[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1423]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 51--RECOGNIZING THE GOALS OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK 
  AND HONORING THE VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE 
                             UNITED STATES

  Mr. VITTER (for himself and Mr. Casey) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 51

       Whereas Catholic schools in the United States are 
     internationally acclaimed for their academic excellence and 
     provide students with more than an exceptional scholastic 
     education;
       Whereas Catholic schools instill a broad, values-based 
     education, emphasizing the lifelong development of moral, 
     intellectual, physical, and social values in young people in 
     the United States;
       Whereas Catholic schools provide a high level of service to 
     the United States by providing a strong academic and moral 
     foundation to a diverse student population from all regions 
     of the country and all socioeconomic backgrounds;
       Whereas Catholic schools are an affordable option for 
     parents, particularly in underserved urban areas;
       Whereas Catholic schools produce students who are strongly 
     dedicated to their faith, values, families, and communities, 
     by providing an intellectually stimulating environment that 
     is rich in spiritual, character, and moral development;
       Whereas Catholic schools are committed to community 
     service, producing graduates who hold ``helping others'' as a 
     core value;
       Whereas the total student enrollment in Catholic schools in 
     the United States for the 2014-2015 academic year is almost 
     2,000,000 and the student-to-teacher ratio is 13.1 to 1;
       Whereas Catholic schools in the United States educate a 
     diverse population of students, of which 20.4 percent belong 
     to racial minorities, 15.9 percent are of Hispanic or Latino 
     origin, and 16.9 percent are non-Catholics;
       Whereas the Catholic high school graduation rate in the 
     United States is 99 percent, with 87 percent of graduates 
     attending a 4-year college;
       Whereas in the 1972 pastoral message concerning Catholic 
     education, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 
     stated, ``Education is one of the most important ways by 
     which the Church fulfills its commitment to the dignity of 
     the person and building of community. Community is central to 
     education ministry, both as a necessary condition and an 
     ardently desired goal. The educational efforts of the Church, 
     therefore, must be directed to forming persons-in-community; 
     for the education of the individual Christian is important 
     not only to his solitary destiny, but also the destinies of 
     the many communities in which he lives.'';
       Whereas the week of January 25, 2015, to January 31, 2015, 
     has been designated as ``National Catholic Schools Week'' by 
     the National Catholic Educational Association and the United 
     States Conference of Catholic Bishops;
       Whereas the National Catholic Schools Week was first 
     established in 1974 and has been celebrated annually for the 
     past 41 years; and
       Whereas the theme for National Catholic Schools Week 2015 
     is ``Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and 
     Service''; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals of National Catholic Schools Week, 
     an event cosponsored by the National Catholic Educational 
     Association and the United States Conference of Catholic 
     Bishops and established to recognize the vital contributions 
     of the thousands of Catholic elementary and secondary schools 
     in the United States; and
       (2) commends Catholic schools, students, parents, and 
     teachers across the United States for ongoing contributions 
     to education and for playing a vital role in promoting and 
     ensuring a brighter, stronger future for the United States.

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