[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 8 (Thursday, February 3, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S339-S340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

 Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. President, today is the fifth day of the 
26th annual Catholic Schools Week, and tomorrow, we will observe 
National Appreciation Day for Catholic School Teachers. I want to take 
this opportunity to recognize the 167,000 teachers in our nation's 
Catholic schools for their valuable contributions to the education of 
many of America's children.
  There are over 2 million students enrolled in the nation's 8,217 
Catholic elementary and secondary schools today. These schools are 
attractive to many parents because they combine an intellectually 
stimulating environment with an emphasis on the spiritual and moral 
development of their students.
  Catholic school teachers are widely recognized for offering an 
excellent scholastic education, which may explain why 41 percent of 
these schools have a waiting list for admission. According to the 
National Catholic Educational Association, the student-teacher ratio in 
Catholic schools is 17 to 1, and the graduation rate of Catholic school 
students is an extraordinary 95 percent. Only 3 percent of Catholic 
high school students drop out of

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school, and 83 percent of Catholic high school graduates go on to 
college, the Association has estimated.
  But Catholic school teachers provide students with more than just a 
solid academic background. They encourage the spiritual and moral 
development of their students as well.
  Catholic school teachers are educating an increasingly diverse group 
of students. Since 1970, the percentage of minorities enrolled in 
Catholic schools has more than doubled to 25 percent. More and more 
non-Catholic students are enrolling in Catholic schools: today, as many 
as 13 percent of Catholic school students are non-Catholic, according 
to the National Catholic Educational Association (compared to 2.7 
percent in 1970). In some city schools, a majority of the students are 
non-Catholic.
  This week, a delegation of over 100 Catholic school teachers, 
students, and parents are in Washington, D.C. to meet with Members of 
Congress. They hand-delivered information about Catholic schools to 
every congressional office yesterday, which was National Appreciation 
Day for Catholic Schools. I would like to close by welcoming these 
teachers, students, and parents to the Nation's Capitol, and by 
congratulating the Catholic schools across the country that received 
Excellence in Education Awards from the U.S. Department of 
Education.

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