Considering Governance of Catholic Schools in Canada: Some Insights for Australia

A consideration of Canadian Catholic schools provides insights for Australian educators. The history and current structure and function of Canadian Catholic schools reflect provincial differences. In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario Catholic schools exist as fully funded separate schools. They have been seen to be successful in providing a high quality education that meets general educational, or first order, needs. A key challenge for Canadian Catholic schools is how they respond to new issues such as developing policy for transgendered students. These are termed as second order challenges. In addressing these challenges a number of implications can be drawn for Australian Catholic schools