An article was released on Wednesday by http://www.uscatholic.org/ on the various efforts to breathe life into financially troubled Catholic Schools. Click here to read Sarah Karp’s article titled “Final Exam: Can we reinvent Catholic schools?” Also for a more detailed explanation of the topics, read the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s publication by Scott Hamilton titled,…
The Religion Teacher Blog
Gregorian Chant Online
If you are a religion teacher or catechist you may have a number of CDs that you use for journaling or reflective prayer. If not, or if you would like to spice it up with a little variety, here are a couple of suggestions. You will need to have access to the internet and speakers…
Catholic Schools K12 Virtual
[UPDATE: Please see the comments at the bottom of this post to correct some errors that were made in this overview of CSK12.] St. Andrew Catholic School/Parish in Coral Springs, Florida has developed an online education program focused on the Catholic Schools market. The program is called Catholic Schools K12 Virtual and it can be…
Learning New Student Names
As the first days of school begin in the coming weeks, here are some activities and tips for learning your new students’ names. Note Cards: Distribute note cards to each of your students. On the blank side, have them print their name largely and legibly. On the lined side, have them write information that will…
How many students are enrolled in Catholic schools?
Enrollment in Catholic schools is dropping in the United States. Newspaper articles across the country frequently site the annual data report put out by the NCEA. The full report, coordinated by Dale McDonald, PBVM, Ph.D., provides information on school enrollment history, staffing data, public and private school comparisons, demographic information, and more. Some highlights from…
"The Charter Explosion" Webpage
The News21 Fellows at Columbia have dedicated a portion of their website called “The Charter Explosion” to the growing charter school movement. Recently a special focus was placed on the conversion of Catholic schools to charter schools in Washington, D.C. More and more dioceses like Brooklyn, San Antonio, San Diego, and Chicago are looking to…
Scripture-Based Classroom Rules
When you are developing your classroom rules this year, you may want to consider a couple of Scripture passages to provide a framework for acceptable behaviors. You will, of course, need to create succinct rules such as “follow directions,” “seek permission to get out of your seat by raising your hand,” “raise your hand to…
Harry Wong, The First Days of School
If you are trying to become a more effective teacher, then there is no better book to turn to than Harry Wong’s classic The First Days of School. Harry recently published the 4th edition of the book this year. I can still remember the first time I watched his video: “work, work, work…do, do, do.”…
USCCB on US Economic Life
The USCCB has a great new resource on their website titled “Catholic Teaching on Economic Life.” They have made it the clearing house for information on Catholic Social teaching. If you teach social justice, bookmark it now and refer back to it later this year. You will find resources and information on the Church’s Catholic…
Virtual Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis
Couldn’t make it to the Symposium on Adolescent Cathecesis last year? Me neither, but MyCatholicVoice has something even better: downloadable videos, handouts, and power points of all the presentations. Some of these sessions should not be missed. Click here to visit the Virtual Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis. You will find seminars by such presenters as…
