School Choice & Religion
10/2018 Filed in: Religious School Choice
The American Federation for Children has released its “School Choice Yearbook” along with other data sheets. Read them to keep up on the progress of the School Choice movement. Though I am glad to see this moving forward, I have one major concern. Religious schools are…
Religious schools are under-represented. There are several reasons for this:
As a result, when I go to large school choice conferences, I hear little concern regarding religious schools. Though most organizations support broad school choice that includes religious schools, the basic motivation is “Choice,” thus the easiest forms of choice tend to predominate. Though the trend toward greater choice is good, I fear for the Church and our nation. The philosophic foundations of both are rooted in Christianity, and without more aggression on the part of those advocating for Choice with Christian concerns in mind, secular schooling will tend to predominate.
- Religious schools are harder for the state to regulate.
- Religious schools don’t want state regulation, so they tend to be less aggressive than secular interests - like Charter organizations.
- Religious school groups tend to have greater concern for “self-preservation” than for growth.
As a result, when I go to large school choice conferences, I hear little concern regarding religious schools. Though most organizations support broad school choice that includes religious schools, the basic motivation is “Choice,” thus the easiest forms of choice tend to predominate. Though the trend toward greater choice is good, I fear for the Church and our nation. The philosophic foundations of both are rooted in Christianity, and without more aggression on the part of those advocating for Choice with Christian concerns in mind, secular schooling will tend to predominate.
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