Can Catholic Schools Do It Better?

America's parochial schools have often served as a reproach to the troubled public ones in their communities. Unburdened by the bureaucracy and lethargy that bedevil most big-city school systems, and with a tradition of emphasizing discipline and academic rigor, they have generally been able to turn out better graduates -- while often spending less than half the money per pupil. Now the Roman Catholic Church, worried about declining enrollments and hopeful about the emerging political sentiment to allow public school parents greater choice in where they send their kids, has launched the most extensive marketing campaign ever for its brand of...