A pair of schools in Indiana drew national attention to the Catholic Church’s attempts to grapple with LGBTQ relationships this month, highlighting the church’s complex position in a country increasingly welcoming to different sexual identities. The controversy began when it was revealed that the Archdiocese of Indianapolis would strip Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School of its status Read more
Last week Catholic educators, bishops, priests, school trustees and others took part in seminars, workshops, tours and exhibitions at an education convention at the TSB Arena on Wellington’s waterfront. Almost all Catholic schools were represented at the convention. Topics discussed included: Mana Whenua Mana Tāngata Working with Pasifika children and families The changing landscape of Read more
Australia’s Federal Labor party has pledged to restore $250m of funding to the country’s Catholic schools. Bill Shorten, who is the party’s federal parliamentary leader, has promised the Catholic Bishops’ Conference chairman, Bishop Denis Hart, to “arbitrarily” give Catholic schools the $250m in the first two years of government. Shorten also pledged billions more to Read more
The Hamilton Diocese has applied to the Ministry of Education to build a new state-integrated school on a 3-hectare block the church owns at Rototuna. The Diocese is keen to construct a new year 1-to-8 Catholic primary school. The government denied it permission in 2015. The Diocese will contribute at least 15 per cent of the Read more
A Catholic school in California has removed statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ because they could be alienating to non-Catholic students. Removing the statues will make thew school more inclusive, the school says. Read more
Annabell Malaulau, a teacher at Holy Family School in Porirua, is one of a number of volunteers who have been recognised for their outstanding service to the people of Porirua City. Porirua Deputy Mayor Izzy Ford presented them with Civic Awards at Pātaka in June. “The Civic Awards are the city’s highest form of recognition to Read more
The baptism barrier will be removed from the admission criteria to Irish Catholic schools according to plans announced by Ireland’s Minister for Education. Minority faiths like the Church of Ireland will be able to continue to select students on the basis of religion, however. Read more
Australian Catholic schools are a not pleased with the way the extra $18.6 billion earmarked for all Aussie schools will be allocated. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the funding under the “Gonski 2.0” plan model last week. Under this model, he says government funding will be allocated on the sole basis of the needs of Read more
Catholic schools in England and Wales are “beacons of diversity” with one in three pupils registering in a recent census as not Catholic. The school rolls also have 21% more pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds compared to other schools. These insights follow a change in the annual Catholic Education Service Schools’ census. This year for Read more
Several principals of Catholic schools in Victoria won’t distribute a Catholic Education Commission letter that warns against voting for the Greens. The commission wrote to tens of thousands of Victorian parents at some 100 schools last week. The letter, from CEC chief executive Stephen Elder, claimed that the Greens’ education policies would result in less Read more