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Examining the Legacy of Urban Catholic Schooling in the U.S.: A Systematic Literature Review

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Abstract

Research conducted in the twentieth century found urban Catholic schools in the U.S. had a legacy of providing high quality educational opportunities for low-income students and students of color. In an era of declining Catholic school enrollments, urban Catholic school advocates have argued that urban Catholic school closures would deny these students one of the best educational opportunities available to them. However, there have been few attempts in recent years to synthesize research in, on, and about urban Catholic schools to see if the sector’s historical legacy is still present. In this article, we systematically reviewed 80 recently published empirical research studies focused at some level on the effects, operations, and reforms currently present in urban Catholic education. We found that while positive effects of urban Catholic schools on student outcomes can still be identified, these effects are not consistently present in all urban Catholic schools and there is little evidence to suggest that the sector as a whole has enacted the social justice mission for which it is best known. In light of these findings, we conclude our review with suggestions for future research that connects urban Catholic schooling to contemporary issues present across all U.S. urban education.

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*indicates a study included in the review, see Table 1

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education, Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Campion Hall 216, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA

    Andrew F. Miller & Patrick Conway

  2. Department of Teaching, Curriculum, and Society, Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA

    Younghee Park

  3. Urban Catholic Teacher Corps of Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA

    Charles T. Cownie & Myra Reynoso

  4. Roche Center for Catholic Education, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA

    John Reyes

  5. National Catholic Educational Association, Leesburg, VA, USA

    Annie Smith

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  1. Andrew F. Miller
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  2. Younghee Park
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  3. Patrick Conway
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  4. Charles T. Cownie
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  5. John Reyes
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  6. Myra Reynoso
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  7. Annie Smith
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Correspondence to Andrew F. Miller.

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Miller, A.F., Park, Y., Conway, P. et al. Examining the Legacy of Urban Catholic Schooling in the U.S.: A Systematic Literature Review. Urban Rev 54, 481–508 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-021-00619-w

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