Private Non-Religious Schools

Cardus Education Survey: Private Non-religious Schools (my thanks to Helen Lee for inviting Amy Julia Becker to this blog)

Amy Julia Becker is a frequent contributor to Christianity Today, Her.meneutics, and Motherlode on nytimes.com. Her most recent book is A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny. Visit her website or blog for more information.

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.

The Cardus report focuses upon comparisons between Catholic and Protestant schools, but it does offer some general conclusions about what it calls “private non-religious” schools. Based upon my personal experience within these schools—both as a student at a boarding school in the 1990’s, as a staff worker for a parachurch ministry that seeks to serve students on these campuses, and now as the wife of a faculty member—I asked some current and former faculty members from NAIS schools to help me assess whether Christian parents should send their children to private non-religious schools and, if so, under what circumstances?

For Christian parents who are concerned about their child’s spiritual formation, would you recommend attending a private nonreligious school? Why or why not?

“Parents have more control and influence than they often give themselves credit for. If a family has a solid community outside of the nonreligious private school, than said school could be great for the student . . . Part of the education experience is exposing your children to different perspectives and social settings. If you are providing a nurturing (yet firm) environment at home, eating dinner with your children every night, and modeling that social status and events are not the main priority, then I think private nonreligious schools are a good fit.”

–from a teacher who has worked in three different NAIS schools

“ . . . At least at the private, non-religious schools I’ve been associated with, there is a certain lack of humility and a heavy consumerist emphasis on both the school and the student as ‘products,’ and, combined with the wealth and elitism that can come with such schools, these things can breed a cynicism and pretty all-consuming ‘it’s all about me’ attitude that can undermine one’s maturation as a Christian.

On the other hand, these things, and also the diversity of faiths and thinking that often are found at private non-religious schools can stimulate rich, probing questions that are essential to that spiritual maturation. These spiritual, intellectual, and cultural dissonances can be under-represented, and likely undervalued, at Christian schools. And one who has been ‘churched’ from birth can be inured to the Christian school’s talking ‘at’ students about Christ, prayer, faith, scripture, etc. The dissonance can really help awaken genuine faith dialogue.”

–From a current administrator of a Protestant Christian school, formerly a teacher and administrator at a private nonreligious school in the Northeast

In the Cardus survey, the researchers sought to measure three desired outcomes of Christian education: 1) spiritual formation, 2) cultural engagement, and 3) academic development. As a whole, how effective do you feel private nonreligious education is in these three different areas?

“Private non-religious education does best with academic development. Nearly all families that enroll at my school choose it because of its academic program and reputation. Private schools exist because of dissatisfaction with public schools and for many families it is an academic choice.

Private non-religious schools also do well with community engagement. Community service is required at my school and encouraged at most others. There is an ethos of privilege requiring responsibility which permeates much of private school culture. However, I would say that the understanding of community engagement for the public good is fairly self-righteous. As Christians we see our actions as an outgrowth of our faith; we love because God first loved us.

My school does care about the spiritual formation of its students, but it is largely based on the children finding the faith of their families and growing in their understanding of others.  So, in terms of Cardus’ intention, I would say there is not much emphasis on spiritual formation.”

–From an administrator at a school in the mid-Atlantic

“They do little or nothing purposeful regarding spiritual formation; this can happen, but the burden for cultivating it lies elsewhere: with the student, his or her parents, youth group leaders, etc. Cultural engagement is not a strength: as with “service,” the “engagement” ultimately is for the student’s benefit; “diversity” itself can be framed as important because of its educational value (as opposed to the importance, for example, of being a reflection of God’s kingdom). The engagement isn’t fully engaging, then, because it lacks authenticity and a higher purpose. And these things aren’t contextualized as part of anything bigger than themselves–there’s no big “why” behind the engagement. Scholarship is a strength, but it’s not done with any hope of deriving “truth,” “beauty,” or “goodness,” and so, again, the scholarship is done ultimately for the individual’s sake. So opportunities are missed for character development and for the deepest understanding of ideas, peoples, God, etc.”

