This journal takes seriously its contribution to the interdisciplinary and international field of Catholic Education Studies by publishing articles from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives which speak to major issues of interest and concern for Catholic educators across the world. This issue exemplifies this approach.
From the Education Global Practice Project of the World Bank, Washington, USA, Dr Quentin Wodon contributes the first of two articles which systematically examines the question, ‘How well do Catholic and other Faith-based schools serve the Poor? A study with special reference to Africa: Part 1 Schooling’. A second article will be published in the October issue.
When the Catholic School document of 1977 proclaimed to the world that, ‘First and foremost, the Church offers its educational services to the poor’ (para 58) a major mission commitment was made. The contemporary world situation now requires that commitment to be evaluated by large-scale statistical and case study methods. Dr Wodon makes a powerful contribution to our knowledge, with special reference to Africa and we thank him for this.
Professor François Moog, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the Catholic University of Paris focusses upon ‘The humanistic challenge of Catholic education: an essay for Catholic educators to consider’. His argument is that the humanistic education which has characterised Catholic educational institutions for centuries is in danger of being ‘overwhelmed by the market and technology’ in contemporary settings. He calls upon educators to see their institutions as ‘Laboratories of humanity’ and suggests some ideas for curriculum and educational experience to achieve that end. This is an inspirational challenge from Paris.
Professor Lieven Boeve, Director General of Catholic Education: Flanders and Professor of Fundamental Theology at the Catholic University of Leuven presents radical and innovative ideas for ways in which Catholic educators can respond to the challenges of faith / non-faith pluralism in many countries. In his article, ‘Faith in Dialogue: The Christian Voice in the Catholic Dialogue School’, he argues that
the Catholic dialogue school hopes to generate, not in despite of the differences, but by dealing with these within the dialogue, such communalities which might enable people of different faiths and convictions to contribute to an open, more just, tolerant and sustainable society.
From the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome we received from Professor Guglielmo Malizia, SDB (with the assistance of Vittorio Pieroni) an empirical research report on ‘Religious Education in Italian Catholic Schools’, As one of the leading researchers of Religious Education in Italy, reports by Professor Malizia always command serious attention. In reporting the findings of the Fourth National Survey on the Teaching of the Catholic religion in Italian schools (2015–2016), it can be seen that the overall quality of the teaching as good, but that ‘the best trends are observed in the State schools compared with the Catholic schools’. This obviously calls for more research to find out why that should be.
In ISCE Vol. 5. No 1. March 2013, we published a Special Issue of the journal under the title, ‘Can there be a Catholic Curriculum?’ The question posed in that Issue was ‘How will the educational cultures of Catholic schools, colleges and universities be different from their secular counterparts?’ and among a number of suggestions produced by the contributors, one was that Catholic Social Teaching should permeate the Catholic Curriculum.
The Editors were therefore pleased to receive an article in 2016 from Angus Sibley. Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries (London) and a member of the Association internationale des economistes de langue française, Paris which argued that ‘a form of Catholic economics syllabus in needed in schools’ (202).
In this issue, we feature another article contributed by Sibley from the same critical perspective, i.e. ‘The Catholic case against Unregulated Competition: a critique of the competition obsession’. The competition obsession it can be said is evident in the world of politics, business and finance but it is also beginning to colonise the world of education in undesirable ways. Catholic educators must discern how to respond to this obsession.
The journal has always maintained a strong focus on the distinctive nature of Catholic educational leadership (at various levels), its contemporary challenges and the responses being made to these challenges. In this issue, we publish an article entitled, ‘Conceptualising Leadership for Principals of Catholic Schools in Aotearoa New Zealand’ contributed by Dr Theo van der Nest (St. John’s College), Dr Maria Aurora Bernardo and Dr Lyn Smith (The Catholic Institutes, Wellington and Auckland). In one of the most secular societies in the world and faced with neo-liberal educational ‘reforms’ in New Zealand, these researchers argue that ‘Distributive Leadership’ must become the model for best practice in Catholic schools. With this form of leadership, they argue, Catholic schools will be able to meet more effectively externally mandated tasks and policies, while at the same time maintaining the formation of their students religiously, morally and socially. Complex challenges require Distributed Leadership Teams in Catholic schools.
Another important theme which has been developed in ISCE over time has been a better understanding of the relation between Science and Religion in education (see Polkinghorne FRS, 2011: Consolmagno, SJ, 2012: Paul Black, KSG, 2017). In this issue, we continue that theme, with a contribution by Dr Timothy Walker of the School of the Annunciation at Buckfast Abbey, OSB, in the UK entitled, ‘Science and Religion in the Classroom: A Philosophical Approach’. Dr Walker argues that
The claim that modern science has rendered religious truth claims unreasonable appears to be influential among students of secondary school age. The suggestion is made here that the thought of Bernard Lonergan, SJ can usefully be deployed to help students in this age group to explore the nature of scientific and religious knowledge claims in greater depth. The contribution which Lonergan’s philosophy can make to philosophy of education more generally is also indicated.
Writing on the basis of his recent teaching experience with students in the secondary school age group, Dr Walker’s article will be of great assistance to many of our international readership.
Previous research studies have shown that the issue of leadership succession in Catholic schools is becoming a contemporary challenge in some countries. Dr Richard Wilkin, Headteacher of the Brentwood Ursuline Convent School and Visiting Research Associate at St. Mary’s Catholic University, UK has contributed a valuable article on this subject entitled, ‘Aspiration and Formation: a pilot study into the perception of headship among middle and senior leaders in Catholic secondary schools in England’.
Building upon his previous doctoral research of 2014, and working with 16 respondents in face-to-face interviews, Dr Wilkin’s pilot study has made an important and perceptive investigation in this field of studies. His conclusion deserves serious attention when he says:
It is the headteacher who can facilitate mentoring and prioritise time for discussion and contemplation … . Given the right resources and support the current generation of headteachers, ‘interpreters of the tradition’, can take responsibility for forming the next generation …
Note
In the previous issue, ISCE 10 (2) October 2018 we made an appeal to our readership to provide us with some evaluative comments on the strengths and the limitations of this journal.
We thank those who have responded to this appeal and we ask those who have not yet done so, to consider sending some evaluation.
Thank you.
The Editors