Public,
Christian or Home school?
Thirty years ago Sharon and I debated where to send our kids to school (we didn’t agree). In those days it was either a public school or a Christian school—home schooling wasn’t yet fully up and running. We didn’t really know what effect our choice might have on the kids. We had hunches, but there was no actual research available that might suggest “the odds” on one choice or another.
At the time we wished someone had researched graduates from Christian schools and public schools when they were in the 20’s and even 30’s to see if there was any difference. We had hunches there would be a difference, but these were only opinions without solid research backing them up.
Well, someone finally did the research—they got a bundle of money and actually followed up graduates from Christian schools, Catholic schools, (Christians attending) Public schools and Christian home schooling—years later—when the graduates were in their 20’s and 30’s. What difference did they find? They found huge differences between some choices and even some differences between home schooling and Christian schools. The shortest way to get some of this research is to take this short test. Then see if your hunches line up with the findings by checking the answers. What are your hunches… which graduate is…
1. Most likely to
want a job that pays really well; and least likely to want a job that is
directly helpful to others?
a. Public School
b. Catholic school c. Christian
school d. Christian home school
2. Most likely to
want a job that is directly helpful to others & least likely to want a job
that pays really well?
a. Public School
b. Catholic school c. Christian
school d. Christian home school
3. Most likely to pray
alone, read the bible and be a leader in a congregation?
a. Public School
b. Catholic school c. Christian
school d. Christian home school
4. Least likely to
spend much time volunteering, or to go on mission trips?
a. Christian school
b. Christian home school
5. Slightly more
likely to attend church and significantly more likely to consider premarital
sex or divorce wrong?
a. Christian school
b. Christian home school
6. Significantly less likely to feel obligated to tithe?
a. Christian school
b. Christian home school
7. Slightly more
likely to pray & read bible with spouse and more likely to talk with spouse
about God?
a. Christian school
b. Christian home school
8. More likely to
pray & read the Bible with family and to talk with family about God?
a. Christian school
b. Christian home school
9. More likely to get a divorce?
a. Public School
b. Catholic school c. Christian
school d. Christian home school
10. Most likely to want a job worthwhile to society, be interested in politics and to spend a lot of time volunteering?
a. Public School
b. Catholic school c. Christian
school d. Christian home school
ANSWERS: 1-d 2-c 3-c 4-a 5-a 6-b 7-b 8-a 9-d 10-a
How’d you do? I wouldn’t have passed if I hadn’t made the
test. My hunches were off, which is why we need solid research on stuff. I hope you read the actual report—it is free
for signing in at this web site: http://www.cardus.ca/research/
Of course research like this only gives us the averages and odds—there are exceptions and no research can eliminate all variables (though this one tried). So, what I’m wondering about this week is WHY some of these surprises pop up in the data. I expected Catholic and public schools to be different than the two main Protestant approaches. But what I’m wondering about this week is why home schooling and Christian schooling graduates are sometimes different. So, what do you think?
The discussion of this column is
on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=161502633
Keith Drury
www.TuesdayColumn.com
NOTE: While the above questions highlight differences between Christian home schooling and Protestant Christian schools the research shows that in general home schooling and Protestant Christian schooling are more alike than different—the greatest differences are between these two approaches and Catholic or public schooling (and also private non-religious schooling). For instance, Catholic schools are significantly better academically then either protestant approaches. And, while there are differences in commitment to the church between graduates of home schooling and Protestant Christian schooling these differences are far less than the vast differences between either of these approaches and public schooling and (especially) Catholic schooling. Indeed, the general results of this survey concerning Catholic schooling is it does a great job academically but produces graduates that are downright awful Catholics in their 20s and 30s!) My point: even though I highlighted the differences between home schooling and Christian Protestant schooling, usually both produce better disciples a few decades later than the other options.
Acknowledgement:
Thanks to Steve Horst, for tipping me off on this new research.