Abstract

        An argument is made that children in separate school should enjoy a higher quality home, parents and school, than children in public school, due to receiving a more consistent values education - the data tend to support this.

        One would expect that when these children were teens they would be better behaved, but the evidence from both the tables and analyses tend if anything to reveal higher-risk behaviour. This is an unexpected result.

        The 1995 advantage of the separate school children showed up in terms of household income 26% under $40,000, 36% public; child's religious commitment, main parent's education, having married parents, 82%, 78%; having fewer cohabiting parents, 4%, 7%; and in terms of school performance.

        There were relatively few advantages of the public school children: parent a volunteer (50% and 45%, respectively); parent works full-time, 43%, 53%; parent agrees family cannot talk of sadness, 13%, 20%; … or talk of fears.

        The tables reveal the separate school teens were somewhat more inclined to engage in high-risk behaviours such as monthly intoxication, smoking, having sexual intercourse, neglecting birth control, and beginning sexual intercourse at a young age. They were less inclined to have sold drugs.

        Having a more educated, married, and evangelical parents in 1995, and the child's worship frequency, tend to result in healthier teen behaviour in 2003.

        In the 40 analyses, after controlling for the effect of age and sex of parent and child, marital status, biblical faith affiliation and education of the parent, worship frequency of child, and region of residence, all measured in 1995, the child's school had only five statistically significant effects on behaviours.

        Three out of the 40 school-type effects favored public school: less likelihood of smoking, sexual intercourse, and getting upset with oneself. Two favored separate schools: the likelihood of selling drugs, and of having separated parents in 2003: both were lower, given separate school education.

        Formal and informal education effects were as expected. The teens with a more educated main parents in 1995 were less likely to smoke, drink, have sexual intercourse, attempt suicide, and have close friends who smoked, and were happier with life, had lower BMI, and got angry or upset less, etc.

        The teens with a biblical faith main parent were less likely to drink alcohol and to have friends who smoked marijuana or drank, and more likely to like the way they looked. They became intoxicated and drank less frequently. Unexpectedly, they claimed to be questioned by the police more frequently.

        More than 20 behaviours and attitudes of teens were healthier or more positive, the more frequently the teen had attended church eight years earlier - there were no exceptions. Teens were more likely to be non-drinkers, non-smokers, non-drug users, sexually inactive, and happier with life, for example.