The current development of national curriculum in Australia provides significant opportunities and challenges for the country's 1700 Catholic schools. This article considers the growing interest in the nature of Catholic curriculum from an Australian perspective, at a time of national debate about curriculum. It also offers a case study of the…

A body of scholarship on the history of the lives of Catholic teaching sisters has thrown up various challenges to educational historians. One challenge can be posed by asking how teaching sisters were able to go on to take up leadership positions. This is prompted by the observation that a particular body of literature for the period 1940-1965…

This article describes the Catholic School Principal Support Program (CSPSP), a mentoring program for first and second-year Catholic school principals in a large urban diocese, and identifies key challenges, impacts and influences on decision-making. Ten school leaders describe their work and provide the lens by which they reflect on their role as…

The principal plays a key role in establishing a culture of collaboration and ongoing learning, and his/her actions related to effecting change are vital to the success of the school. A principal can contribute to the advancement of teacher expertise by engaging in specific behaviors. One such behavior is focused feedback, which leads teachers to…

Researchers explored the problem of teacher retention, especially among beginning teachers, and noted a lack of consensus on why teachers leave teaching and how to retain the teachers. Private school studies include Catholic school data, but few researchers isolated the data or used data-gathering instruments to examine Catholic school issues,…

The most pressing challenges facing American Catholic educational leaders today are funding, Catholic identity, and leadership. Funding is the most pressing issue and it involves recruiting and retaining teachers, balancing affordability with quality, and justifying the worth of Catholic schools. Catholic identity issues include reconciling the…

Reports on a survey of 107 beginning Catholic high school principals to determine their work responsibilities, how they keep up to date professionally, their perception of their most important roles, and their description of the ideal Catholic school principal. (DMM)

This monograph describes a process to transform the routine managerial aspects of the Catholic school principalship into a vibrant and prayerful ministry. It opens with a portrayal of a fictitious Catholic school principal, and the contemplative skills that are used as a method of reflective practice and leadership. The focus is on how to…

Describes the major issues tackled by the school board in a New Jersey Diocese. The key areas addressed were: revision and expansion of tuition assistance program, a move to president/principal model of administration for high schools, and overhaul of school policy manuals. Describes characteristics of an effective board. (NB)

The seven articles contained in this book examine the role of the Catholic school principal. These articles address four topics: the call of the educational leader to excellence; the call of the principal to be a spiritual person; the call of the educational minister to be part of the team directing the total parish's educational ministry; and the…

Describes a survey of 107 Ohio Catholic elementary school principals to investigate reasons for selecting the profession, assess their graduate school preparation, and identify skills they brought to the position. Love for children was the primary reason for entering education, while the majority became principals at the religious community's…

Describes the administrative structures in place at two Texas schools, Immaculate Conception Catholic School and St. Elizabeth's Parish, where the school principals also fulfill the role of Director of Religious Education. Highlights the team approach to administration, community involvement, solutions to the problems in this merger of…

Describes the development of the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Program by the Consortium for Catholic School Identity. Reports that the program was created in an effort to focus on the development of the Catholic school administrator as the spiritual leader of the school community. Discusses and evaluates the program's first year. (VWC)

Recounts the historical development of catechesis formation and training of catechists in Lansing, Michigan. Narrates the development in 1991 by the Diocesan Office of Catechesis of a committee of principals, directors of religious education, coordinators of youth ministry, and staff people to address catechesis formation concerns and to revise…