In practice, sports often play a major role in shaping the identity of Catholic schools. Theorists consider how to better integrate religious faith into sports programs. We argue that it is also imperative to investigate how the schools' catholicity influences educator-coaches experiences of sport. Based upon analysis of a phenomenological…

This article reflects on the place of RE in a pillarised education context, taking into account the fact of religious diversity and pluralisation among the school population on the one hand, and the freedom of religion and education of faith-based schools on the other. Particular attention will be given to Belgium and the Netherlands, which do not…

The Catholic school system in the United States is undergoing significant changes in size, populations served and the funding models which have traditionally supported such schools. The closing of many schools in urban areas in the last 10 years in conjunction with the rising costs of schooling suggests that unless a new approach to funding…

Philip Phenix's (1964) book "Realms of meaning: A philosophy of the curriculum for general education" started the ever growing movement concerned with how school education might help young people in their search for meaning, purpose and values in times of rapid cultural change. Today, in globalised, digital, secularised culture, the…

From a modest beginning in 1994 with a single school and a little more than 500 pupils, the system of Catholic schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina developed to its 7 currently functioning Catholic School Centres, with 14 schools and 4683 enrolled pupils. From the beginning these Catholic schools were open equally to Catholic and non-Catholic…

The publication in 2011 of "This is Our Faith" (TIOF), the Catholic Church in Scotland's syllabus for religious education in Catholic schools, is a significant contribution to wider debates on the appropriate conceptual framework for religious education. Recent teaching of the Holy See has suggested that religious education in Catholic…

There is a clear understanding that leaders of faith-based educational institutions shape the school community's culture in ways that assist in faith formation. This implicit and explicit focus on faith formation and an alignment with the broader mission of the Catholic Church is foundational to contemplative leadership (Schuttloffel, 1999, 2008).…

The differing theological perspectives evident in the literature on Catholic schools and education suggest those who appoint headteachers in Catholic schools may need to know more about candidates than that they are practising Catholics. This paper summarises a doctoral research project aimed at identifying the dominant theological motifs that…

During the past decade, Catholic leaders have been exploring options to revitalize the faltering Catholic school system especially in urban centers. One route being explored by dioceses and religious orders is opening what have been called "religious charter schools." Though not technically religious schools, they integrate many of the…

Catholic educational historians note that although preserving Catholic identity has been a constant in the mission of Catholic schools, their curriculum and instructional practices evolved in ways that were similar to public schools, thus enabling Catholic parents to select schools that were both faith based and modern. Since there is an absence…

Around thirty per cent of all schools in England have a religious character. The author argues that the current "faith schools debate" is more about the nature of its "plural society" than about the place of such schools within the state-maintained sector. He suggests that to assume we are, in fact, living within a determinedly…

This article presents the results of a survey conducted in 2010 of over 3,300 administrators and teachers in Catholic elementary and secondary schools nationally about their understanding of the meaning of the term "Catholic identity." The survey was conducted in the fall of 2010 in anticipation of a national conference on the Catholic identity of…

In recent years, the social benefits (or otherwise) of faith-based schools within the state-maintained system have become a matter for public discussion. Following the introduction of a new statutory duty placed on the governing bodies of maintained schools in England under section 38 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to promote community…

This article examines the balance found in Portugal between faith-based schools' freedom of educating with a religious perspective and the State's supervisory role of schools that receive state funding (government oversight of religious State funded schools). The research is a case study of four Catholic schools entirely funded by the State.…

The Catholic Higher Education Collaborative (CHEC) is committed to fostering effective partnerships that generate innovative responses to the critical current condition of Catholic schooling. Beginning in 2008, national CHEC conferences were organized by member institutions to energize the movement and begin a national conversation aimed at…