Parochial school

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Parochial school is one term used (particularly in the United States) to describe a school that engages in religious education in addition to conventional education. In another, more narrow sense, parochial schools are Christian grammar schools or high schools run by parishes; but this distinction is not universally made.

Etymology and usage

St.Joseph's School, Seattle, Washington

The word Parochial is an adjective which means "of or pertaining to a parish", and comes from the Middle English parochialle.[1] The term, parochial school is sometimes used specifically to refer only to schools attached to Roman Catholic parishes or dioceses. In other usages, it may include Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and other religious schools, and may even be used as a blanket term for all privately operated schools.

History

Archbishop John Hughes, one of the proponents the Catholic Churches decision to establish a comprehensive group of private schools

Originally, schools in the western world, and in many other parts of the world, were religious institutions. These early schools were often responsible in training the clergy in religious doctrine. In Europe, the Roman Catholic Church opened some of the earliest schools. Eventually, other studies, such as the Classics, mathematics, rhetoric, logic, natural sciences, art and other subjects started to be introduced into the curriculum. By the time of the Renaissance, schools had become places for both religious and secular education.

In the United States, the country with the largest number of parochial schools, the Catholic Church established a series of private schools connected to parishes in the late 19th century as a way to curtail the growing influence of Protestantism on education and society.[2] At first creating parochial schools presented many challenges; parishes were forced to provide enough money for the proposed schools, but not all parishes, especially those in more rural areas with smaller congregations had the financial capacity to do so; tensions among Protestants and Catholics meant that in predominantly Protestant areas such attempts to were belittled and even occasionally met with violence[3]; and lastly, attendance at first was low and sometimes did not justify the cost. But parochial schools persisted, and by the beginning of the twentieth century were increasing their enrollment exponentially. In fact, the beginning half of the twentieth century was perhaps the best in terms of enrollment size and popularity for parochial schools as many new parents, some not even Catholic, say the educational benefits and advantages that such schools held for their children over public schools.[4]

Enrollment started to decline slightly after the 1960s. Cost of tuition and sometimes defection away from the Catholic church and its dogmas made some parents decide that the improving public schools, which they were already paying for in taxes, would be a better place for their children to attend. The increase in non-Catholic parochial schools also lead those who were not Catholic but sent their children to parochial schools because of the quality of education to switch to schools that were linked directly to their own denomination of worship. While parochial schools have not regained the same level of enrollment they once held, they are still popular types of schools found throughout the U.S.

Governance

Parochial schools are generally not required by law to operate under the same standards as a public (government-operated) school; however, the differences of law vary from state to state. Most schools, although not required, do operate under, and even exceed, public school standards, as a way of preparing their students adequately for further education. Parochial schools receive no funding from any level of government. Often times tuition is charged in order to help supplement funding from the parish it is connected to. The schools are often administered by the local branch of whichever church it is affiliated with. Although most Christian affiliated schools may have started with clergy as faculty, the demands for teachers has caused many religious schools to hire non-clergy as teachers and sometimes even administrators.[5] Religious instruction is usually added to the subjects taught in a public school.

Parochial schools are generally smaller than public schools, often having only one teacher and classroom per grade level. Many students attend parochial schools only through the end of the eighth grade, completing their final four years of school in a public high school. Catholic high schools, rather than being attached to a specific parish (whose population would be too small to support it), tend to be administered by local dioceses or by religious orders, and are sometimes attached to Catholic universities.

Non-Christian Affiliated Schools

While not as numerous as Catholic and other Christian parochial schools, there are a number of private religious schools in the U.S. Private Jewish schools, sometimes referred to as "Complete Schools" are perhaps the most popular type of non-Christian parochial school in the U.S. Other religious schools include Islamic and Hindu schools. Often times these smaller schools are located in "pocket" communities found in urban areas that have a higher number of immigrant and minority populations. As such, these parochial schools often serve not just as religious schools, but also as places to foster the sense of community and cultural identity. Many immigrants and second generational parents, who emigrated to the United States for a host of reasons, wish for their children not maintain a sense of cultural identity and find that such schools help to serve such a purpose.

Controversy

In contemporary times, there are several points of controversy with parochial schools in the United States. One has to do with the issue of school vouchers, a program which has been debated on both the state and federal level. Since school is compulsory in the U.S. until around the age of 18 in most states, some families find that they are forced to send their children to poorly funded and managed public schools, because they lack the money to pay tuition at parochial schools. Other families deem it unfair that they must pay for public schools through property taxes, whether they choose to send their children to parochial or public schools. Under the school voucher program, families that wish to send their children to parochial schools would receive a voucher for the tuition they pay. The controversy from the proposal stems first from the separation of Church and State in America, and that a voucher is a form of subsidizing a religious institution. Others argue that it takes resources away from public schools which house and educate more students than parochial schools. Proponents of the plan say it gives parents who would otherwise not have had the chance the ability to chose which school they wish to send their child to and not be stuck in a failing public school system. The intensity of the debate has only allowed small initiations of the program to pass through legislation and the success of vouchers and the future of similar programs is still up in the air, although it will more than likely remain a point of contention for years to come.[6]

Other issues include the type of education offered at parochial schools, particularly when it comes to subjects that may conflict with religious instruction. The most famous is the issue of Human evolution which many parochial schools will not teach, substituting religious doctrine or the theory of creationism. While this is more of a controversy in public schools where the separation of church and state is an applicable doctrine, parochial schools are by definition allowed to not teach anything that is in contrast with their religion. Most parents and students understand and except this from such institutions, and sometimes even place their children in these schools for exactly this reason; however, some parents and students who do not follow the religious dogma of the school they attend so strictly at times feel that excluding such material hinders a child's education.


Notes

  1. parochial. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved August 05, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/parochial
  2. "parochial school." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press., 2003. Answers.com 05 Aug. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/parochial-school
  3. (2008) National Catholic Educational Association "A Brief Overview of Catholic Schools in America" Retrieved August 10, 2008
  4. "parochial school." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press., 2003. Answers.com 05 Aug. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/parochial-school
  5. "parochial school." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press., 2003. Answers.com 05 Aug. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/parochial-school
  6. (2004) Now with Bill Moyers. "School Vouchers Overview" Retrieved August 10, 2008

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Walch, Timothy. Parish School: American Catholic Parochial Education From Colonial Times to the Present. National Catholic Education Association, 2003. ISBN 978-1558333192
  • Vinyard, JoEllen McNergney. For Faith and Fortune: The Education of Catholic Immigrants in Detroit, 1805-1925. Chicago, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1998. ISBN 025206707X
  • Garden and Wall. Catholic from the Inside Out: Evangelizing the Culture of Our Parish School. Lancaster, PA: Garden and Wall Educational Foundation, 2003. ISBN 0972751505

External links


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