The National Catholic Educational Association supports the creation of charter schools as one among several means of expanding opportunities for parental choice in education for all families within the private and public sectors. The Association believes that:

Charter schools are increasing in number as the public begins to view them as promising vehicles for expanding choice and accountability in public education. Charter schools are being established by parents, teachers, community groups and public and private organizations interested in promoting school choice and competition within the public sector. The charters for these schools typically provide for a clear, focused mission, a smaller student population that facilitates creation of community, more innovative teaching practices, greater parental and local community involvement, clear educational and fiscal standards and accountability measures and fewer state and local school board bureaucratic regulations.

Charter schools are rapidly gaining federal government, state legislature and public support. As this movement expands, NCEA believes that several caveats are in order:

In the debate about standards and assessment, NCEA recognizes the legitimate state interest in promoting a well-educated citizenry as the keystone of the common good. Relevant information about the status of education is a paramount factor in improving the quality of America’s schools and expanding the opportunities for greater student achievement. If students are to make progress and succeed, learning essential skills and receiving feedback early enough to improve are crucial. The national testing program will provide data that would be used to hold schools accountable to the public and would help parents to make inferences about the educational programs of the schools they select for their children.

Proposals regarding standards must also reaffirm the nation’s commitment to the concept of educational pluralism which was confirmed in the 1925 Supreme Court decision in Pierce v. Society of Sisters. Consequently, any program of national standards and testing must respect the independence of private schools and refrain from imposing, directly or indirectly, national or local polices and practices which would intrude upon their nature and purpose. The most significant way to assure that pluralism is respected is for Catholic educators, at state and national levels and within professional organizations, to be participants in the conversations which shape the standards frameworks, the instruments of assessment and the judgments of student performance.

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PARENTAL CHOICE IN EDUCATION
A Statement by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)

The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public school teachers only. The child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations. - 1925 Pierce decision, the U.S. Supreme Court

In sum, the Ohio program is entirely neutral with respect to religion. It provides benefits directly to a wide spectrum of individuals, defined only by financial need and residence in a particular school district. It permits such individuals to exercise genuine choice among options public and private, secular and religious. The program is therefore a program of true private choice. In keeping with an unbroken line of decisions rejecting challenges to similar programs, we hold that the program does not offend the Establishment Clause. - 2002 Zelman decision, the U.S. Supreme Court

In its 1992 statement endorsing parental choice in education, the National Catholic Educational Association affirmed its strong conviction that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution does not prohibit aid to parents who select religiously affiliated schools. Now that the Supreme Court has established as the law of the land that there is no U.S. constitutional prohibition that prevents government support for parental choice, NCEA reaffirms its commitment to school choice.

While millions of Americans exercise their right to choose the school they believe is best for their children, their freedom depends on their ability to pay tuition to private schools or to establish residence in communities with excellent public schools. But virtually all low-income and many middle-income families cannot exercise their right to choose the schools they want to educate their children.

NCEA endorses full and fair parental choice for all Americans. We support programs such as tax credits, vouchers and scholarships to ensure that all parents have the financial means to select the appropriate school for their children. The association has a special concern for the children of families of modest means. These children are our children, too. NCEA believes that public policies should give priority to providing assistance for low and middle-income families, enabling them to increase educational options for their children. Catholic education has a long and proud history of helping low-income and immigrant populations enter the mainstream of American society. Our commitment continues. Today almost 50% of Catholic schools are located in urban, inner city and rural areas serving children from low-income families; students of color represent more than 25% of Catholic school enrollments.

NCEA's strong support of parental choice in education does not mean that Catholic educators are opposed to public education. We recognize that a majority of America's children are educated in public schools, and we respect the professional competence and commitment of our public school colleagues. But we believe that full and fair parental choice will strengthen both families and schools, and improve educational opportunities for all.

NCEA further believes:

• that any campaign to improve American schools must include a commitment to educational choice; educational reform efforts must be linked to support for school choice in order to provide access to educational excellence for all, and to insure that no child is left behind;
• any publicly funded educational choice program must include all private and religiously affiliated schools and must be designed to provide substantial support and primary attention to the needs of families of modest means;
• all school choice programs must respect civil rights laws; private schools participating in school choice programs should develop and accept reasonable measures of accountability that do not in any way diminish their religious identity and mission;
• educational choice can promote academic excellence in all schools by fostering basic reforms and creating a competitive climate, responsive to parental concerns and leading to improved student performance; parental choice will exact more accountability from educators and increase their local autonomy and flexibility.

The Supreme Court has spoken. Children are not the mere creatures of the State, and government support for parents who choose religious schools is not an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. With the elimination of the constitutional argument, the public policy debate continues largely at the state level. NCEA encourages Catholic educators to join the debate in collaboration with Catholic and other religious leaders, with civic and business leaders, and with all those who support full and fair educational choice in a partnership for justice.

