COMMENTARY

Catholic Schools and Educating the Whole Child

As someone who has taught and served as an administrator in both public and Catholic schools, I have come to think that the larger field of education could learn some things from Catholic education. When Catholic schools say they teach the whole child, they mean it. By nature and mission, these schools operate in such a way that moral choices and character values are just as strongly emphasized as educational performance. This emphasis contributes to a culture fostering the notion that it is important to use our gifts well, and be appreciative of them.

Over the past several decades, perceptions of inadequacy in many public schools have driven politicians (and even some academics) to insist on laws requiring school systems to focus on student testing and teaching based on data that indicate what students do and do not know. In theory, this sounds wonderful, for adults are held accountable for student learning in what seem like clearly defined ways. Teachers who show improved test scores get rewarded, those that don’t get moved out, and public education improves. Throw in a few billion dollars in federal Race to the Top funds, and standardized tests become extremely important.

Unfortunately, in regular public and charter schools, where success has come to be almost totally defined by numbers, the notion of educating the whole child sometimes gets forgotten. Many school systems have to grapple with such a heavy emphasis on standardized-test scores that they don’t have time for much else. With politicians breathing down their necks, systems often base staff evaluations and pay increases on how well students perform on a single battery of exams.

When I was a public school teacher and principal, I grew familiar with the pressure put on adults with regard to standardized-test scores. To increase overall test results, a common scheme is to give special focus to students who score at percentages just above or below the passing rate on pretests. With a focus given to improving the numbers for these students, and by teaching to the upcoming standardized tests, teachers, instructional coaches, and school administrators do everything they can to coax and drill pupils to the passing point. Schools that show marked improvement ...

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