Vouchers Breathe New Life Into Shrinking Catholic Schools

[saveliberty]

Wall Street Journal:

• LIFE & CULTURE
  
• Updated June 8, 2012, 10:15 p.m. ET
  

Vouchers Breathe New Life Into Shrinking Catholic Schools

 

^{Bryan Anselm for The Wall Street Journal}

^{Second graders at St. Stanislaus answer teacher questions.}

 

By STEPHANIE BANCHERO and JENNIFER LEVITZ

 

EAST CHICAGO, Ind.—It had been years since Principal Kathleen Lowry pulled extra desks from the dusty attic of St. Stanislaus, the only Catholic school left in this port city. But after Indiana began offering parents vouchers in the spring of 2011 to pay for private tuition, she had to bring down 30 spare desks and hire three teachers' aides.

 

Thanks to vouchers, St. Stanislaus, which was $140,000 in debt to the Catholic Diocese of Gary at the end of 2010, picked up 72 new students, boosting enrollment by 38%.

 

"God has been good to us," says Ms. Lowry. "Growth is a good problem to have."

For the first time in decades, Catholic education is showing signs of life. Driven by expanding voucher programs, outreach to Hispanic Catholics and donations by business leaders, Catholic schools in several major cities are swinging back from closures and declining enrollment.

 

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Read the whole thing.

H/T Deacon Greg

[Geee]

My grandson's Catholic School (better known on the Porch as Blob ) has had to hire more teachers and split K-2 into two classes because they have so many more kids now. They don't have vouchers, but this may also say that parents who can are willing to sacrifice to give their kids a better education. It may say something about the state of schools in Illinois, which is where they live. I can imagine if they had vouchers the demand would even be more.

[saveliberty]

My grandson's Catholic School (better known on the Porch as Blob ) has had to hire more teachers and split K-2 into two classes because they have so many more kids now. They don't have vouchers, but this may also say that parents who can are willing to sacrifice to give their kids a better education. It may say something about the state of schools in Illinois, which is where they live. I can imagine if they had vouchers the demand would even be more.

 

We love Blob and are glad that he has a good school!

[Valin]

EAST CHICAGO, Ind.—It had been years since Principal Kathleen Lowry pulled extra desks from the dusty attic of St. Stanislaus, the only Catholic school left in this port city. But after Indiana began offering parents vouchers in the spring of 2011 to pay for private tuition, she had to bring down 30 spare desks and hire three teachers' aides.

 

Obviously this has to do with the huge Catholic population in East Chicago! Nothing what so ever to do with the failing public school system.