formal, weekday instruction for children that is sponsored by religious denominations. Situated in parishes or congregations, parochial schools are supported by the deeply held belief of parents and clergy that religious training should be a key element in the daily education of children. Pupils pay tuition, and teachers may be members of religious orders or qualified lay educators. Schools have been established by most religious denominations in nations around the world.

In the U.S., tax-supported public schools provide education for children between the ages of 7 and 16, or through the secondary level. By law, however, such schools may not teach religious subjects, and parents who wish religious training for their children must provide it outside the public school system.

Catholic Schools.

The Roman Catholic church is the primary sponsor of parochial education in the U.S. The major effort to establish Roman Catholic schools began in the mid-19th century as a response to the Protestant orientation of public schooling. Even though public schools have been secular since the 1870s, many Roman Catholics continue to support parochial schools because they believe that the family and the church, not the state, should be responsible for the education of children. The Roman Catholic church now supports approximately 9000 schools in the U.S.

Protestant Schools.

Certain Protestant denominations also believe in maintaining a close bond between religious and secular instruction. The Lutheran church, for example, currently sponsors more than 1600 schools. Other denominations that sponsor parochial schools include Seventh-Day Adventists, Episcopalians, Baptists, and Calvinists. The vast majority of Protestant children, however, attend public schools.

Jewish Schools.

Jewish parochial schools, like Roman Catholic schools, were first established in the U.S. as a response to the Protestant overtones of the early public schools. When public schools became nonreligious, however, most Jews abandoned parochial schools in favor of the public school system. After World War II support for Jewish schools increased due to the emigration of large numbers of Jews from Europe; some 600 Jewish parochial schools now exist in the U.S.

Federal Regulations.

The legal right of parochial schools to exist and operate in the U.S. was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1925, when it ruled unconstitutional an Oregon law requiring all children to attend public schools. In several subsequent decisions the Court has overruled efforts to provide direct federal and state aid to parochial schools, but it has upheld programs that provide auxiliary services, such as bus transportation, textbooks, loans, school lunches, and health services to all children, including those who attend parochial schools. Since 1984 the Court has upheld the constitutionality of state tax deductions for unreimbursed school expenses, but has struck down programs to send public school teachers into parochial schools to give remedial instruction.

Enrollment Patterns.

Parochial school enrollment has been declining since the mid-1960s; most of the decrease has been in Roman Catholic schools. Approximately 4.1 million children were enrolled in parochial schools in the U.S. in 1990. Slightly more than 63 percent of these children were in Roman Catholic schools, more than 30 percent were in Protestant schools, and about 4 percent were in Jewish schools.

Parochial Education in Other Countries.

The status of parochial schools varies greatly from nation to nation. Parochial schools in Germany and the Netherlands are regulated and financially supported by the government. In Great Britain and France the government provides partial subsidies if schools agree to certain instructional regulations. In Italy parochial schools are supported totally by tuition and donations. In Australia the schools receive some government assistance based on need. In Canada they operate under all three arrangements, depending on the province.        T.W., TIMOTHY WALCH, Ph.D.

See also EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES,.