Culture

Economic and educational statistics are generally laid out as sterile facts, just numbers and percentages. It is easy to forget that there are people behind each of these statistics.

Michael
Reardon

My Saturday morning routine consists of waking up early, lacing up my hiking shoes, popping in the AirPods, and heading out for a walkabout. These are not the royal variety of a walkabout where royalty mingles with the common people. These are more of the Aboriginal variety, where one sets out with no particular distance or destination in mind, but rather just being open to the possibility of it all.
These Saturday morning rituals have done little to decrease the size of my belly, likely due to the coincidence of walkabouts with corned beef hash and eggs along the route, but they have opened my eyes literally and figuratively. Each walk is an opportunity to engage with unfamiliar places and people, and a moment to let new ideas and perspectives challenge my thinking.
On my most recent walkabout, I was listening to an interview with a prominent economist and his take on the state of the U.S. economy. The conversation was laden with statistics: unemployment, educational attainment, retirement savings rates, per capita income, housing prices, and inflation, along with many other topics and data sets. The conversation seemed academic, and, in many ways, the economist described the challenges facing many of the families the Catholic Schools Foundation serves. He was sharing many of the statistics that I often share with donors about the positive impact of a quality education on economic prosperity and overall happiness. It was affirming, but it quickly became jarring.

As the conversation was concluding, the economist was asked what he loved about economics and his answer was simple: "people." He explained that behind every statistic is a person. You get the job reports and learn of 100,000 people losing their jobs in the last month, and what you need to remember is that there are 100,000 stories of people having to have hard conversations, upsetting phone calls to spouses or parents sharing the news, or feeling embarrassed or sad that your child will now not be able to play that sport or instrument for which they were planning on signing up.
Economic and educational statistics are generally laid out as sterile facts, just numbers and percentages. It is easy to forget that there are people behind each of these statistics. In the case of the 4,000 students who receive scholarships from the Catholic Schools Foundation, each is a unique story. Statistically, 67 percent are from single-parent homes, and their average household per-capita income is less than $14,000 a year, but more importantly, each one of these students will graduate from high school, and 98 percent will go on to additional education beyond high school. These are not just statistics; these are real lives being changed.
Each of the 4,000 Catholic Schools Foundation scholarship recipients has their own story. Each one has challenges, hopes, and dreams. They also have the generosity of a donor helping give them an opportunity to move beyond challenging statistics towards bright futures grounded in faith and a quality Catholic education.
Although my belly has not shrunk from these recent walkabouts, they have been a reminder to keep my eyes open. Behind every statistic is a story, real people impacted by the circumstances of life. Thanks to the support of the donors of the Catholic Schools Foundation, 4,000 students are stories of hope and opportunity.

- Michael B. Reardon is executive director of the Catholic Schools Foundation, www.CSFBoston.org.

• 

  Behind every statistic is a storyMichael Reardon

• 

  Into the Deep: The tradition of the Blessing of the FleetRebecca Maitland

• 

  Scripture Reflection for June 22, Corpus ChristiDeacon Greg Kandra

• 

  The episcopal consecration of Bishop James Augustine HealyViolet Hurst

• 

  'De-extincting' long-vanished animal species?Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk