The Catholic Diocese of Lismore is situated in the north-east coastal area of New South Wales, Australia. Catholic education in this diocese is based on the premise that school and parish work together in partnership for the personal and spiritual development of students. This premise relies on the assumption that teachers and clergy share a common view of the mission of Catholic schools. However, some recent studies highlight a lack of shared vision and indicate that teachers and clergy frequently have different expectations of what Catholic schools should be. This study examines similarities and differences in perceptions of the religious dimension of the mission of Catholic schools among the teachers and clergy in the Lismore Diocese. It identifies areas in which there is a significant lack of congruence. The study also explores the relationships and the quality of partnerships between teachers and clergy and identifies issues that are potential sources of tension. Furthermore, it considers implications for change. Self-completion questionnaires were given to the target population which consisted of all the full time teachers in Catholic schools and all the clergy on active duties in the Lismore Diocese at the beginning of 1997. Subsequent semi-structured interviews were conducted with all the clergy in the group and with thirty two teachers chosen through random sampling. Data yielded little evidence of sustained dialogue between teachers and clergy on issues related to the religious orientation of Catholic schools. Although there were some similarities in the teachers' and priests' perceptions of the religious dimension of the mission of Catholic schools, there was a considerable variation in their perceptions of priorities for these schools. Some of these differences could be linked to teachers' individual relationships with the institutional Catholic Church. Teachers and priests were found to differ significantly in their understanding of the effectiveness of Catholic secondary schools. The study also found that ecclesiastical language used to describe the mission of Catholic schools is not always understood by teachers who work principally out of an educational context. Moreover, the study found that relationships between teachers and clergy were often hindered by poor communication, lack of clarity with regard to roles and expectations and very different perceptions of the structures and practice of authority. Many teachers believed that clergy were 'out of touch' and unrealistic in their expectations of schools and teachers. Many priests, on the other hand, considered that teachers had generally lost a sense of 'vocation' and religious motivation for their involvement in Catholic schools. Priests were generally more interested in forming partnerships with schools than were teachers in forming partnerships with parish communities. The perception that secondary school communities did not relate to parishes as well as their primary counterparts was widespread among clergy. This study makes several recommendations for the improvement of communication and dialogue between teachers and priests. It also recommends that similar research be carried out in dioceses where the parish-school authority structure differs. As part of this study the initial findings were presented to a significant gathering of clergy and school principals. The resulting discussion led to the proposal of strategies for improvement in communication and partnership. In this way the applied research in the study became an agency of change itself, working in the direction of a better culture of communication and collaboration regarding the religious mission of Catholic schools.

