A Policy Analysis of Parental Leave Policies in Catholic Secondary Schools

This report analyzes the parental leave policies of secondary Catholic schools across the United States. Current research suggests Catholic schools lack the ability to provide parental leave, which aligns with the methods and length recommended by various organizations, including the Vatican, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and various medical and professional organizations. The project team was able to identify six criteria that are vital in determining effective policies, including duration of paid maternity leave, duration of paid paternal leave, types of leave, inclusivity in the types of employees offered leave, communication, and awareness of policies to community members and flexibility in scheduling leave. Within these six criteria, 26 indicators were developed for scoring purposes. The team sought to understand if secondary archdiocesan and independent schools adequately provide paid parental leave to employees. Specifically, the team wanted to determine the number of schools in the team's sample data that provided adequate leave based on these indicators. The team requested policies from more than 125 Catholic secondary schools to analyze current parental leave standards. Thirty-four of these schools shared their policies with the team. The team utilized a matrix to track the efficacy of policies, examine the strengths and weaknesses of each school's policy, and find trends among the sample schools. This report analyzes the project's findings and provides recommendations for future research and questions about developing future policies. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]