Where Should Christians Send Their Kids to School?

Last updated on: October 18, 2011 at 1:16 pm by Amy Julia Becker

Where Should Christians Send Their Kids to School? 2011-10-18T13:16:36-04:00 Amy Julia Becker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I have a post on Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog today that discusses a recent survey comparing Protestant Christian schools to their Catholic, public, homeschooling, and private non-religious peers. As someone who attended a private non-religious boarding school, worked for a parachurch ministry with independent schools, and who is now married to a teacher in one of these schools, I had the chance to interview some colleagues who are in leadership in some of these schools about the survey. I wrote:

My husband and I live on the campus of a boarding school. The school has been in existence for two hundred years, though it has changed dramatically over the course of those years. It was once all boys but now embraces co-education. It was once a bastion of white male Protestants on their way to Ivy League colleges. It now attracts students from all over the country and all over the world. It was once affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. Now students are required to attend “chapel” six times each year, and they can fulfill the requirement by attending a Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu service, by taking part in a Zen meditation or participating in a spiritually centered yoga class. This school is a member of the NAIS, the National Association of Independent Schools, along with about 1200 other schools in the United States. They make up a disproportionately small number of the schools and students in the nation, and yet students from these schools go on to positions of leadership within every area of American culture.

The recent Cardus Education Survey contrasts “Protestant Christian” schools and “Private Non-Religious Schools,” a category which would include most of the schools within the NAIS even though many of these schools are either associated historically with a Christian denomination and/or have a multi-faith approach to religious education on campus. The purpose of the Cardus survey was to assess the educational options for children of Christian parents based upon the likelihood that the school in question would offer students spiritual formation, cultural engagement, and academic development.

Click here to read more.

family

Cardus educational survey

education

Previous Post

October 14, 2011

More Reviews of A Good and Perfect Gift

Next Post

October 18, 2011 Strength in Grace: Reflections on Brennan Manning's All Is Grace

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Articles Books Disability Down Syndrome Faith family Perfectly Human Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 September 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz