The same type of low-income students that have low graduation rates in public schools in the Los Angeles area, have higher rates in Catholic schools, a recent study shows.

Los Angeles Archdiocesan schools have a graduation rate of 97.5 percent compared to 46.4 percent in public schools, according to the research study "The Promise of Catholic Schools for Educating the Future of Los Angeles," recently released by Loyola Marymount University.

The research also found that regardless of their economic status, parents find safety and a place of belonging for their children in Catholic Schools, said Ignacio Higareda, director of research for the LEAD Center (Leadership for Equity, Advocacy and Diversity in Catholic secondary education), in charge of the study presented April 16 to Catholic teachers at the National Catholic Educational Association's 2009 convention.

The findings showed that, contrary to what many people believe, "parents in poor communities do care about their kids' education," said Dr. Shane Martin, dean of LMU's School of Education, one of four recipients of the NCEA's 2009 educational awards.

Martin noted that these families are willing to travel extra distance so that their children can be educated in safe and secure surroundings, one of the factors that has helped increase graduation rates as well as continuation rates.

The professor, who holds a doctorate in international and intercultural education, said the research is an important contribution to seek a national educational reform. "Catholic schools have a great deal to contribute to students of color, poor, or at-risk" he said.

"Many people believe Catholic schools only teach to an elite group of children, but the Catholic Education Foundation [in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles] funds at-risk students, most of them Latinos and African Americans, who have parents who are incarcerated and siblings in trouble, and nevertheless they show a success rate," said Martin, a former middle school and high school teacher.

Martin said the study is a great tool for seeking financial aid from philanthropists who are looking to support schools in a time when many Catholic schools are in danger of closing due to financial difficulties.

"Philanthropists want to support schools not just because they are Catholic," he said. "It's all about impact. They want to see data and what would the return on investment would be."

Martin mentioned the Gates Foundations as one of the institutions that has invested large amounts of money in education in the United States. But "they don't know about Catholic schools and what is happening in Los Angeles," he said, in reply to a teacher in the audience whose school in Santa Ana recently closed its doors.

"People are doing a great job running schools, but they are not making much beyond their Catholic communities," he said. "They are not telling the story well because there is no data of graduation rates, or of who is going to college or who dropped out of college."

He said the results of the research are a "wake-up call" to decentralize resources, adding that educational institutions should work together with the federal and state government and with the Archdiocese to avoid the closure of more schools.

According to the study, 43.2 percent of the 7,589 Catholic schools in the U.S. are located in inner cities. Of the 2.4 million students enrolled, 27 percent represent ethnic minorities, and 87 percent of elementary schools and 97 percent of secondary schools provide tuition assistance.

The Journal on Catholic Education will publish LMU's research in its September issue.