Catholic schools have long served as a significant alternative to public schooling in the United States. Originally designed to provide a religious education to children of Catholic immigrants, they later attracted non-Catholic families seeking quality education that some inner-city public schools failed to deliver. Today, public charter schools have stepped into that role in large numbers. Yet, certain qualities of Catholic education—particularly, its emphasis on moral formation—remain distinctive and essential in a diverse educational marketplace.

How should those concerned with public policy think of Catholic schools today, and how can their emphasis on traditional values endure in an era when those values are increasingly under attack? On December 12, the Manhattan Institute hosted a conversation among experts about the obstacles that Catholic schools face and the promise that they retain.

WELCOME
Ray Domanico, Senior Fellow & Director of Education Policy, Manhattan Institute

PANEL
Peter Murphy, Senior Fellow for Education, Empire Center for Public Policy
Kathleen Porter-Magee, Superintendent, Partnership Schools
Nicole Stelle Garnett, Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School
Moderator: Vanessa Mendoza, Executive Vice President, Manhattan Institute

communications@manhattan-institute.org