Catholic Schools and the Common Good

Reading this book convinced me to go to work in Catholic education. Before you even get to the long statistical analysis of student performance in Catholic schools, the book includes a nice history of Catholic schools in the United States, which, as a Catholic school parent but never a student, I found fascinating and, in a way, evangelizing for me.The statistical analysis gives proof to the claims of solid performance of Catholic school students, and it gives lie to criticisms that Catholic schools shortchange minority and disadvantaged students--those students tend to perform better in Catholic schools than in other schools, the study finds.Among the reasons for the success of Catholic schools, the book suggests the following: expectations of student success, individual attention, and a supportive environment and community that is created by students, staff, and parents. For supporters or critics of Catholic schools, this is an important book.