In October, the Wall Street Journal published a commentary titled “Amid the Pandemic, Progress in Catholic Schools” by Kathleen Porter-Magee. The author draws upon the recent findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress which reveal nationwide drops in reading and math achievement among 4th and 8th graders since 2019. She highlights the very different experiences of Catholic school students during this same time period. The reporter notes that while the pandemic “set a generation of students back … Catholic schools were a bright spot,” by keeping their doors open for in-person learning and demonstrating how “community focused, mission-driven leadership can benefit children.” Many consider the recent learning deficiencies an inevitable consequence of the educational challenges presented by the pandemic. This article contends that the actual performance of Catholic schools reveals these results were, in fact, not inevitable.
We couldn’t agree more with this reflection as it highlights the efforts and successes of our entire school community. Only faculty and parents working together made it possible for our students to continue moving forward in their education and not lose ground. We know it wasn’t easy for our teachers to juggle the many additional responsibilities and strategies to teach effectively during the pandemic. And, we know it wasn’t easy for our parents to take time away from work to manage remote learning whenever necessary, and to care for their student’s emotional well being. Our students are happy, healthy, and thriving academically. Kudos to all for making it happen!!