The history of the Catholic Church and its schools in the United States is primarily a history of bishops' and priests' actions. Chapter 1 describes this history in terms of Catholic schools: (1) prior to the Constitutional convention; (2) during controversial periods from 1885-1917; (3) in U.S. society from 1918-1964; and (4) relationships to U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Chapter 2 discusses this Church's authority structure. Chapters 3 through 9 contain the results of a research study designed to investigate the perceptions of Roman Catholic bishops and priests in terms of how they: (1) valued Catholic schools as part of the Church's work; (2) viewed the schools' effectiveness; (3) evaluated parish catechetical programs; (4) viewed current Catholic school financing methods; (5) perceived the concepts of regionalism and/or consolidation and centralization of Catholic schools; and (6) viewed a potential increase in parental decision-making roles in these schools. Appendices provide: (1) the research methodology; (2) questionnaires and letters; and (3) 43 tables. Fifty references and a list of 22 cases are also included. (JHP)