Cardus Education SurveyFormed in Story-

Informing the Story

bgreen@cardus.ca

We know what we don’t believe

• Julie: “We were at the Monument at the weekend and this woman came up to us and was talking to us and gave us a leaflet and things but like she was asking us about Bible verses and I knew exactly what she was talking about.”• Julie: “And you find they give you more respect that you have the, you

have an atheistic opinion but you know what you’re talking about.”• Erika: “You know what you’re talking about, so they think you’re not

just saying it.”• Julie: “I think some people who are atheists just say they don’t believe

but they don’t know what they don’t believe.”

Survey Highlights

Educational Outcomes• Upward trajectory in educational attainment (total no. of years in

college and degree beyond BA)• Students less likely to take higher level math and science courses• School sector a determinant of type of university or college you

attend

Job and Career

• Less likely than Catholic students to occupy high paying or STEM related• More likely to be in service related careers• More likely to seek jobs that fulfill a religious calling

Civic and Political Life

• Lower levels of trust – does not translate into distrust of civic life• With few exceptions, we find relatively consistent support for civic

engagement across the school sectors. This is evident in levels of political interest, feelings of obligation to participate in civic affairs, levels of civic participation, and trust in organizations• Less likely to be involved in politics• As we would expect more likely to be involved a religious community

Social Ties and Connections

• Religious characteristics of friends not statistically significant• Much more likely to trust people from local congregation and to

count a parent amongst friends, less likely to have friends with higher degrees• No less likely to have friends from ethnic and racial minority groups• Not well positioned in elite social groups

Religious Formation

• Evangelical school graduates in our survey were more likely to agree with statements regarding infallibility of the Bible • They show high levels of giving, participation, and volunteering, as

well as greater frequency of religious service attendance • The strongest Evangelical Protestant school effects concern individual

religious practices. According to our analysis, these graduates read the Bible more, pray more, and, in particular, pray more at home. • The fact that Evangelical schools institutionalize the importance and

practice of religiosity appears to have a longer-term impact on graduates.

• How different are in fact religious schools?• Are we affirming or challenging the dominant cultural stories about

performance, work and family?• Do you know what attitudes the students in your school have about

their future lives, how resilient those critiques/attitudes will be in the face of the challenges of their adult lives?

1. Judicious Measurement can render invisible assumptions –

visible.

2. Judicious Measurement assists educators to be critical

in their practice.

3. Judicious Measurement enhances professional

development.

4. Judicious Measurement establishes credibility.

 

5. Judicious Measurement influences practice.