–From a current administrator of a Protestant Christian school, formerly a teacher and administrator at a private nonreligious school in the Northeast

What do you see as the major factors that drive today’s families’ (families in general but particularly Christian families) decision to send their children to a private nonreligious school? Do these decisions place academic achievement ahead of spiritual formation and/or cultural engagement as a goal? Is there a way for the rigorous academic environment of these schools to actually contribute to the spiritual formation and cultural engagement of the student?

“Families choose private nonreligious schools (PNRS) mainly for academic reasons. However, it would be simplistic to reduce this choice to purely an academic one . . . For example, small classes, close relationships with teachers, wide-ranging arts and athletic options, support for varying learning styles, international travel options, and emphasis on community service are all motivating factors for applying and enrolling families.

The rigor of the schools can produce a highly competitive and unhealthy school environment. Most PNRS recognize that the health of their community depends on a balanced approach, and at the end of the day, all schools recognize that their education is a moral pursuit, regardless of their religious or non-religious affiliation . . . In my school, mandatory chapel, required sports, and sit-down lunches emphasize community over self.

. . . Spiritual formation can happen at a PNRS based on how varying ideas are presented and how the students are encouraged to wrestle with these ideas, and how a family then decodes them for a child.”

–From an administrator at a school in the mid-Atlantic

From your experience, what are the characteristics of a family for which private nonreligious schooling would be an ideal option? And conversely, what are reasons that families should consider not sending their children to this type of school?

“I firmly believe that being a Christian means being a part of communities that aren’t ‘safe’ but that push us to really model who we are in front of others that don’t know Christ.  The reality is that as an adult we are most likely not going to be working with Christians (unless employed by Young Life or you’re a pastor) and therefore, we must expose our children to what that world is like.”

–from a teacher who has worked in three different NAIS schools

“I think all Christians in the 21st century struggle with living in the world but not being of the world. The reformed tradition stresses the redemption of all parts of the world, and we have to believe that Christ can work in all places. Christian families need to see their role as a missional one, providing loving and graceful support for the schools in which they choose for their children.

I don’t mean to paint a negative picture of families not comfortable with PNRS for their children, but generally, families who would prefer that they alone teach their children about sex, gender roles, history, and other faiths are not going to feel comfortable at PNRS. If families believe these topics should be preserved for them, then they will not feel comfortable with PNRS. Obviously, there are developmental stages when these topics are appropriate, but PNRS tend to teach them earlier and sometimes families don’t feel comfortable with their timing or content. “

–From an administrator at a school in the mid-Atlantic

For those parents who are trying to make an informed decision about which educational path to take with their own kids, what are some additional strengths and weaknesses you would want for parents to be aware of with regards to private nonreligious education?

“These schools will implicitly (and often explicitly) offer a worldview that leaves little to no room for the possibility of the divine. They will indoctrinate students in this worldview . . . Parents and churches will be hard pressed to adequately prepare children for how to allow their faith to grow in a materialist, secular environment because most Christian parents and churches aren’t equipped to do the theological and philosophical work necessary to navigate this playing field.

To the extent that attending a school like this leads to a spiritual crisis for a child, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Far more worrisome is the possibility of the child being like the frog in the pot of water as it slowly comes to a boil.”

–From a teacher in a boarding school

In conclusion, maintaining a vibrant and orthodox Christian faith in the context of most “private nonreligious” schools is not easy. The schools do not make spiritual formation a part of their mission, and the intellectual and social climate of the school will challenge the religious convictions of students from virtually any faith tradition. As the Cardus Survey reports, most students from these schools demonstrate less reverence for church authority, attend religious services less frequently and are more likely to believe morality is relative than their counterparts at Protestant Christian schools. With that said, private nonreligious schools not only offer academic rigor, but they also present a place for Christian students to consider what it means to be faithful to the gospel in a pluralist society. In that sense, perhaps private nonreligious schools are the best preparation for the rest of their lives.