Editors' comments.

Editors' comments. Catholic colleges and universities have long been engaged insupporting K-12 Catholic schools and especially in offeringprofessional, academic preparation programs for teachers and principals.There is an intrinsic and familial connection between Catholic highereducation and K-12 Catholic schools. First, many undergraduates inCatholic universities come from Catholic schools, explicitly desiring tocontinue their education in an environment animated by faith. Havingexperienced the rigorous academic formation and personal faith formationfound in the typical Catholic school, young adults of college age feelmost at home at a university where prayer and worship are a part ofdaily life, where theology is studied seriously, and social justice islived intently. While there are certainly major developmentaldifferences in the curriculum and milieu of Catholic universities andCatholic schools, the transition to Catholic higher education fromCatholic high school is remarkably comfortable and seamless for moststudents. The same is true for the movement from the Catholic elementaryschool elementary school:see school. to the Catholic high school. Students find the school culturewelcoming and familiar. Second, and more importantly, both Catholic schools and Catholicuniversities share in the overall educational mission of the Church andcontribute to the synthesis of faith and culture called for by aCatholic educational philosophy. There should be a connection betweenthese different levels of education because they are a part of the sameChurch and share a similar mission. Although operationalized differentlyand in ways age-appropriate to their respective students, Catholicschools and Catholic universities aim at similar educational goals anduse similar methods to advance those goals. Two university-inspired efforts provide evidence of this intrinsicconnection between Catholic universities and Catholic schools. One is aconsortium, the second an association. The University Consortium forCatholic Education (UCCE UCCE University of California Cooperative ExtensionUCCE Unified Contact Center Enterprise ) is a group of 14 institutions, all offeringprograms for the professional preparation of teachers forunder-resourced Catholic schools. UCCE programs together place over 400teachers in 32 states, and do so every year(http://www.ucceconnect.com). Additionally, this remarkable organizationsupports undergraduates in discerning a career in Catholic education andhas experienced steady growth in participation. UCCE fosters thedevelopment of educational professionals who will become lifelongadvocates for Catholic schools. The Association for Catholic Leadership Programs (ACLP ACLP Above Core Load Pad (fuel assembly)) is a groupof 30 institutions which offer degree and licensure programs for thosepreparing for service as Catholic school principals. ACLP membersinclude Catholic colleges and universities from coast-to-coast, all ofwhom operate with the conviction that Catholic school leadership isdistinct from public school administration, and requires a uniqueblending of the knowledge base of educational administration with therich theological traditions of Catholicism. ACLP also offers theservices of a speakers' bureau for Catholic educational issues,comprised in large part by the faculty of its member institutions(http://aclp.ncea.org). Creighton University Sitting on a 108-acre campus just outside Omaha's downtown business district in the Near North Side neighborhood, the University currently enrolls about 6,800 students. Creighton is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. in Omaha, Nebraska “Omaha” redirects here. For other uses, see Omaha (disambiguation).Omaha is the largest city in the State of Nebraska, United States. It is the county seat of Douglas County.GR6 As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 390,007. , is one of the institutionswhose membership spans both the UCCE and the ACLP. Creighton faculty,under the direction of Timothy Cook For the COO of Apple Computer, see Timothy D. Cook. Timothy "Tim" Cook (born February 20, 1974) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League. CareerAdelaide: 1997-98, 8 games, 5 goals. , provide the focus section for thisissue and with it, a significant contribution to advancing the missionof Catholic education. Three articles engage timely and importantissues, all connecting Catholic higher education with Catholic schools.One article offers a study of teacher induction Induction (educator)Induction is the support and guidance provided to novice teachers and school administrators in the early stages of their careers. Induction encompasses orientation to the workplace, socialization, mentoring, and guidance through beginning teacher programs in Catholicschools and offers some insight to those administrators trying to reduceteacher attrition. Another article discusses value transmission ineducation and offers practical advice for implementing core values evenin distance education. The lead article of the focus section provides anoverview of a new partnership between Creighton University and theArchdiocese arch��di��o��cese?n.The district under an archbishop's jurisdiction.archdi��oc of Omaha that has been developed to respond to the need forleadership succession in the principalship of the Catholic schools ofthe archdiocese. Diocesan central office personnel and universityfaculty across the country will find helpful ideas here for connectinglocal Catholic schools and their needs with a Catholic university. The University of Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam]is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame recently convened a task force tostudy the challenges facing Catholic schools, and the report of thistask force is reprinted in this issue with permission. The editors haveproffered commentaries on the report, as did James Heft, S.M. The taskforce report is another example of the common work of Catholic schoolsand Catholic universities. Catholic colleges and universities, especially the fineinstitutions and programs represented in organizations such as the UCCEand the ACLP, continue to serve Catholic schools by responding tomanifest needs and by developing programs that help advance the overalleducational mission of the Church, as embodied in Catholic schoolseverywhere. While no one program, university, or response can offer apanacea for all the challenges facing Catholic education, surely ourfuture is in large part dependent on the cooperation, collegiality col��le��gi��al��i��ty?n.1. Shared power and authority vested among colleagues.2. Roman Catholic Church The doctrine that bishops collectively share collegiate power. , andcollaboration of all who share this important ministry and mission. Theneeds are many, and the resources often few. Connecting Catholic highereducation and K-12 Catholic schools is one essential strategy that wewelcome and encourage. The journal is grateful to be one of thoseresources that work to make this connection by being a place whereCatholic educators can talk to one another, share important ideas andinsights, research common problems, and grow together as we attempt thatsynthesis of faith and culture that is at the heart of a Catholiceducation. Ronald J. Nuzzi, Thomas C. Hunt, Editors