#91
Catholic Schools: COVID-19 Threats and Challenges
Catholic schools are important parts of education systems in many countries, the United States among them. The COVID-19 emergency is likely to force many to close. This prompts reflections about their distinctive contributions, notable among them their service to minority students in vulnerable, underserved communities.
The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)
estimates that at least 100 Catholic schools will not reopen in the fall — or probably ever. Schools and students rely heavily on charitable donations, which have declined during the COVID emergency, limiting the capacity to offer scholarships.
The broader context is an overall decline in numbers for U.S. Catholic education. In 1960, the United States
boasted 13,000 Catholic schools compared to
just 6,000 or so today. In 1965, of elementary-age children attending private school,
89 percent attended a Catholic school. Tuition costs are a major factor (average yearly tuition at a Catholic school is $4,800 for elementary school and $11,200 for high school), as is expansion of private education. Costs have increased, in large measure as lay teachers (who cost more) have replaced the clergy and religious sisters who were the backbone of teaching staff in the past. By 2017, less than 3 percent of staff were clergy. Ironically, now, it is mainly the rich or the very poor who can afford a Catholic education. Middle classes are too rich for financial aid and too strapped to pay full tuition.
Three qualities are a focus for Catholic schools: values, rigorous attention to quality, and a focus on minorities and vulnerable groups. Schools stress core values, notably integrity, humility, hard work, and service. Overall achievement in Catholic schools is
higher on average than in public schools, and the achievement gap between minorities and others is smaller. Twenty percent of students in the
6,000 Catholic schools in the United States are
minorities, including Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asians, with higher numbers in specific programs like the
Partnership Schools, a network of
nine Catholic schools in Harlem and the South Bronx in New York and in Cleveland. Minority students at Catholic schools are
more likely to graduate from high school and college than their peers in public school.
A recent article commented that “the merits of a Catholic education are self-evident,” pointing to the fact that five
of the nine Supreme Court justices attended Catholic schools, as did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. To highlight the threats to this system, the Baltimore Catholic all-girls high school she attended is to close June 30.
(Based on: June 12, 2020,
Washington Post article.)