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President Bush Touts Success of Cristo Rey Schools

At the White House Summit on Inner-City Children and Faith-Based Schools, held on April 24 in Washington, DC, President George W. Bush told a group of approximately 250 educational leaders, school lobbyists, and business and government representatives that faith-based schools are "a critical national asset."In his 30-minute address, President Bush outlined ways the federal government could assist in keeping faith-based education available and vibrant in urban areas, and highlighted some of the most successful Catholic programs that are working.

The group gathered to consider ways to stem the tide of closing faith-based schools in major U.S. cities and to highlight some of the successful programs that have helped to keep faith-based education alive in urban America. Named among the innovative, successful programs was the Cristo Rey Network that has started and supports 19 schools across the United States with three more schools planned to open this fall.

President Bush applauded corporate America for getting involved in solving the crisis in secondary education and pleaded for more corporations to do likewise. In the Cristo Rey schools, students work one full day each week at jobs in some of the most prestigious businesses in the city. In return, the businesses pay a substantial portion of the students' tuition.

As Bush noted: "The businesses get energetic, reliable workers for high-turnover jobs. The students get a top-notch education plus real work experience. They feel a sense of pride when they leave some of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods for the city's tallest skyscrapers. It's a program that is working, and many of the students take that same sense of pride and accomplishment to higher education."

After his speech the President met Rob Birdsell, President of the Cristo Rey Network, and encouraged Cristo Rey to continue its dramatic growth and success educating inner city youth.Across the Cristo Rey Network, 99% of seniors are accepted into college and 96% actually matriculate to colleges and universities across the countries.

Cristo Rey Network schools are Catholic, college preparatory high schools that exclusively serve low-income students in distressed urban environments. This year there are 19 schools serving 4,235 urban young people. Ninety-four percent of the students at the Cristo Rey schools are racial minorities; 32% of our students are African American, and 56% are Latino. The schools are open to students of all faiths and cultures; this year 63% of the students are Catholic, and the remaining third of young people in our schools are not Catholic.

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