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Much of the political and public debate about faith-based schooling is conducted at the level of generalised assertion and counter-assertion, with little reference to educational scholarship or research. There is a tendency in these debates to draw upon historical images of faith schooling (idealised and critical); to use ideological advocacy (both for and against) and to deploy strong claims about the effects of faith-based schooling upon personal and intellectual autonomy and the wider consequences of such schooling for social harmony, race relations and the common good of society. This paper will attempt to review some of these controversies in the light of recent educational and research studies. Particular attention will be given to research investigations of Catholic schooling systems in various cultural and political contexts, studies which are largely unknown outside the Catholic community. In addition to reviewing educational studies of faith-based schooling, the paper will offer critical appraisal of the main arguments in the debate and it will also outline a possible research agenda for future inquiry in this sector of educational studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite there being significant numbers of state maintained Catholic schools in England, they have, until recently, proved to be of interest only to a minority of researchers. Government initiatives to promote greater scrutiny and accountability through the publication of school test and examination results have generated interest in their academic performance from proponents and critics. Early attempts by government to compare school performance using 'raw' examination and test scores were severely criticised. Newly introduced 'Contextualised Value Added' measures, when correctly applied, have largely overcome the deficiencies of earlier datasets. This paper presents new CVA performance data provided by Ofsted that may help the debate about Catholic school effectiveness to progress. Possible reasons for the CVA findings are explored and further areas for research are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Australian state of Victoria, students from elite independent and Catholic schools dominate entry into elite universities. Nonetheless, there are a small number of schools within the government sector whose students succeed in these terms. Such schools are considered highly academic and entry is very difficult. This paper is based on initial findings from an ethnographic study of one such school. Interview material is used to explore how students understand their school culture, their place within it and its role in facilitating their aspirations. Various student subcultures are introduced, to shed light on how these may facilitate success. It is argued that successful students understand but remain sceptical about the uncomplicated definitions of success and the narrowing forms of schooling that both create and respond to such definitions. Within the context of marketisation, a Government school that creates an academic niche for itself, has little flexibility and, because of this, students learn valuable lessons about strategic choices, including those related to which subcultures facilitate or hinder their aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite there being significant numbers of state maintained Catholic schools in England, they have until recently proved to be of interest only to a minority of researchers, usually those directly involved in their promotion. New Government initiatives encouraging further diversity in the provision of schools have proved controversial and, in reopening the religious debates of the 19 th and early 20 th centuries, have prompted interest in the academic performance of Church schools. This paper takes a longitudinal approach in reviewing information already in the public domain, as well as presenting new evidence based on national examination performance data. Standards of academic attainment at Key Stage 4 in Catholic schools compare favourably with national norms. Such schools are particularly effective with more socially disadvantaged pupils and, as such, appear to offer much to the common good of society. Further areas for research are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After much preparatory work, the Catholic Education Office in Western Australia determined to move Year 7 students from its more than 100 primary schools to secondary schools in 2009. This was the first time in the state's history that a major education system had embarked on such an undertaking. This system-wide shift presented a unique opportunity for investigating the degree of success experienced when viewed through the eyes of relevant stakeholders. This paper reports second phase results (stakeholder perceptions) of a prior study that reported details of the preparation undertaken in anticipation of the move. Issues identified here have clear implications for other systems that may be contemplating the creation of a six plus six primary-secondary schooling structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Absent randomization, causal conclusions gain strength if several independent evidence factors concur. We develop a method for constructing evidence factors from several instruments plus a direct comparison of treated and control groups, and we evaluate the methods performance in terms of design sensitivity and simulation. In the application, we consider the effectiveness of Catholic versus public high schools, constructing three evidence factors from three past strategies for studying this question, namely: (i) having nearby access to a Catholic school as an instrument, (ii) being Catholic as an instrument for attending Catholic school, and (iii) a direct comparison of students in Catholic and public high schools. Although these three analyses use the same data, we: (i) construct three essentially independent statistical tests of no effect that require very different assumptions, (ii) study the sensitivity of each test to the assumptions underlying that test, (iii) examine the degree to which independent tests dependent upon different assumptions concur, (iv) pool evidence across independent factors. In the application, we conclude that the ostensible benefit of Catholic education depends critically on the validity of one instrument, and is therefore quite fragile. for this article, including a standardized description of the materials available for reproducing the work, are available as an online supplement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opinion. Looks at a study of comprehensive schools in English local education authority while discussing the educational status of two Catholic Schools. Information on the perceptions of Catholic Schools; Exploration of some possible casual relationships; Background factors associated with this study.

This ethnographic history offers insight into the political consciousness of students attending St. Therese, a Catholic secondary school in southern Namibia, during the mid-1970s. Although scholars have indicated events and trends that influenced the politicisation of students in Namibia at this time, local circumstance and perspectives are virtually unconsidered. This text offers such vantage points, illuminating how students, who were largely unaware of national politics in 1973, grew increasingly cognisant of the struggle, began to identify with SWAPO and became political activists, leading a strike in solidarity with Soweto students in 1976. These students' political consciousness was significant to SWAPO as it established itself as a national political party, to the liberation movement in exile, and to Namibia's current leadership. Hence, further studies that consider local circumstances and perspectives on the development of political consciousness and their relation to regional, national and international movements are therefore recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent article in this journal James Conroy presents a spirited defence of the state funding of Catholic schools in Scotland. In so doing he repeatedly but mistakenly presents me as someone who has called for the ending of such funding. He also imputes to all opponents of Catholic schools a basic hostility to Catholicism. In this response, I clarify my position, question the accuracy of Conroy's account of Scottish responses to Catholic schools, identify a crucial difference between sociology and public polemic and then consider the propriety of the state funding of faith schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the effects of school sponsorship on academic achievement in the Catholic, Protestant and government secondary schools in Zaire. The secondary school systems produce different results in terms of the academic achievement of their students and in terms of the attitudes acquired by the students. It was suggested that school sponsorship serves as a social indicator of social power of each class of school in Zaire. The perception of social power has an effect on the motivation of students, and also influences how well students will study harder.