This colloquium presents seven analyses by social scientists of the controversial report, "Public and Private Schools," together with a response by the report's authors, James Coleman, Thomas Hoffer, and Sally Kilgore. (SK)

As a result of his study, "Public and Private Schools," James Coleman concludes that Catholic schools appear to be characterized by both higher quality, on the average, and greater equality than the public schools. Coleman discusses the reasons that may explain this finding. (Author/WD)

A case study explored attempts to change the culture related to sexual orientation at a small, Catholic college. Focus was on the perceptions and experiences of gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, staff, faculty, and their allies. These participants experienced a culture filled with contradictions and paradoxes. The report delineates and…

Reports a study that examined the attitudes of students, parents, and teachers toward school and community issues in Nulato, a remote Athapaskan village, noting changes in attitude between 1983 and 1992. Results suggested the community valued the maintenance of cultural heritage, and cultural and language restoration were becoming high priorities…

Addresses the needs of gifted children in rural New South Wales and discusses disadvantages often experienced by rural gifted students. Describes a project coordinated by the Armidale Catholic Schools Office that developed enrichment materials for gifted rural students in grades 3-10. Includes brief descriptions of learning modules and cites…

Argues for the incorporation of multicultural objectives into Catholic university curriculum. Maintains that the Catholic doctrine of diversified unity makes it particularly qualified to mediate among the polarizing elements of multiculturalism. Contains 10 broad guidelines for establishing multicultural objectives within a Catholic university.…

Examines effects of tracking in high schools under different structural settings (selectivity, electivity, inclusiveness, and scope), using data for 20,762 students in 805 public and 78 Catholic high schools. Schools vary significantly in the magnitude of track effects on mathematics and verbal achievement. Catholic schools' tracking structures…

Investigates why African-American parents with children attending urban and suburban Catholic and other private schools prefer private to public schools, focusing on 409 respondents' views toward public schools. Their responses on a 50-item self-report questionnaire show that African-American parents think lack of discipline is a major public…

Fifty middle-grade students conducted science experiments either as members of small groups taught skills of self-directed critical thinking, or as members of a teacher-directed class, or as members of a control group. Experimental students scored highest on tests of relevant science content. The first group outperformed the others when…

Argues that school choice should be provided to give low-income parents control of their lives and opportunities for their children's futures through access to superior educational resources. Describes the successes of two small private schools, the Sheenway School in Los Angeles and the Holy Angels School in South Chicago. (MAB)

The Pope called upon Roman Catholic institutions of higher learning to "make known their Catholic identity" by integrating Catholic teaching and discipline in all university activities. Religious institutions find themselves facing precarious legal challenges, where the constitutionality of government appropriations could be challenged,…

Describes the Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools (BLOCS), which was created in response to the increasing need for revenues in archdiocesan schools and declining enrollments due to tuition increases. Through corporate and individual support BLOCS improves educational opportunities by providing tuition assistance, capital…

Describes how database management is applied in fund raising at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon. Indicates that a wide variety of details such as constituent groups and special circumstances tied to gifts and pledges must be coordinated, which is best done by a full-time staff person for developmental programs raising $1 million or more.…

Characterizes the medieval cathedral as an architectural encyclopedia, expressing the humanistic concerns, beliefs, and aspirations of the period in which it was built. Explains the theological, political, and social significance of the cathedral's architectural characteristics from the floor plan to the spires. Discusses the process and problems…

A study sponsored by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) identifies key themes concerning American Catholic higher education in recent literature, and tests the resulting conceptual framework against a 1994 ACCU survey of administrators and faculty in Catholic institutions. It examines the extent to which theory and…