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Canon law recognizes the pastor as the chief educational officer (CEO) of the parish school. However, recent studies demonstrate that seminaries do not prepare seminarians for work in or leadership of Catholic schools, and recent scholarship also demonstrates that an increasing number of seminarians lack the desire to lead a parish school. Our research study examined the post-seminary preparation of priests for leadership of parish schools. We also explored alternative governance models for Catholic schools. We conducted structured interviews with 10 national leaders to explore these two areas of interest. Our findings demonstrate that preparation of newly ordained and veteran priests for parish school leadership is woefully inadequate. Interviewees suggested that the pastor/principal relationship and school finance are two important topics that should be addressed in best practice preparation programs for school leaders. All 10 interviewees had difficulty imagining alternative governance models for schools in which the pastor would not serve as the CEO, but at the same time, some of the participants could see potential benefits of alternative governance models. Based on the findings of our study, we recommend that: (1) seminary programs include an initial introduction to the importance of Catholic schools for evangelization; (2) a new national model for preparing young and veteran priests for school leadership be developed and implemented; (3) existing best practices for alternative governance models be collated and promulgated; and (4) church leaders and stakeholders determine the best governance models for their schools and then prepare the appropriate people for leadership roles accordingly.

Catholic schools are called to serve all of God's children, including students with disabilities who require and benefit from inclusive practices. Inclusionary practices align with Catholic Social Teaching (CST), Catholic identity, and the mission of the Catholic schools. This article frames CST's foundation for inclusive practices in Catholic schools, defines disabilities and explains relevant educational terms, summarizes models of inclusion, and debunks five common misperceptions about inclusion of students with disabilities in Catholic schools. Educators will be heartened through greater clarity of theological motivation for admitting students with disabilities, provided insight about various disability characteristics to inform instructional planning, and invited to reflect on how to deliver services to all students across a continuum of least restrictive environments.

Recognizing that pastors of parishes with a Catholic school play a vital role in Catholic education, and that the seminarians of today will be the parish pastors of tomorrow, this study sought to provide a better understanding of the perceptions held by Catholic seminarians about parish schools. Fourteen seminary students from 12 seminaries and 14 different dioceses from across the United States participated in focus group interviews to discuss their thoughts and perceptions about parish schools. Themes that emerged from focus group discussions included the reinterpretation of the New Evangelization, the understanding of the value of Catholic schools, mixed feelings about leadership of a parish with a school, lack of preparation for school administration, and minimal preparation specific to Catholic schools. Recommendations include the addition of a focus on Catholic schools in new editions of the Program of Priestly Formation (USCCB, 2006) and changes to seminary curricula.

Within the broad discussion of social justice in education, multiple conceptualizations of the term have been posited. Although there is no uniform notion of social justice, most would concur that, "Social justice, broadly defined, refers to a condition whereby all people are afforded fair opportunities to enjoy the benefits of society" (Miller, 2008, p. 821). Scholars and practitioners commonly write about and seek social justice as it relates to issues of race, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, and ability. In this article, the authors posit that for conditions of social justice to be expanded several fundamental connections must be made in the broader society where schooling is situated. Framed within democracy theory's description of the public sphere, the authors examine the "bringing about of social justice" through two broad propositions. They assert that: (1) The structural linkage of the public sphere maximizes opportunities for social justice; and (2) The structural linkage of the public sphere occurs best through institutional means. To concretize their discussion, the authors comprehensively interrogate the viability of churches as institutional partners for public school-based social justice movements. (Contains 2 figures and 8 notes.)

High school theology instruction receives little attention in scholarly research. This is regrettable because such a unique curricular component has the potential to add much to the Catholicity of the school and to the religious development of faculty and students. To advance the discussion and application of the ideas presented in this focus article, the editors invited three current high school theology teachers to offer reflections, observations, and critiques of the approach and lessons presented. While each contributor responds from his or her own background and situation, the remarks offer insight into the applied setting of the high school classroom and demonstrate how Catholic education is a journey of both inquiry and practice.

Undergraduate, entry-level theology instruction at Catholic universities is expected to meet a wide range of learning outcomes. This article asserts that courses can and should be designed for learning outcomes not only in the cognitive domain, but in the affective domain as well, which in turn may impact personal choices and faith practices of students. A three-semester scholarship of teaching study involving 175 undergraduate students, using quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, suggests that students' affective learning and personal choices, including faith practices, can be impacted if certain foundational premises are incorporated into the course.