Graduates Differ. Do You?

As the school year comes to a close for many thoughts may move towards what we value as graduates.  I recently attended a Baccalaureate service for my nephew and the speaker exhorted the graduates to “seek first the kingdom of God.”  Is this what some graduates seek?  If not what do they “seek first”?  Here is a study that provides some empirical evidence as to what private school administrators think:

WASHINGTON -- The graduates of Protestant Christian schools have different traits than those who attend Catholic and non-religious private schools, U.S. researchers say.  Sociologist David Skunk of the University of Notre Dame and the public policy think tank Cardus says the two-year study surveyed a representative sample of U.S. religious school graduates ages 24-39 to determine the impact of Christian schools on adults.

More Catholic school administrators ranked the university as the top priority, while more Protestant school administrators ranked family as the top emphasis of the school, researchers say.

The research team also surveyed more than 150 Catholic and Protestant school administrators in Canada and the United States to assess the aspirations.

The study found Protestant Christian school graduates:

-- Divorced less and had more children than their Catholic and private school peers.

-- Participated in more relief and development service trips.

-- Have lower incomes, but were more thankful for what they have in life.

-- Attended less competitive colleges and attended fewer years of college.

-- Talked less about politics, participated less in political campaigns and donated less to political causes.

G. Haraksin

Lead Pastor

NewSong Church