Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2000
Abstract
Catholic schools occupy a unique place within the nation's educational system. Beyond supporting a complete academic curriculum, a Catholic school is a community combining value formation and religious instruction into the education of its students. These schools exist because they offer something of value apparently not found in the public sector. What are these elements that attract parents to these schools? The subject of "school choice" offers many opportunies for study. This research however focuses on select aspects of parental choice of elementary schools within the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, including: What factors are most important to parents in selecting a Catholic elementary school for their child(ren)? Are parents views, concerning these factors, unchanging, even in the face of contrary expressions? Are there unappreciated influences found in a social setting that can help inform our understanding of parental commitment? What are the implications for the "managers" of these schools? In conducting 18 focus groups involving nearly 200 parents from the Diocese, this research found surprising evidence that parental views influenced by a social process including emotional testimony from other parents. While much of the literature on school choice presumes that "choice" is a highly rational process, informed by "hard" facts and evidence, it may be true that only early views are adopted in this manner, and that the rational hold may be a tentative one. An important exception however is the finding that, without regard to parents' income and religious orientation, the "value proposition" of these schools is a "durable" component of parental choice. Suprisingly, "academic quality" is the element of parental choice exhibiting the greatest degree of malleability. The "managers" of these schools, both lay and religious, face considerable difficulty in securing the resources needed to sustain these institutions. Implications for these managers are also considered.
Keywords
Catholic church -- education
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Garvey, Thomas Edward, "Parental Choice of Elementary Schools Within the Cleveland Catholic Diocese and Its Implications for the Financial Policies of Diocesan Schools" (2000). Student Scholarship. 329.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/329