Thesis (DEd)--University of Melbourne, Graduate School of Education, 2010. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-353)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / A tese aqui apresentada tem como objeto de estudo a trajetória profissional da educadora Astrogildes Delgado de Carvalho, ao longo de um período situado entre as décadas de 1940 a 1980. A educadora em questão, católica militante, praticamente desconhecida no campo educacional, desenvolveu importantes ações tendo como foco, de modo particular, a educação infantil, área ainda pouco valorizada nos primeiros tempos de seu trabalho como educadora. Entre essas ações, situam-se a fundação de duas instituições educacionais que tiveram destaque na cidade de Petrópolis, entre as décadas de 1940 e 1960, a Escola Chapelinho Vermelho e o Externato Delgado de Carvalho, e a atuação na Organização Mundial de Educação Pré-escolar (OMEP), nas décadas de 1970 e 1980, como formadora de educadoras de creches e como responsável pelos Centros de Atendimento ao Pré-Escolar (CAPEs) criados pela instituição, em localidades habitadas por populações menos favorecidas. Este estudo de caráter biográfico pretende lançar luz sobre uma importante figura do campo educacional brasileiro, e contribuir, através da análise de sua trajetória, articulada, por sua vez, à história da OMEP, para a ampliação do conhecimento sobre ações direcionadas à educação infantil e, em particular, a crianças menos favorecidas da sociedade brasileira, nas décadas focalizadas. Na pesquisa, apoiada em uma base documental diversificada, incluindo de modo valorizado o acervo pessoal da educadora, a pretensão foi a de dar destaque a vozes, papeis, memórias vivas e deslindar os fios que foram sendo tecidos ao longo desses anos, valorizando a participação de Astrogildes Delgado de Carvalho na promoção e garantia dos direitos da criança de zero a seis anos. / The thesis presented here has as object of study the career paths of the educator Astrogildes Delgado de Carvalho , over a period between the 1940s to 1980. The educator in question , Catholic activist ,practically unknown in the educational field , had developed important initiatives focusing , in particular, early childhood education , area still undervalued in the early days of her work as an educator . Among these actions , we find the foundation of two educational institutions that were highlighted in the city of Petrópolis , between the 1940s and 1960s , the Chapelinho Vermelho School and Externato Delgado de Carvalho, and her performance in the World Organization for Preschool Education ( OMEP ) , in the 1970s and 1980s , as a trainer of teachers of kindergartens and as responsible for the Service Centers for Preschool ( CAPES ) created by the institution, in localities inhabited by disadvantaged populations . This biographical character study aims to shed light on an important figure in the Brazilian educational field, and to contribute , through the analysis of her trajectory , articulated, on the other hand, to the history of OMEP , to expand the knowledge of actions directed to early childhood education and in particular , to the disadvantaged children of Brazilian society , on the focused decades . In the research, supported by a diverse evidence base, including in a valuable way, the personal collection of the educator, the ambition was to highlight the voices, papers, alive memories and unravel the threads that have been woven over the years, enhancing the participation of Astrogildes Delgado de Carvalho in promoting and ensuring the rights of children from birth to six years.

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / A tese aqui apresentada tem como objeto de estudo a trajetória profissional da educadora Astrogildes Delgado de Carvalho, ao longo de um período situado entre as décadas de 1940 a 1980. A educadora em questão, católica militante, praticamente desconhecida no campo educacional, desenvolveu importantes ações tendo como foco, de modo particular, a educação infantil, área ainda pouco valorizada nos primeiros tempos de seu trabalho como educadora. Entre essas ações, situam-se a fundação de duas instituições educacionais que tiveram destaque na cidade de Petrópolis, entre as décadas de 1940 e 1960, a Escola Chapelinho Vermelho e o Externato Delgado de Carvalho, e a atuação na Organização Mundial de Educação Pré-escolar (OMEP), nas décadas de 1970 e 1980, como formadora de educadoras de creches e como responsável pelos Centros de Atendimento ao Pré-Escolar (CAPEs) criados pela instituição, em localidades habitadas por populações menos favorecidas. Este estudo de caráter biográfico pretende lançar luz sobre uma importante figura do campo educacional brasileiro, e contribuir, através da análise de sua trajetória, articulada, por sua vez, à história da OMEP, para a ampliação do conhecimento sobre ações direcionadas à educação infantil e, em particular, a crianças menos favorecidas da sociedade brasileira, nas décadas focalizadas. Na pesquisa, apoiada em uma base documental diversificada, incluindo de modo valorizado o acervo pessoal da educadora, a pretensão foi a de dar destaque a vozes, papeis, memórias vivas e deslindar os fios que foram sendo tecidos ao longo desses anos, valorizando a participação de Astrogildes Delgado de Carvalho na promoção e garantia dos direitos da criança de zero a seis anos. / The thesis presented here has as object of study the career paths of the educator Astrogildes Delgado de Carvalho , over a period between the 1940s to 1980. The educator in question , Catholic activist ,practically unknown in the educational field , had developed important initiatives focusing , in particular, early childhood education , area still undervalued in the early days of her work as an educator . Among these actions , we find the foundation of two educational institutions that were highlighted in the city of Petrópolis , between the 1940s and 1960s , the Chapelinho Vermelho School and Externato Delgado de Carvalho, and her performance in the World Organization for Preschool Education ( OMEP ) , in the 1970s and 1980s , as a trainer of teachers of kindergartens and as responsible for the Service Centers for Preschool ( CAPES ) created by the institution, in localities inhabited by disadvantaged populations . This biographical character study aims to shed light on an important figure in the Brazilian educational field, and to contribute , through the analysis of her trajectory , articulated, on the other hand, to the history of OMEP , to expand the knowledge of actions directed to early childhood education and in particular , to the disadvantaged children of Brazilian society , on the focused decades . In the research, supported by a diverse evidence base, including in a valuable way, the personal collection of the educator, the ambition was to highlight the voices, papers, alive memories and unravel the threads that have been woven over the years, enhancing the participation of Astrogildes Delgado de Carvalho in promoting and ensuring the rights of children from birth to six years.

