The Grammar of Catholic Schooling. The NCEA Catholic Educational Leadership Monograph Series.

A vigorous debate within the U.S. Catholic community questions the efficacy of Catholic schools. To explicate what many Catholics believe is the most appropriate educational program for youth, the educational philosophy, history, and theology of Catholic education are presented here. It is hoped that by isolating these principles, those who exercise Catholic educational leadership will be able to develop a comprehensive rationale that enables them to promote these principles. The monograph opens with an overview of the "grammar of Catholic schooling," suggesting this grammar represents an educational heritage that has evolved throughout the generations as local Catholic communities applied scripture and Church teaching to their unique context. The text then turns to the question of why it is important to study the grammar of Catholic education, explaining that an understanding of this grammar inculcates those intellectual habits that make students useful to themselves, to society, and to their religion. Six rules that constitute the grammar of education are offered, including "God is the beginning and end of human existence," and "Education is essentially a moral endeavor." The closing section details challenges that Catholic schooling presents for parents, bishops, diocesan superintendents, and students. (Contains approximately 165 references.) (RJM)