Catholic high schools in Chicago came onto the educational landscape in significant number in the 1920s, a critical time period in American educational history. In an era focused on efficiency and compulsory schooling, Catholic high schools organized themselves to meet the legal statutes affecting them directly and those that would govern their…

While the national debates over the accreditation of Catholic schools remain an essential element of understanding Catholic education during the early 20th century, this study examines how individuals, groups, and institutions grappled with the perceived need for standardization and increased articulation of schools. In particular, it examines the…