“In 1606, in what is now St. Augustine, Florida, the Franciscan Order founded the first Catholic school on what would eventually become American shores, in order “to teach children Christian doctrine, reading, and writing.” (Smarick, 2019, pg 114)

“Between 1941 and 1960, non-public-school enrollment, driven by Catholic schools, grew by 117%. When it reached its zenith in the mid-1960s, the nation’s Catholic K-12 education system maintained more than 13,000 schools serving more than 5 million children— approximately 12% of all American students.” (Smarick,117)

“Church leaders and concerned families received a major boost in 1925, with the landmark Supreme Court decision Pierce v. Society of Sisters. In that case, the Court declared state requirements that students attend public schools to be unconstitutional, and provided broad protection to private education. The opinion thus cleared the way for Catholics to build their own system of schools, free from much of the government interference and obstruction they had theretofore endured.” (Smarick,117)

“And at the federal level, former speaker of the House James G. Blaine introduced a constitutional amendment in 1875 that would have strictly forbidden any government funding of schools run by “any religious sect.” The Maine congressman’s proposal passed overwhelmingly in the House—by a vote of 180 to seven—but was defeated narrowly in the Senate. Within 15 years, however, 29 states had “Blaine Amendments” in their own constitutions” (Smarick,116)

“One downside, however, was the further undermining of urban Catholic education. Even though Catholic schools set their tuition rates well below per-pupil costs (to remain accessible), a few thousand dollars a year was still prohibitively expensive for many inner-city families. Offered new, presumably safe, and tuition-free charter schools in their neighborhoods, many urban parents decided to forego the expense of Catholic schools. In the 1990s, almost 600 more schools were closed.” (Smarick,120)

“Massive demographic shifts also played a part. With more resources at their disposal than their parents or grandparents had, blue-collar, middle-class families—often Catholic—were able to leave the cities for homes in America’s growing suburbs. Since many of these parents chose public schools for their children, the number of new suburban Catholic schools fell far short of the number of urban Catholic schools emptied by the exodus.” (Smarick,118)

“Throughout the 1980s, many of America’s cities continued to hemorrhage population and wealth, and the number of Catholic schools continued to fall. Nearly 1,000 more schools were lost, and enrollment declined by more than half a million” (Smarick,119)

“When these more recent figures are added to those of the past several decades, they paint a shocking portrait of decline. In 50 years, the number of Catholic schools has dropped by nearly 5,800, more than all the elementary public schools operating in the state of California. In the same period, Catholic schools lost more than 3 million students. Where Catholic schools once dominated the private-school sector, claiming nearly 90% of the market, they now represent only one in five nonpublic schools. And of those Catholic schools that remain, only one out of every eight is located in an inner city.” (Smarick,120)

“But the decline of Catholic schools affects much for more information. more than one faith community. And some of those who should be most concerned have a thoroughly secular purpose: education reformers struggling to narrow the divide in academic achievement between wealthy students and poor students, and especially between white children and minorities in urban schools.” (Smarick, 2011, p.120-121)

“Much of the unease about government support for faith-based schools is rooted in the concern that their highest priority is religious proselytization. What has failed to permeate the debate, however, is that while Catholic schools originally developed to serve and protect Catholic children and to advance the faith, many inner-city Catholic schools now serve predominantly non-Catholic, poor, minority students.” (Smarick, 2011, p.125)

“This study analyzed how a private, religious school teaches character—an issue in character education that previously had little in-depth research. The purpose of this study was to describe how the concurrent curricula (including the written curriculum, taught curriculum, and school culture) at a Jewish day school teach character to its students.” (Roso, 2013. P. 31)

“Research literature suggests that core ethical values should be the basis of good character (Lickona, Schaps, & Lewis, n.d.). Literature also indicates that a major source of these core ethical values is religion (Colson, 1995; Glanzer, 1999; Haynes & Thomas, 1998).” (Roso, 2019, pg 33)

Accountability