Educators' Religious Self-Understanding of Their Role in Public Schools

• In Event: Contemporary Concerns in Religion and Education

Abstract

A national sample of 395 religious public school educators (Christian background) completed a questionnaire to determine the most common approaches to living out their faith in the workplace. Fourteen different possible approaches were offered; educators chose approaches concerned with modeling virtue and being a “faithful presence” in schools most frequently as descriptive of their practice. Findings confirmed smaller studies that have demonstrated that Christian educators are most concerned with issues of character and positive relationships with students. The approach that seeks to equip students to address societal wrongs was among the least frequently chosen. Implications were drawn for teacher preparation programs at religious-based colleges to nurture future teachers toward developing a greater vision for community transformation.

Author

• Nicholas C. Block, Biola University