Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-30-2021

Keywords

School Choice; Religiosity; Crime

Abstract

Religious faith is one of the strongest motivators known to man. For millennia, human beings have turned to a higher power to help them cope with the challenges of life and define their values and behaviors. Millions of people have died for their faith. Yet, when it comes to public education reform and research, the influence of religion is grossly underexplored. This study takes some initial steps to change that. We analyze parent survey responses from the 2008 Milwaukee Parent Choice Program (MPCP) Longitudinal Education Growth Study Baseline Report. Our analysis compares MPCP students who were matched to students from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) in 2006, and it sheds light on this vital research question: Does family religiosity complement or substitute (or is neither) for private school choice in shaping the character outcomes of students regarding subsequent criminal convictions, traffic violations, fines, or paternity suits? This study finds that family religiosity tends to be a substitute for private schooling in shaping character. Either parental religiosity or private school choice serves to suppress criminal tendencies and paternity cases of students later in life, but these two factors have their strongest positive effects on student character outcomes in isolation, not in combination. Apart from avoiding paternity disputes, students appear to be most aided by having religious parents OR private school choice, not necessarily by having religious parents AND private school choice.

Comments

Paper prepared for presentation at the Mid-South Education Research Association Annual Conference, November 9-12, 2021.

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