ERIC Number: EJ1469320
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1942-2539
EISSN: EISSN-1942-2547
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Reading the Signs of the Times. Design of a Communal Discernment Practice in Catholic Schools
International Studies in Catholic Education, v17 n1 p51-65 2025
Societal developments and phenomena such as diversity, secularisation, individualisation and the marketisation of education challenge Catholic schools in their striving for good education. Issues related to these developments and phenomena put their distinctive articulation and interpretation of values and ethical commitments to the test. It is by no means easy for Catholic schools to take on these challenges and decide what to do regarding their educational endeavour. By taking an educational design perspective, this article aims to contribute to the issue of how Catholic schools act by presenting an intervention for communal discernment. Through reading the signs of the times, looking inwards, deliberating and then coming to decisions, Catholic schools will be able to take on the challenges and continue purposefully in their striving for good education. Based on an academic study of Christian spirituality, a generic design for a communal discernment practice is presented, consisting of four clusters of strategies for action, and reflective questions to activate these strategies. Suggestions for further research are included.
Descriptors: Catholic Schools, Educational Quality, Social Change, Intervention, Decision Making, Educational Change, School Administration
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands