New York City Catholic Schools Operating in the Public Space in a Post-Makin World.

Given recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, specifically Carson v. Makin, which permit public funding for religious schools, we examine how Catholic diocese and school leaders interpret these legal shifts for Catholic education. We utilize the Catholic education sector in New York City as a case study to examine how Catholic school leaders interpret local, state, and national policy shifts in funding for Catholic education. Specifically, we examine how Catholic school leaders currently navigate public–private partnerships and how they think Makin will affect future funding of Catholic education in New York City. We find that Catholic school leaders are already participating in limited public–private partnerships and are enthusiastic about potential policy windows for opportunities such as tax-credits and religious charter schools. However, Catholic school leaders in New York face challenges in terms of state politics, Catholic identity of schools, and other school-choice advocates including public charter schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]