THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR - USING TACIT ASSUMPTIONS TO PROMOTE HUMAN DIGNITY

Oct 15, 2026

The paper examines how Catholic school administrators can advance human dignity through reflection on tacit assumptions embedded in school mission and practice. It frames education’s meaning and intended outcomes as an ongoing dialogue among all educational stakeholders, especially within parochial contexts shaped by accountability and high-stakes testing. Drawing on the Notre Dame Man poem and theology-education scholarship, it argues that human formation, common good, lifelong vocation, and moral/spiritual development should guide administrative responsibility alongside academic rigor.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Educational mission and tacit assumptions

Ongoing dialogue among stakeholders

High-stakes testing and accountability context

Catholic perspective on the meaning of education

THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR: USING TACIT ASSUMPTIONS TO PROMOTE HUMAN DIGNITY Randall Woodard, Saint Leo University The discussion about the meaning and intended results of education is a conversation that must be undertaken frequently by all stakeholders in the educational process. One of these conversation partners is the Catholic school system. As in the public school sector, the question of school mission is taking place among leaders in the parochial system. Within our current context of high stakes testing and school accountability, today’s Catholic school leaders are also working to provide a clear vision of education in their school mission and practice that relates to core beliefs about life and the human person. Although differing in many considerable ways, leaders from both public and separate school systems can delve deeper into the dialogue of educational mission by sharing what is valued within each system’s context, and by reflecting on the practices ofthe other. The purpose of this article is to invite those interested in the social mission of education to consider the perspective of Catholic education in order to continue discussion and debate about the role and meaning of education. Specifically, this paper will attempt to articulate how school administrators might use reflection on tacit assumptions as a means to promote human dignity within their school communities. In order to articulate the mission of Notre Dame College, Canadian educator Fr. Athol Murray wrote a poem entitled ―The Notre Dame Man.‖ As founder and visionary of the school, Murray illustrated the mission by describing the person he desired to form through his college. In the conclusion to his poem, Murray (2008) described his graduates by stating that, Not only will they be better prepared to fulfil their duties as a citizen, they should make a better friend, a better husband, a better father, a better wife, because free people do. They will, in short, be better prepared to live, and when their hour comes, they will know better how to die because free people do. Although it would be mistaken to conclude that academic excellence was not important to Murray, it is significant that his vision for the educational output of his institution did not include any reference to academic achievement. Rather, he focused entirely on the graduate’s character. For Murray, education was not about what you became, but about who you became. The poem was, in essence, an attempt to answer the question ofwhat is the meaning of education. This question is not new and is not easily resolved. However, the discussion about the meaning and intended results of education is a conversation that must be undertaken frequently by all stakeholders in the educational process. Even for administrators within the public school system, one of these valuable conversation partners is the Catholic school system. As in the public school sector, the question of school mission is taking place among leaders in the parochial system. As did Murray, today’s Catholic school leaders are struggling to provide a clear vision of human formation in their school mission and practice that relates to core beliefs about the human person. Although differing in many considerable ways, leaders from both public and separate school systems can delve deeper into the dialogue of educational mission by sharing what is valued within each system’s context, and by reflecting on the practices ofthe other. The purpose of this article is to invite those interested in the social mission of education to consider the perspective of Catholic education as a conversation partner in order to continue discussion and debate about the role and meaning of education. It is my contention that one of the most significant responsibilities of a school administrator is to focus on who the students are becoming. The type of person being formed in schools takes precedence over the type of employm

FAQs

Why does the paper emphasize that conversations about the meaning of education must occur frequently?

It argues that education’s purpose and intended outcomes require continual discussion among all stakeholders, with school mission shaping practice in both public and Catholic settings.

How does the paper connect education with human dignity in Catholic schools?

It contends that administrators should reflect on tacit assumptions and use this reflection to promote human dignity within school communities, grounded in a vision of the human person.

What does the paper say should take precedence in school leadership responsibilities?

It maintains that administrators must focus on who students are becoming, prioritizing lifelong vocation and moral/spiritual formation rather than only eventual employment outcomes.

Oct 15, 2026

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