At the crux of vocation and profession: teachers’ work in Catholic schools

The question: ‘Education: Commodity or Public Good?’ (Grace, G. 1989. “Education: Commodity or Public Good?” British Journal of Educational Studies 37 (3): 207–221. doi:10.1080/00071005.1989.9973812) is more prescient than ever, and this paper probes the ways in which Catholic school teachers experience market-oriented dimensions of practice alongside the spiritual capital that fuels their work. Through drawing on the narratives of teachers who teach in U.S. Catholic schools, this paper explores the ways in which teachers feel the effects of neoliberal and market-based reform in their everyday lives. The findings illuminate three themes through the analysis of teachers’ narratives: 1) Technocratic Professionalism; 2) Competition from the Marketplace and 3) Optimizing the Student Experience. The paper urges those interested in the future of Catholic schools to consider that the neoliberal agenda is not merely theoretical but produces very real consequences for teachers.