Description
Book SynopsisThis book tells a story about the surprising ways in which a religious upbringing shapes the academic pathways for teens of different gender and class backgrounds. It shows how the attitudes and outlook of Christian teens who organize their life around their belief in God carries over to the academic realm. On the one hand, religious teensespecially working-class boysearn better grades and complete more years of college than their non-religious peers. On theother hand, middle-upper class teensespecially girlswind up choosing to attend less selective colleges than their peers with similar grades.
Trade ReviewProf. Horwitz's analysis is a model of original thinking, lucid and compelling writing, and masterful scholarship. In readable prose, she seamlessly interweaves painstaking and sophisticated analysis of survey and interview data sets drawn from studies by the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR), the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), and from over 200 racially, socioeconomically, and religiously diverse longitudinal interviews. Masterfully, she incorporates insights from published scholarship, paying attention as she goes to factors including class, gender, race and ethnicity, geographical regions, and family structure. * Sylvia Barack Fishman, Contemporary Jewry *
This is a very substantial book that should bring some satisfaction to Christians who worry about the decline of Christian faith and life in the next generations. * Robert Benne, Lutheran Quarterly *
This book provides encouraging news * Diane Olinger, New Horizons in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church *
Horwitz brings a fresh perspective to the conversation about the role of education in human flourishing. Her insight—that schools are at the same time more formative and more limited than is often assumed-is ultimately a hopeful one. It helps focus our minds on what schools can realistically do, while recognizing that we need to continue to work on political and social change beyond the education system. Schools have the heavy task of cultivating students' academic and social formation, but they stand as just one factor among many contributing to improving student outcomes. * Jessica Schurz, Public Discourse, The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute *
... Ilana Horwitz has produced a compelling, provocative study, which I hope will inspire still more work on the same subject. God, Grades, and Graduation demonstrates the light that can come from studying the role of religion (or the lack thereof) in their lives. * David Campbell, Education Next *
God, Grades, and Graduation shows just how complex the relationship between religion and class is today by making the point that religion helps some youth achieve while truncating others' imagined futures. This is a must read for scholars of religion, education, or class mobility more generally. * Melissa Wilde, Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania *
In this beautifully written book, Horwitz demonstrates that religion has a powerful but mixed impact on education. She shows that intensely religious students tend to be more conscientious and cooperative, which leads them to overperform in educational attainment and undermatch in college choice. Compared to peers, they get higher quantity and lower quality of education. Everyone with an interest in the sociology of education should read this study. * David Labaree, Lee L. Jacks Professor, Emeritus, Stanford University *
Religion isn't just about prayer and worship. It exerts fascinating causal consequences in many 'secular' spheres. Ilana Horwitz's story of religion's influence on educational achievement shows not only that this happens but also how and why. Anyone interested in education or religion or simply the forces that make social life work will benefit from reading her story. * Christian Smith, author of Religion: What it Is, How it Works, and Why it Matters *
Sharp, engaging, and extremely well-presented, Dr. Horwitz's work offers a much needed, impressively rigorous analysis of the surprising intersections of religiosity and education in the USA. Both as a parent and a professor, I found this book fascinating. * Phil Zuckerman, author of Society Without God and What It Means to be Moral *
Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Chapter 1: Living for God Chapter 2: Remarkable Report Cards Chapter 3: A Domino Effect Chapter 4: Godâs Guardrails Chapter 5: Unexpected Destinations Chapter 6: The Road Less Taken Conclusion Appendix: A Methodological Overview References
