By Sr. Madeline Roddenbery

In the last few years the public has heard more and more about the Catholic schools. Very often it seems this information is about some crisis facing these schools. It appears that the time is now to tell the public about the good things in Catholic education and the manner in which crises are being met.

Catholic education in Atlanta began in a one-room schoolhouse in the Immaculate Conception parish in 1845. Today there are 15 elementary schools and three high schools with a total of 6,683 students.

Many changes have taken place over the past century in our Catholic schools. Technology has triggered a whole new world of ideas. Our classrooms have changed. Desks are still important for students, but teachers and students are discovering that a quiet corner in a corridor can be great for concentration; that the boiler room makes an ideal place to study electricity; that the local bank makes the U.S. monetary system more meaningful; and that the study of Cuba is not only fun but informative when you share a meal with a Cuban family or attend a Spanish Mass with them.

Our schools are responsive to both traditional and innovative programs. We don’t look to children in general; we are concerned with each individual child, his needs, his abilities, and the mode of learning best for him. Therefore, each of our schools is encouraged to look at its student population, the community whom it serves, the resources in personnel and materials, and plan a total educational program to meet these needs. Each school is unique and different because of this approach. An essential of Catholic schools today is shared decision-making. That’s why we have parish school boards, home and school associations, and educational advisory committees. The principal, faculty, and pastor no longer make all decisions relating to the school. They need and use the counsel and assistance of the total community. Pastors, principals, faculties, and school boards are getting together, thinking through and spelling out their school goals in language that is accurate, prophetic, and understandable to all of us.

The heart of the Catholic school is, of course, the faith community in which it operates. The schools are a center for faith experiences, for Christian life in action, as well as for academic progress. It is concerned with the quality of religious education, including both instruction and formation. It looks to the school’s future function in the parish. It determines the direction of liturgy best suited to the child’s capacity for worship. It develops the whole school enterprise into a living community of faith.

Our schools are alive and well! They are communicating in their own way high quality, progressive, and innovative programs. They are emphasizing the special approaches and Christian atmosphere which are unique to the Catholic schools and which give them the distinction of being an option in education.