Catholic Schools

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

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2. Introduction

   • William Sander

   Pages 1-12

3. Catholic Grade Schools and Academic Achievement

   • William Sander

   Pages 13-22

4. Catholic Religiosity and Catholic School Effects

   • William Sander

   Pages 23-37

5. Catholic Schools and Educational Attainment: Findings for Older Adults

   • William Sander

   Pages 39-52

6. Catholic High Schools and Rural Academic Achievement

   • William Sander

   Pages 53-72

7. Catholic High Schools and Homework

   • William Sander

   Pages 73-96

8. Catholic Schools and Public School Achievement

   • William Sander

   Pages 97-111

9. Catholic Schools and Housing Values

   • William Sander

   Pages 113-123

10. Catholic Schools and Religious Outcomes

    • William Sander

    Pages 125-131

11. Catholic Schools, Health Habits, and Substance Abuse

    • William Sander

    Pages 133-136

12. Conclusions

    • William Sander

    Pages 137-138

13. Back Matter

    Pages 139-139

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In When Work Disappears, Harvard sociologist William Julius Wilson (1996) notes that African Americans in Chicago who attended Catholic schools are viewed more favorably by employers than African Americans who attended public schools. Such findings corroborate a widely though not univer­ sally-held view that Catholic schools succeed in boosting mobility for children of less-privileged families. Can its success bebroadened? Nobel-prize winning economist Robert Fogel (2000) drawing upon the research by Wilson and oth­ ers suggests that Catholic schools might play a larger role in promoting an egalitarian society, if grants were made available to poor students that could be used in the parochial school sector. Nobel-prize winning economists Milton Friedman (1962) and Gary Becker (1989) also make strong cases for education vouchers and for more competition in primary and secondary education in the United States. From a different perspective, Archbishop of Chicago Francis Cardinal George argues that Catholic "education that is faith-based, that pro­ vides values and discipline, that is Jesus-centered, has the potential to trans­ form the world" (Archdiocese of Chicago, 2000b). Despite such opinions, there is controversy concerning the measured effects of Catholic schooling on educational attainment, academic achieve­ ment, and other tangible outcomes.

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• Department of Economics, DePaul University, Chicago, USA

  William Sander

Policies and ethics