This dissertation is an investigation of 13-14 year-old learners in Grade Five and Grade Six being taught and learning moral sociocultural values. The specific variables investigated are children’s perspective of values, their beliefs, goals and motives implicit or explicit in the learning of sociocultural values. The investigation uses the theoretical framework of Cultural Psychology in which Activity Theory is used to analyse and explain the school as an activity system. The working hypothesis is that activities are embedded into each other if they share a common object and envision a common outcome. The notion of embedded activities is developed based on the Engeströmian third generation Activity Theory model. The assumption is that if the school is the central activity system in a formal teaching and learning milieu, then other activities systems that support the teaching-learning processes constitute embedded activities. For instance, the classroom, a lesson, a morning assembly and any other project that contributes to the teaching-learning processes of sociocultural values. The method used for this investigation was ethnography. Data were collected using participant observation, interviews, still photographs, videography, school records, documents, and children’s artefacts. The data were analysed by Atlas.ti version 5.2 computer based qualitative data analysis software using strategies from Strauss and Corbin’s ‘microanalyses’ and Maykut and Morehouse’s ‘interpretive-descriptive’ strategy. The results showed that children at first learn sociocultural values from the culturally more able; in this way, values are taught through co-construction of knowledge. Children learn sociocultural values through what they do. This constitutes their activities: mental and practices as derived from their home ethos through to their school ethos. If this is missing, children will learn other values presuming these to be the best for their welfare, which may have undesirable outcomes and undesirable implications. Sociocultural theory provides the way out that initially children need to be taught the art of living by the culturally more able as the necessary thing to do.

Although called by our vocation and the mission of Catholic schools, students with disabilities (SWD) are underserved in Catholic education. Only approximately 1% of the nation’s SWD population (67,000 students) attend private schools with 40% identified as Catholic (U.S. Department of Education, 2018a). Despite the small number, SWD and peers that struggle are attending our schools and therefore, must be included meaningfully and served successfully. This study dispels the myths around the admission and service of students with Down syndrome in Catholic schools and informs educational leaders on how to create and sustain inclusive environments aligned with Catholic Social Teachings. A qualitative research approach comprising semi-structured interviews and document review was used in the study. The framework of Catholic social teachings and the epistemology of inclusivity were used to get answers to the two research questions: (a) how does a Catholic elementary school serve students with Down syndrome? and (b) What are the challenges in serving students with Down syndrome in a Catholic elementary school? The significance of this case study lies in witnessing and documenting one elementary Catholic school’s experience of creating, developing, establishing, and modeling an inclusion environment that serves the needs of its students with Down syndrome. This study ultimately provides data to those in similar Catholic school settings in developing and implementing fully inclusive environments. This study further expands the discussion in the field of Catholic education about the right(s) of all Catholic children, especially students with Down syndrome.

