend Catholic school, only 5% attend Mass (Gray, p.3) Older Catholics have a better Mass attendance record, irrespective of schooling, and younger Catholics were not included in the study. Similarly effected is the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation, where the number of confirmandi has been on the decline since 2009; overall, 82% of …show more content…
Carlson identified evangelization, catechesis, and social justice as the fundamental characteristics of a school’s Catholic identity, concluding that “the most important element in a school 's Catholic identity is its commitment to make Christ present to everyone who attends the school or who comes into contact with it.” He identifies a school as Catholic when it is “Alive in Christ.” (http://archstl.org/archstl/post/trinity-essential-characteristics-d) In contrast, Fr. Peter Stravinskas saw the decline in Catholic identity as a response to “awe and intimidation before the secular education establishment,” and the “professionalization” of the Catholic school. Fr. Starvinskas noted that “professionalization” grew out of an “embarrassment over the very obvious lacks of our schools when contrasted with the public option.” (http://www.cuf.org/1999/03/what-happened-to-our-catholic-schools/) Public schools, particularly suburban public schools, were seen as newer, led by certified administrators who got the best out of certified teachers. Catholic schools were seen as old buildings, filled with large classes, led by uncertified …show more content…
The principal of a Catholic school must be strategic, even entrepreneurial, in his or her approach to marketing and enrollment management. United with strong pastoral leadership, “religious and lay leaders are creating new schools, new networks of schools, new governance models for existing schools, new pipelines of talent, new philanthropic efforts, new public programs, and much more. But all of this is taking place inside the time-tested boundaries of authentic Catholic education.” (Smarick, 2015) Enrollment data is trending upward in many Catholic school districts, most noteworthy Philadelphia, Chicago and New York, as well as the Cristo Rey model of schools. These districts are reaping the benefit of business models that protect the Catholic identity of the school and meet academic needs of students and financial needs of the school. (need