Critical Thinking: Education Alternatives to Consider

The Office of Catholic Education determined last week that both Northeast Catholic and Cardinal Dougherty demographic shifts and trends offered no other alternative than closure to solve the problem of declining enrollment. Many knowledgeable education experts recognize that declining enrollment is due to several other factors as well. The one that jumps out most is the cost of Catholic education these days. Even with roughly 85% of the students at North receiving some sort of financial aid, the $5,100 per year price tag is still out of reach. The only real alternative to these parents beyond typical public school education is the charter school approach.

There is no doubt that a Catholic education, especially in the city of Philadelphia, is a quality education. Students get challenged academically, prepare for college, and they get the necessary discipline that will help set them on a path for success; not only during their college years, but for the rest of their lives. But, the question still remains; how do you provide that quality Catholic school education in poor neighborhoods, at a cost that is affordable to even the poorest of the poor? That question, my friends, has already been answered.

A New Catholic School Model

What if I were to tell you that there is an organization which has answered the very question that we are asking and wondering? What if I told you that this organization is providing quality Catholic high school education to over 5,000 students throughout the USA, at half the cost of current Philadelphia Catholic tuition? What if I told you that well over 95% of their students get accepted to 4 year colleges? Well, folks, all of these things are true in other cities, and it can happen in Philadelphia too.

Cristo Rey Network

The Cristo Rey Network is a non-profit organization, created by a Jesuit priest in Chicago in the mid-1990’s. The model that was created for that first school has been used in 24 high schools in 18 states. Simply put, the school partners with local businesses to provide entry level employees (students). These students go to school for 4 extended school days a week, and then work on the 5th day. The money that the student earns is paid directly to the school to cover part of their tuition. Think of it as a sort of cooperative program which catapulted a local college into a national powerhouse, Drexel University. Its co-op program is considered the gold standard across the country and has been duplicated successfully by hundreds of other schools. Why not then, push it down to a more grass roots level, like high school?

In addition to this new way of paying for the cost of the school, the benefits of such an institution far outweigh any negative aspects. The discipline at these schools is stricter than even the strictest of Catholic schools. The academic level is very intense, with 99% of their graduates getting accepted into 4 year colleges. The bottom line is that there is some sacrifice from the student and their families, but that sacrifice is rewarded when the child graduates and is accepted into their choice of schools or careers.

The best part of this model is the fact that Catholics and non-Catholics alike, in the very neighborhoods where Northeast Catholic is currently located, will continue to have an option for a neighborhood Catholic High School, and at prices that even the poorest of the poor can afford.

What Does This Mean to Northeast Catholic?

If the Cristo Rey model was introduced to Philadelphia and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Northeast Catholic could not only be saved, but it could thrive well into the future. North would continue to serve the community; in spite of the continuing demographic shifts plaguing tuition based educational systems. It would serve those same people who have felt disenfranchised by the current state of the economy in many urban settings throughout the country. And, finally, it would allow Northeast Catholic to continue it’s tradition of excellence that has been present for the past 83 years.

Stay Tuned in the coming days for more information on the future of Northeast Catholic.

(Tom Crossett contributed to this article)

Tenui Nec Dimittam