Gerald Grace is a Professorial Research Fellow at the Institute of Education, University of London. He is also Director of the Centre for Research and Development in Catholic Education, based at the Institute of Education.

• PART I Theoretical frameworks 1 The Catholic school: the sacred and the secular 2 The field of Catholic education: perspectives from Bourdieu and Bernstein PART II Historical, cultural and research contexts 3 Images of Catholic schooling: pre-Vatican II 4 Catholic schools post-Vatican II: a review of research studies PART III Catholic schools in three English cities: fieldwork studies 5 Research approaches and fieldwork 6 Mission and leadership: concepts and challenges 7 The use of talents: Catholic theories of academic ‘success’ or ’failure’ 8 Market culture and Catholic values in education 9 Spirituality, morality and personal and social justice 10 Catholic schools: the renewal of spiritual capital and the critique of the secular world

'This is an excellent book that addresses directly many of the challanges facing Catholic educators and leaders of Catholic educational systems and schools in a number of countries.''Grace offers Catholic educators and leaders valuable insights from the literature andfrom his own research on how to meet the challenges and contribute to the common good and "to renew the culture of the sacred in a profane and secular world".''...the author should be commended for the originality of research and the depth and insightfulness of analysis and interpretations.' - all Patrick Duigan, Catholic Education, September 2005