Bill Donohue comments on China’s embrace of our Catholic schools:
A delegation of top Chinese educators wanting to learn about the achievement of U.S. elementary and secondary schools decided not to visit a single public school district. Instead, they ventured yesterday to West Virginia to learn more about the stunning success of schools in the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.
An entourage of educators from Wenzhou, China visited Wheeling Central Catholic High School, the Challenger Learning Center at Wheeling Jesuit University, and St. Michael Parish School in Wheeling. They came to observe classes and learn more about curricula, teacher training, student development, and school safety. They also sought to foster a student exchange program between the two cities.
The Chinese dignitaries chose the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston schools because of the academic excellence that they provide. As is true nationwide of Catholic schools, almost all the students in the diocese graduate and are accepted in a college or university. Its students consistently score higher on standardized tests than both West Virginia public school students and the national average.
Chinese educators will never visit the public schools in Paterson, New Jersey. Figures just released show that of a total of almost 26,000 students in grades K-12, exactly 19 of them earned SAT scores that are considered college ready. That is a success rate of .0007 percent. Moreover, 66 employees who work in the Paterson school district earn at least $125,000 a year.
The most reliable socio-economic ladder in the U.S., especially for minorities, is the Catholic schools. The Chinese Communists know it. So why don’t minority leaders and urban mayors, as well as the president? Why do they continually oppose vouchers for Catholic schools? They may not intend to keep minorities in their place, but what they do surely has that effect.
