Accelerated Christian Education: a case study of the use of race in voucher-funded private Christian schools

Abstract

President Donald Trump has promised an expansion of voucher programs for private schools in the United States. Private Christian schools are likely beneficiaries of such an expansion, but little research has been conducted about the curricula they use or their suitability for public funds. This article describes and critiques the depiction of race in Accelerated Christian Education, a curriculum used in some voucher-funded schools in the United States, as well as in private schools in 140 countries. It employs content analysis and qualitative documentary analysis of the curriculum workbooks, and builds on Christian Smith and Michael Emerson’s theoretical framework of white evangelicals’ ‘cultural toolkit’ to explain the ideas about race in the curriculum. The paper finds that in addition to some overt racism, the system promulgates a worldview which does not have the capacity to recognize or oppose systemic injustice. It is argued that such a curriculum is not a suitable recipient of federal funding.

Keywords:

• Christian Education
• educational vouchers
• private schools
• race
• racial relations

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes on contributors

Jenna Scaramanga attended an ACE school for four years. Her doctorate researched the experiences of students at Accelerated Christian Education schools in England. She has presented conference papers to the International Association of Critical Realism and by invitation to INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements).

Michael Reiss is a professor of science education at UCL Institute of Education, an honorary visiting professor at the Universities of Kiel and York and the Royal Veterinary College, and a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He is President of the International Society for Science & Religion and of the International Association for Science and Religion in Schools and a Priest in the Church of England.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. CEE (Christian Education Europe) is ACE’s European distributor. It publishes PACEs primarily for use in the UK and Europe, but which are also available in other territories.