More Catholic Schols are making the switch to a classical curricula

[JimG]

“One selling point of the curriculum Sacred Heart offers is that students are being more fully formed, said Good. Although he and the rest of the administration are skeptical of standardized test scores, he said state standardized test scores in reading, writing, and math have improved significantly at most grade levels. Two students earned perfect scores on the National Latin Exam, and other students have done well on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. “The students are better writers, more articulate speakers, deeper readers. Parents have remarked that dinner table conversations have improved,” Good said.”

An interesting development in Catholic education.

Full story here.

 

[Eliza10]

This is really excellent news. This became available in my area when my son was finishing high school. I desperately wanted something like this when he was young and I would have found a way to do what it took to send him there if it was available. Diosesan Catholic Schools at the time were entrenched in the mode of a “private school experience” and the emphasis on Catholic was minimalized. So it was not worth sacrificing for. Classical Education is another matter. Even if it weren’t Catholic, it can at least teach your child to think - then they can think their way into the Church…i

 

[ChurchSoldier]

We will be better off with more people learning how to read the classics and think ideas through.

 

[commenter]

Without classical education, everything is relative. Nothing is absolutely true or false, right or wrong. In our diocese the person in charge of Catholic education was a fanatic for Common Core (she recently retired). The emphasis is not on what is “true” but rather, what is contemporary, up to date. There is not much history, huge emphasis on Social Studies.

The American Chesterton Society has encouraged a number of high schools, locally initiated and locally controlled. They teach philosophy, Latin, have frequent Mass, Theology (not “religious studies”), History, not Social Studies. They emphasize critical thinking, reading the classic works themselves, not commentaries.

 

[jeannetherese]

Interesting indeed!
From the article:
"Sacred Heart Academy offers two programs to students. The first consists of a fulltime program through 10th grade, including a Montessori Pre-K program for three-to-six-year-olds. As part of this, the school offered their first full-time 9th grade year last year, and this fall, will offer it for 10th grade. The other program is a classical enrichment program for homeschoolers offered to part-time 2nd through 12th-grade students. In the classical enrichment program, students meet two times a week on campus, and complete the rest of their course work at home. Good said by the time the students in the classical enrichment program get to high school, the course work they are doing looks a lot like a college curriculum. Students in both programs take Latin, classical literature, mathematics, and sacred music, among other offerings. According to Good, the school is committed to both programs for the long haul.

The financial pressure the school has put on the parish has lessened, thanks not only to increased enrollment, but more successful fundraising. In past years, the annual auction typically raised around $30,000 for the school each year. Last year, the auction netted $215,000. “There has been a 10-fold increase in donations since the change has been made,” Good said. “It’s easier to ask when we have and articulate a substantial philosophy, and they can see the cultural change.”

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

“One selling point of the curriculum Sacred Heart offers is that students are being more fully formed, said Good. Although he and the rest of the administration are skeptical of standardized test scores, he said state standardized test scores in reading, writing, and math have improved significantly at most grade levels. Two students earned perfect scores on the National Latin Exam, and other students have done well on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. “The students are better writers, more articulate speakers, deeper readers. Parents have remarked that dinner table conversations have improved,” Good said.”

An interesting development in Catholic education.

Full story here.

The real story is why did they go away from it on the first place and do those people who suffered from going away from it deserve thier money, and faith back.

 

[commenter]

The real story is why did they go away from it on the first place and do those people who suffered from going away from it deserve thier money, and faith back.

No one reason, but a few factors.

The public schools also had been utilizing a diluted version of classical education prior to 1960. They moved away from that. Catholic parents wanted assurance that their kids would get equivalent training for college, career, etc, so they demanded Catholic schools add on new things. So other things got cut out to make room.

In the 1950s Catholic schools were hit by the Baby Boom. Classrooms suddenly doubled in enrollment. All this took a toll on teachers, especially sisters, who were brutally over worked. Classical education can’t be done on a hurry-up mass scale, like an assembly line. So it got left out. Parents demanded instant results, whereas the critical thinking which was the fruit of classical education is not seen until later. So it wasn’t appreciated.

The 1960s were a time of experimentation across the board, not just in Catholic schools. Educators, mostly with good intentions but some with bad intentions, brought in many ideas, some good, some not.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Welcome news!