Pious pupils in America perform better
Religion is making a comeback in American public schools, and Republicans are leading the charge. In April Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, signed a bill to allow clergy in public schools (Texas and Louisiana have passed similar laws). In June Louisiana passed a law requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public-school classroom. A week later Oklahoma’s state superintendent directed all public schools to teach the Bible.
America is very religious compared with other rich countries. In 2018 a study by Pew, a pollster, found that 53% of Americans say religion is important to their lives, whereas only 27% of Canadians, 22% of Spaniards and 10% of Britons agree. But the picture is uneven. Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to identify as religious (61% versus 37%). Southern states are also generally more religious than others. Whereas 77% of adults in Alabama and Mississippi identify as highly religious, only one-third of adults in New Hampshire and Massachusetts do.
So it is no surprise that the push to insert religion in schools is coming mostly from Republican-led states in the South. And it is resisted by many who are deeply sceptical about religion in public schools. The Supreme Court has generally ruled in favour of the separation of church and state, with a few recent exceptions.
Amid the arguments, one thing that tends to be overlooked is the evidence of religion’s impact on performance. Research shows that religious pupils do better in school. Pious pupils have higher grades, better attendance records and complete more years of college.
Perhaps the fear of God motivates these holy high-achievers. “There are kids who really believe that God is watching them or God is intervening in their life or somehow judging them,” says Ilana Horwitz, an assistant professor at Tulane University and the author of “God, Grades, and Graduation”. “It prompts kids to behave in ways they think are pleasing to God.” A child who regularly attends church will also have more adults in the community watching over them, says Dr Horwitz. They may think twice before shoplifting or skipping school. Studies find that more religious children drink and use drugs less and have fewer sexual partners than their peers.
“A lot of religious communities…are learning communities,” says Michael Wear, founder of the Centre for Christianity and Public Life, a non-profit organisation, and a former White House staffer under President Barack Obama. “They read together, they engage in dialogue together and build all kinds of skills.”
Naysayers, such as those suing to prevent the implementation of those new laws in schools, may dismiss these findings as proxies for strong families and societies. Parents who can attend weekly services or teach their children about God may simply be more stable. Yet a study from Stanford University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that even within families, the more religious sibling performs better in school.
Although the academic evidence seems to support the positive academic impact of religiosity, there are wrinkles. First, atheists also do better in school when compared with the mildly faithful. While religious pupils seem to be motivated by God, atheists seem to be motivated by the pursuit of knowledge (and they probably also enjoy being defiant). Second, religion leads to outperformance only for certain people. Religiosity is most helpful for working-class and middle-class children. Poor children have too many barriers to overcome, explains Dr Horwitz, and wealthy ones will probably do well regardless. Lastly, religious children underperform in one area: graduation from selective colleges. They tend to prioritise their families and communities; pursuing an elite education is less important to them.
Crucially, there is little evidence that the proposed school programmes—adding clergy, requiring Bible readings, displaying religious text—will do anything to help pupils reap the benefits of religiosity. God is good but, as the Bible argues, His name should not be taken in vain.■
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