>> But even if they [catholic schools] cost the
>> same, and notwithstanding their capacity to get rid of the
>> worst-behaved students, do people here agree that they do a
>> better job (religious education aside)?
this is an interesting question. below is a summary (from a pro "school choice" editorial) of the results of two studies that indicate that catholic scholls may indeed do a better job of educating students than do public schools. this explains why advocates of school choice argue that minorities would benefit greatly from voucher programs. it is a powerful argument to parents trying to procure the best education possible for their children. i believe, alas, that vouchers would only help some at the expense of others.
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Cardinal O'Connor's claim that Catholic schools would do a better job than public schools is no idle boast. In 1990 the RAND Corp. compared the performance of children from New York City's public and Catholic high schools. Only 25 percent of the public school students graduated at all, and only 16 percent took the Scholastic Aptitude Test, vs. 95 percent and 75 percent of Catholic schools students, respectively. Catholic school students scored an average of 815 on the SAT. By shameful contrast, the small ''elite'' of public school students who graduated and took the SAT averaged only 642 for those in neighborhood schools and 715 for those in magnet schools.
In 1993 the New York State Department of Education compared city schools with the highest levels of minority enrollment. Conclusion: ''Catholic schools with 81 percent to 100 percent minority composition outscored New York City public schools with the same percentage of minority enrollment in Grade 3 reading (+17 percent), Grade 3 mathematics (+10 percent), Grade 5 writing (+6 percent), Grade 6 reading (+10 percent) and Grade 6 mathematics (+11 percent).