Students from disadvantaged backgrounds often struggle to break the cycle of poverty. In the past, studies have shown one of the best ways for these students to succeed is attending a private Catholic school.
According to the Heritage Foundation, students who attend Catholic high schools have an average combined SAT score of 803. This is almost 200 points higher than their public school peers. The foundation found Catholic schools offer more economic and racial diversity than public schools. In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Catholic Schools, about 62 percent of the inner city student body is made of people from other faiths and 61 percent are minorities. In Dayton, 54 percent of inner city students are from other faiths and 59 percent are minorities.
Catholic high schools often offer more advanced classes and fewer vocational courses. The focused curriculum encourages students to maintain higher standards of education. In addition to the curriculum, Christian schools offer a written code of conduct with many benefits to students and staff alike. The rules of conduct often include a dress code, standard for social behavior and list of prohibited behaviors. These standards give the students good guidelines for their behavior and explicit guidelines regarding what is accepted, what is not and how unacceptable actions will be handled. This kind of structure will benefit students both inside and outside the classroom.
A great example of a successful inner city program can be found in Cincinnati Ohio. The Catholic Inner-City Schools Education Fund (CISE) was developed in 1980 by the late Archbishop Joseph L. Bernedin. The archbishop believed the cycle of poverty could only be broken through education and made it his mission to help children coming from disadvantaged households.
CISE began as a ministry to children from poor neighborhoods to help them overcome challenges using the knowledge, faith and discipline that comes with a Catholic school education. Today, the fund makes a quality education available to families in need across the Tri-State. Students are presented with an excellent faith-based education, strong curriculum and caring individual attention from staff, teachers and principals. CISE helps with tuition costs, academic enrichment programs, operating expenses, intervention professionals and capital investments in Cincinnati private schools.
Currently, CISE aids about 1,400 students in Catholic elementary schools and more than 200 CISE alumni in Catholic high schools. Most of these students are being supported through scholarships funded by targeted donations from supporters of CISE. In 2006, the program opened to include students who receive Ohio EdChoice vouchers. More than 400 students from this program were enrolled with help from CISE in the 2008-2009 school year.
Across the greater Cincinnati area, disadvantaged students thrive in inner city Catholic schools thanks to the great commitment from principals, teachers and staff. In the past three school years, about 95 percent of CISE students graduated from private high schools and about 88 percent of students went on to higher education at institutions such as Vassar, Xavier University and the United States Military Academy at West Point. This Cincinnati-based program is the perfect case study for other Catholic schools around the nation. CISE clearly shows the importance of Christian schools’ ministry to inner city students and what can be achieved when those students are given the tools to succeed.
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