Urban Initiative will Expand Resources and Opportunities for At-Risk Students Attending Archdiocese

April 15, 2004 - 12:00 PDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Release from the Parents Alliance for Catholic Education, Boston, MA

SUBJECTS: Archdiocese of Boston, Boston College, K-12 Education, Inner-City Youth, At-Risk Youth, Parents Alliance for Catholic Education

For Immediate Release - April 15, 2004
Contact: Steve Perla (617) 723-9890 or Lisa Barstow (617) 480-1719

Urban Initiative will Expand Resources and Opportunities for At-Risk Students Attending Archdiocese of Boston Inner-City Schools

Boston - The Parents Alliance for Catholic Education, in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Schools Office and the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, today launched the, "Serving Urban Catholic School Students and Families Initiative." The Urban Initiative is designed to close the achievement gap among at-risk students attending City of Boston Catholic schools.

The Boston College Assessment

Through a recent study, researchers at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College identified several non-academic barriers to learning among Boston's inner-city Catholic school students.

"We have children coming to our schools daily with chronic health problems, serious emotional challenges, families in crisis, and nutritional issues," said Sr. Kathleen Carr, Superintendent, Catholic Schools Office, Archdiocese of Boston.

Many perceive Catholic school students to be of middle-class background, healthy and secure. However, a separate study sponsored by PACE revealed an average of 68% of students attending urban Catholic elementary and secondary schools live in poverty.

"Frequently, problems associated with poverty manifest themselves in behaviors that impede a child's ability to learn," said Rev. Joseph O'Keefe, interim dean, the Lynch School of Education, Boston College.

The Boston College study assessed teachers' and principals' perceptions of various non-academic barriers to learning and the availability of Student Support resources to address these barriers.

The study found:
1. A significant number of Catholic school children appear to be substantially impacted by the non-academic barriers to learning.
2. Family issues are perceived as a significant barrier to learning by most Catholic school staff members.
3. Specific barriers to learning identified by a large number of Catholic school teachers include: poor nutrition, lack of discipline in the home, disruptive behaviors at school, lack of recreation facilities in the community, and bullying at the school.
4. Catholic school staff believe that Student Support Services to address barriers to learning are either not available or not sufficient. '

"We asked the hard questions, because we're serious about addressing the achievement gap among urban, at-risk students," Carr added.

Goals of the Urban Initiative

To address these issues, the Urban Initiative will introduce in participating schools a range of additional services and resources that will shift the paradigm from direct service to students to a coordination of services through school-based, "Student Support Teams" coordinated by the school counselor. This new model would enable participating schools to serve more children more effectively.

Goals of the Urban Initiative include:
1) Improving student learning
2) Reducing the achievement gap among urban at-risk Catholic school students
3) Identifying and addressing the non-academic barriers to learning
4) Enhancing opportunities for learning and academic achievement in the After School Programs and replicating best practices
5) Increasing opportunities for enrichment in the After School Programs and replicating best practices
6) Increasing family engagement.

Many urban families choose to send their children to Catholic schools at a great financial sacrifice because of the many things we do well, like proving faith-based education, a safe learning environment, a nurturing atmosphere, high standards and strong core academics. Yet, many at-risk students do less well than their peers.

Urban Initiative partners will seek out public and private funding to expand and enhance outcomes for our at-risk students.

The Urban Initiative is a positive and long-term effort toward closing the achievement gap and giving a new generation of disadvantaged students tools and resources for a positive future.

PACE is a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to serving Catholic Schools in Massachusetts.

# # #

Contact

Parents Alliance for Catholic Education
http://www.paceorg.net
MA, US
Lisa Barstow - PR Director, 617 723-9890

Keywords

K-8 Education

Category

Catholic Schools & Religious Education

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