Between Church and State: Religion and Public Education in Multicultural America

Kniker, Charles R.; Fraser, James W.

doi:10.2307/369732

Cited by 1 publication

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“…Examining how religion shapes academic outcomes is also warranted because religion and public schooling are not wholly independent institutions-even though they are legally separated. After all, the founding of the U.S. schooling system is rooted in religious ideals (Cohen 1987;Fraser 2016;Labaree 2012). Specifically, commitment to Protestant religion is a major factor that promoted schooling in colonial America.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A less overt religious mission continued to infuse schools even after the separation of church and state (Fraser 2016;Labaree 2012). At that point, a key goal of public schooling (then called the common school) was to ameliorate the social turbulence that took place after the American Revolution and the formation of the United States.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At that point, a key goal of public schooling (then called the common school) was to ameliorate the social turbulence that took place after the American Revolution and the formation of the United States. Common schools thus offered a school-based civic religion that could unite a diverse (albeit mostly Protestant) citizenry (Fraser 2016). Religion and the public schools had a similar mission: "To foster a homogenous society united in faith, morals, and forms of government" (Fraser 2016:9).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although churches, as institutions, were kept out of education, common schools still provided a general type of religious education. In fact, students were expected to read from the Protestant version of the King James Bible and pray up until the 1960s (Fraser 2016). The Protestant ethos also shaped the view that teachers-inside and outside religious settings-were a voice for authoritative knowledge (Cohen 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Religion and Academic Achievement: A Research Review Spanning Secondary School and Higher Education

Horwitz

2021

Review of Religious Research

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Profound socio-economic disparities that exist among American religious groups are largely driven by the quantity and quality of education they receive. Furthermore, given the U.S. schooling system is rooted in Protestant ideals, it is possible that students with Protestant commitments have an academic advantage. This article synthesizes literature on how adolescents’ religious commitment and background are associated with their short- and long-term academic outcomes. A literature search identified 42 relevant studies published in 1990-present. These studies were reviewed to identify: (1) the mechanisms through which religion affects educational outcomes—moral, social, and cultural; (2) the main operationalized measures of religion— religious tradition and individual religiosity; and (3) the most frequent academic outcomes studied—secondary school grades, truancy, test scores, educational aspirations, and educational attainment. Of the 42 studies, 95% were based exclusively on quantitative survey data, 95% examined only religiosity or religious tradition, and 66% focused on educational attainment. There were three major findings. First, research has advanced from correlational studies to methodologically rigorous designs suggesting religion can play a causal role in academic success. Second, research reveals a religiosity-religious tradition paradox: Adolescents with stronger religiosity earn better grades, are less truant in secondary school, and complete more years of higher education. A large proportion of highly religious adolescents are likely to be conservative Protestants, but the research on religious tradition suggests that conservative Protestants are among the least educated religious groups. Third, it is unclear if religious adolescents only fare better on academic outcomes that reward their personality, such as grades, or whether they also perform better on more objective measures, such as standardized tests. This systematic review reveals a paradoxical “effect” of academic achievement and religiosity versus-religious tradition. The overall results indicate the need to: (a) identify the interaction between religious tradition and religiosity, (b) distinguish between subjective versus objective academic outcomes; (c) examine heterogeneity among non-religious adolescents; (d) study the interplay between institutional schooling and institutional religion; (e) investigate the religion/cultural match between teachers and students; (f) pursue qualitative research to better understand mechanisms; and (g) expand research about non-Christians.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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