Catholic education is at a crossroads in the United States, as rising tuition costs present significant challenges to many families’ financial resources. At the very least, affording a Catholic education calls for a reprioritization of expenses. However, in many cases, high tuition costs leave parents with no recourse but to remove their children from Catholic schools. As costs and tuition climb, only those with significant financial resources will be able to attend Catholic schools. Hence, maintaining the foundational mission of Catholic education, namely to provide access to education for the poor and oppressed, threatens to become impossible due to the inadequate revenue from tuition-dependant financial models used by Catholic school administrations. Thus, Catholic schools need a critical rethinking of their financial model in order to make Catholic education accessible to all. In order to address the financial crisis in Catholic education, it is first important to understand the various forces that influence the funding of Catholic schools. This study addresses this need by asking the question: “What are the current financial models of Catholic education?” Based on a review of the current literature, and including data from a survey of current Catholic diocesan superintendents, this study defines the current financial models used in contemporary Catholic schools in the U.S. by asking the following questions: What are the parameters or conditions of the model? Who are the beneficiaries of the model? What is the social goal or purpose of the model? What is the strength of the model? What are the weaknesses of the model? Through a summary of the survey findings, recommendations begin to emerge that are presented in the following three categories: (a) a need for a purposeful, strategic, comprehensive intentionality in the application of the various financial models available, (b) a need to reframe the leadership model for financing Catholic schools, and (c) a need to review and update the current decentralized model in Catholic education.

This qualitative study investigated parents’ and principals’ expectations of their roles in the parent-school relationship and how they defined, encouraged, and realized parental involvement within an urban Catholic high school setting. Through pattern analysis and axial coding of the data collected from parents and principal interviews, documents, and observations at parent-school meetings and events, four patterns emerged: (a) the underlying child-centered mission, (b) the parents’ role in supporting the student, (c) the parent-school relationship created to support the student, and (d) the principals’ role in creating a trusting environment that promotes parental involvement. Further analysis was guided by the parental involvement frameworks of Epstein (2001) and Barton, Drake, Perez, St. Louis, and George (2004) and the Catholic school mission. The findings revealed that the child-centered goal guided the parents’ and principals’ expectations of shared responsibilities, although the parents varied in how they defined parental involvement activities. Parents expressed the importance of the school’s role in creating a caring and respectful environment that encouraged a strong parent-school relationship. The principals addressed the Catholic school mission and how they developed the school culture, climate, and environment to support that mission. This study author concluded that Catholic schools have the opportunity to create strong parent-school relationships that encourage differentiated parental involvement. In addition, she concluded that the role of all schools is to provide a relationship built on trust and the knowledge that parental involvement requires consideration of the varied types of involvement and ways in which parents choose to mediate the types of parental involvement.

Conversations regarding racial equity are uncomfortable for many Catholic school leaders. This is due to a lack of clarity between Catholic social teaching (CST) and its implementation regarding racial justice among Catholic schools. This necessitates coherent guidance to address systemic racism in Catholic education which responds to the need for greater equity, inclusion, and antiracism in its Catholic schools. The purpose of this study was to work with Black Catholic school leaders to understand how they operationalize antiracism in their leadership practice. To understand this paradigm, this study addressed two research questions: (1) How do Black leaders experience their role as Catholic school principals? (2) What roadblocks do Black principals encounter in their practice? Through a series of journal entries and semi structured interviews data were collected and interpreted through a critical race methodology. This resulted in two main findings. First, the data indicated intimate school leadership and culturally responsive school leadership as an operationalization of CST in Catholic school. Second, that racism was a key deterrent to CST implementation. The research findings suggested that an authentic commitment to Catholic schools serving the Black community requires intimate school leadership among leaders in positions of governance as modeled by the participating Black Catholic school leaders of the study.

Thesis advisor: Andrea Vicini / Thesis advisor: James Keenan / This thesis studies the impact of AI on education and how to respond to the challenges within the context of Catholic education. The approach is through the lens of Catholic social thought. The thesis is divided into three chapters. Chapter One discusses the relationship between education and technology, and current trends in AI as applied to education. It also presents Jesuit education as one example of Catholic education and focuses on a specific context, Spanish Jesuit schools. Chapter Two introduces a range of resources from theological ethics. This includes fundamental concepts from Catholic social teaching, and different perspectives of theological ethics applied to technology. This chapter also presents how education is envisioned from a Catholic point of view. Finally, in Chapter Three, by applying the concept of human dignity and other concepts from Catholic social teaching, we propose some reflections on how to discern the use of AI in education. / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.