Religious School Differences in School Climate and Academic Mission: A Descriptive Overview of School Organization and Student Outcomes

Abstract

School sector differences have been the subject of much debate in the literature, but there is limited data that allows careful consideration of differences within the religious school sector. The extensive Catholic school effects literature focuses on issues of school climate, especially an emphasis on persons-in-community, or communal organization (Bryk, Lee, & Holland, 1993). But less is known about sector differences in school climate across evangelical Protestant, Catholic, and nonreligious private schools, particularly as these differences vary between the United States and Canada. This study uses descriptive analysis of national-level survey data from the Cardus Education Study to show average differences across detailed school sectors on several measures of school climate and mission. It finds a strong focus on relational goals in evangelical Protestant schools and an emphasis on academic outcomes in Catholic schools. The findings also point to nearly uniformly positive evaluations from private school graduates of their high school experience, which is particularly characteristic of evangelical Protestant and nonreligious private schools.