Reanalyzes the impact of Catholic school attendance on the reading and mathematics achievement of senior and sophomore pupils using the same data employed by Coleman, Hoffer and Kilgore in their report "Public and Private Schools." The significance of four additional variables, not controlled in the original study, are discussed. (AM)

Discusses objections to her research raised by Alexander and Pallas, and defends her results. Educational researchers have been persistently trivializing the importance of schooling effects. The research community should attempt to specify how schools do make a difference. (CS)

Discusses Kilgore's criticism of the authors' contention that there is little reason to think Catholic schools superior in promoting high levels of cognitive performance. After discussing Kilgore's different predictor variables, measurement strategies, and criteria, the authors stand by their conclusion. Indeed, public schools do somewhat better…

Discusses the conclusion reached by Coleman, Hoffer and Kilgore in their report "Public and Private Schools" that tuition tax credits would increase minority and low-income family participation in private, secondary schools. The implications of estimates of enrollment changes from tuition tax credits are analyzed. (AM)

Criticizes the report "Public and Private Schools" by Coleman, Hoffer, and Kilgore for failing to consider alternative explanations of school effectiveness and for drawing narrow policy implications. Student body composition and school admissions practices need to be considered in evaluating educational policy alternatives. (RM)

The findings of three major studies that assessed the impact of public vs. Catholic schooling on how much students learned in the last two years of high school are compared. The studies are Hoffer, Greeley, and Coleman (1985), Willms (1985), and Alexander and Pallas (1985). (RM)