Official Catholic Statements
on Diversity of Education Options
and Parental Rights and Choice
"The primacy of parental rights in education must be recognized by the state and every other educational entity and advocacy group."
-- Catholic Conference of Illinois, " Catholic Schools: In Service and In Need," February 2003

"Parents have the inalienable right and the solemn obligation to choose and ensure the proper form and nature of their children's education, whether public, private, or religious."
-- Catholic Conference of Illinois, " Catholic Schools: In Service and In Need," February 2003

"Neither the state, nor any agency nor person acting on its behalf, can possibly comprehend the myriad and unique factors parents consider in making educational decisions for their children: location, safety, curriculum , discipline, religious formation, teacher quality, and pedagogical philosophy all matter. Educational decisions made by parents on behalf of their children fulfill a proper and fitting role which ensures the integrity and vitality of the American family, the diversity of our society, and is even, ultimately, the foundation of our nation's achievement. Their right to make those decisions must be emboldened; after all, the sublime power of parents' love and dreams for their children dwarves any interest the state might have in any child's education."
-- Catholic Conference of Illinois, " Catholic Schools: In Service and In Need," February 2003.

"By fully supporting parental rights in education, the government would introduce free market principles and competition into what has become a stagnant, monopolized, and all-too-often failing educational system. The success embodied in the totality of our nation's economic history underscores the tremendous advantages of free market competition. Through it work focuses on positive results rather than merely institution-building and sound economic development ensues. There is no reason to believe these same effects cannot be realized in the realm of education -- public and nonpublic ."
-- Catholic Conference of Illinois, " Catholic Schools: In Service and In Need," February 2003.

"Please work to reform Illinois' educational bureaucracy, place parents' rights first , and seek to create a vibrant, attentive educational system able to meet the needs and desires of Illinois' diverse population."
-- Illinois Catholic bishop's statement, February 2003.

" Parents who have the primary and inalienable right and duty to educate their children must enjoy true liberty in their choice of schools. Consequently, the public power, which has the obligation to protect and defend the rights of citizens, must see to it, in its concern for distributive justice, that public subsidies are paid out in such a way that parents are truly free to choose according to their conscience the schools they want for their children ... But it must always keep in mind the principle of subsidiarity so that there is no kind of school monopoly, for this is opposed to the native rights of the human person, to the development and spread of culture, to the peaceful association of citizens and to the pluralism that exists today in ever so many societies. "
-- Declaration of Christian Education (Gravissimum Educationis), Pope Paul VI, October 1965.

"Educational choice can promote academic excellence by fostering basic reforms and creating a competitive climate, responsive to parental concerns and leading to improved student performance."
-- "Parental Choice In Education", statement of the National Catholic Education Association

"We believe that educational choice can promote academic excellence by creating an educational climate that is respectful of parental concerns while fostering a competitive climate that results in greater school accountability to parents. NCEA members believe that the needs of students and their parents supersede those of entrenched educational bureaucracies. "
-- "Quality Education For All Children", statement of the National Catholic Education Association

"The education of children is a fundamental parental responsibility. All parents -- the first, most important educators -- should have the opportunity to exercise their fundamental right to choose the education best suited to the needs of their children, including private and religious schools."
-- U.S. Catholic Conference, "Faithful Citizenship: Civic Responsibility for a New Millennium"

"Join forces with others to advocate and promote public policies that offer all parents the opportunity to choose the school they believe is best for their children."
-- National Catholic Educational Association, "Goals for Catholic Schools of the 21st Century" (Goal 5)

"Our goal is to make sure we are meeting the current demand for Catholic education while building a stronger future for those families who choose Catholic schools. As we have seen in recent years, sometimes it involves opening a new school or creating a new model of education that best suits the needs of the families and communities we serve ."
-- Dr. Nicholas Wolsonovich, Superintendent Of Schools For The Archdiocese Of Chicago, October 7, 2004

"The current movement to provide full and fair parental choice in education seeks to give all parents the means to send their children to the schools they know are best for them, whether they be state-controlled or independent. Catholics should become familiar with this justice issue and get involved."
-- "Catholic Schools Today," Robert J. Kealey, executive director of the department of elementary schools of the National Catholic Educational Association

United States Catholic Conference, "Principles for Educational Reform in the United States," excerpts: