Urban Catholic Education: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times is a sequel to a 2010 work with the similar title, Urban Catholic Education: Tales of Twelve American Cities. Together, these works explore the historical contours of the Catholic parochial school movement in America’s divergent urban centers from colonial times to the present. The first volume covers the years of growth and expansion up to 1970 and the second volume continues the story and discusses the years of decline and retrenchment over the past forty years.

In this second volume, ten scholars - many affiliated with Catholic schools and universities - address the recent history of parish schools in as many cities across the country. Not only do the essays address common themes, they also articulate the elements that make Catholic education distinctive in each city. The book is a valuable touchstone for Catholic educators and scholars who work in and for a national Catholic educational establishment; that establishment includes 238 colleges and universities and several thousand Catholic high schools among other institutions.