Items of Interest May 16, 2011 Issue

Faith and parental involvement key factors in student achievement

“Secular scholar believes educators are recognizing the power of faith and that the Bible as literature will make its way into more schools” whjharvard@post.harvard.edu April 14, 2011

In a presentation at the American Educational Research Association’s Annual Conference, William Jeynes, Senior Fellow at the Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, New Jersey, and a professor at California State University in Long Beach, shared long-awaited results of his research on the factors that most reliably reduce the achievement gap. The results represent the first time that a social scientist has attempted to statistically combine all of the studies that have attempted to reduce the achievement gap into one study. 

Jeynes, a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Chicago, presented the results of the first meta-analysis that has ever been undertaken on the achievement gap. The meta-analysis, which involves statistically synthesizing all the research that has been done on a given topic, indicated that student personal religious faith, attending faith-based schools, and family factors were those factors that were most reliably associated with reducing the achievement gap. The family factors that were most strongly related to reducing the gap were parental family structure and parental involvement. 

Dr. Jeynes noted that studies, such as this meta-analysis, are causing educators to acknowledge the strength that religious faith provides for countless individuals. He asserted, “I believe that educators are beginning to possess more of an open mind to the inner strength that faith often provides. Admittedly, teachers and academics have frequently been guilty of a bias toward people of faith, directed particularly at Christians. I think it would be fair to call it a type of ‘Christophobia.’ I think this is changing, however, and I truly believe that this long economic downturn is a catalyst. Increasingly, educators, historians, and social scientists are recognizing that faith and family values are conducive to strong economic growth. One can even argue that immoral expressions such as selfishness, greed, lack of compassion, and a dearth of self-discipline are largely responsible for this recession.” Furthermore, Jeynes, who is involved in the effort to get the Bible as Literature taught in the schools, declares that, “A working knowledge of the Bible is a necessary part of being an educated individual. As an increasing number of Americans acknowledge this, I believe that more states will pass legislation that allows its teaching, including two states where it is currently being considered, Arkansas and Kentucky.” More information on this issue can be obtained by examining William Jeynes’s website Bibleasliterature.org. 

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