I went to public school up until attending the Catholic University of America for my undergraduate degree. By all accounts, I turned out just fine so why am I a Catholic school leader who now advocates for private schooling?

Good question. As a parent, I now see the value of a private school. The culture in which we live has become increasingly hostile towards Christian values so my wife and I have sought out environments where they can grow academically and spiritually. We're both public school products but also see the value of a faith-based approach to education. When my son comes home and teaches me a prayer he learned in school, I know that my tuition dollars are making a difference.

There is a growing body of evidence that faith-based schools are not only an alternative to public schools but in some cases actually better, depending on the child. President Obama just announced his attempt at education reform but like many presidents before him, money will not solve the problem. We've tried that approach but as it turns out, funding is only one aspect of education.

John Stossel of Fox Business offers a series of intriguing discussions about schooling in America. His point is simple: let the money follow the student. Rather than a state-sponsored school system which controls the money, let the student choose where he wants to go. Tell inner city kids this and they support overwhelmingly both charter schools and voucher programs. Part VI of his series on schools is titled, "Competition Leads to Innovation" and I've included it below:

Stossel is not alone in advocating for change. The Chancellors of both New York City and Washington, DC are advocating major overhauls of their respective systems. They've found that it's nearly impossible to remove a bad public school teacher. It appears they're on to something.

I fully acknowledge that private schools, including Catholic schools, are not immune to problems such as struggling teachers. And yet, the data has supported for quite some time that charter and Catholic schools are producing results.

Why would you choose an alternative to a public school? I offer six qualities that I feel are of great value in a faith-based school. They include:

Faith-based values.

Culture of discipline.

Family atmosphere.

Competition.

Attentiveness to the whole person.

Accountability.

Interested in learning more?

If you'd like to read my new white paper on faith-based schools, send me an email and I'm happy to forward you a PDF copy: mondayqb (at) gmail (dot) com

*photo by Pink Sherbet Photography