Approved by the NCEA Board of Directors - December 6, 2002
Print Version of the Policy on School Choice

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Quality Education For All Children

NCEA is committed to the goal of improving the quality of education for all American children, particularly those 2.6 million enrolled in the more than 8,200 Catholic elementary and secondary schools that serve this nation. America's Catholic schools serve a diverse population: more than half of these schools are located in urban and inner-city neighborhoods, serving children from low and middle income families; 13.2% of the students are non-Catholic; the minority enrollment nation-wide is 24%; these percentages rise significantly in most inner city schools. The academic success of Catholic schools, particularly with the disadvantaged, has been well documented by several independent research studies.

From the earliest settlements of this country, Catholic schools have served the common good of the nation and will continue to do so in a manner which recognizes that all children have an inalienable right to a quality education that is responsive to the rights of parents as the primary educators of their children. In 1925, the United States Supreme Court, in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, established as a fundamental principle of liberty that the child is not the mere creature of the state and excluded any general power of the state to force children to attend public institutions, consequently upholding the right of parents to choose other means of educating their children. As Catholic educators, the NCEA membership believes that all children are entitled to attend any school, religious, private or public, which will help them to achieve their full potential and that such choice is a universal parental right regardless of race, creed, neighborhood or the ability to pay.

The attainment of full and fair parental choice in education is NCEA's primary public policy objective. We advocate the enactment of legislation and policies which will maximize the quality of educational opportunities for all of America's children, particularly the children of the poor, by insuring that all parents have the financial capability to exercise the right to choose the school which is best for their children. We believe that educational choice can promote academic excellence by creating an educational climate that is respectful of parental concerns while fostering a competitive climate that results in greater school accountability to parents. NCEA members believe that the needs of students and their parents supersede those of entrenched educational bureaucracies. Public interest polls unfailingly demonstrate that parents overwhelmingly support full and fair choice; public education monopolies do not.

Most parents who currently choose Catholic or other private schools for their children exercise this constitutional right at significant cost and personal sacrifice; they bear a dual burden of paying school tuition while also contributing their share of taxes to support public schools. The education of children in Catholic schools provides more than a $18 billion tax savings to the American people. We believe that government financial assistance to parents, in the form of tax relief, scholarships or vouchers, to enable them to choose any school, including religiously affiliated ones, will withstand First Amendment challenges. Furthermore, any publicly funded educational choice programs must include religiously affiliated schools if all parents, particularly those with low or middle incomes, are to have meaningful options.

As educators, we support the national efforts at comprehensive educational reform for all children in all schools. We are deeply concerned about public school reform efforts and urge that they focus not only on the means to achieve academic success but also on the moral and social development necessary for children to become responsible citizens. We support equitable participation of all students and teachers in the variety of reform programs aimed at improving the teaching-learning process. We endorse federal assistance programs that address the particular needs of all disadvantaged and disabled children and therefore, support federal and local policies which provide for the delivery of these services to children in both public and private schools.

The NCEA membership and the millions of families they serve are deeply concerned about the education of America's children and are looking for political leadership that will give families the opportunity to secure the best possible education for their children. It is important to them to know that our national leaders enthusiastically support efforts to empower all parents to choose the education they believe best meets the needs of their children -- whether that be in a public, private or religiously-affiliated institutions.

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NCEA Policy Statement Regarding Catholic School Participation in Government Surveys And Assessments

The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) has a long history of encouraging its member schools to participate in federally sponsored surveys and assessments when requested by the U.S. Department of Education, its National Center for Educational Statistics, the National Assessment Governing Board and other federal agencies. The Association generally supports such cooperation because private schools are an important component of America’s education system, operating about 24% of all schools and educating almost 11% of all American school children.

Catholic schools constitute the largest percentage of private schools, operating 8, 144 schools and enrolling 2,48,884 students. Consequently, Catholic school data, gathered through voluntary school participation, are viewed as making a significant and positive contribution to the total picture of American education.

NCEA will continue to encourage its membership to participate in surveys and assessments when the following criteria are met:

• The information requested would contribute to the potential good of our own institutions as well as that of American education in general.
• Data-collection instruments and samples would be structured so as to reflect private school interests and have the ability to report private and, where possible, Catholic schools as a sub-group of American education. In general, the Association does not endorse projects that report individual school data.
• In the design phase, NCEA will be consulted about the nature of the data to be collected and the manner in which it will be reported and used before it will provide letters of support or encourage Catholic school participation.
• Results of surveys will be reported to the Association in a timely manner.

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