1. Christian Schools National Policy Forum Life beyond the Christian school: A new perspective

2. Heading Defining some key concepts Social capital Bridging social capital Bonding social capital

3. Heading The issue Professor Barry McGaw Given the growth of the non-government sector, we need specifically to consider whether that development, in the name of choice and, with government funding, in the name of fiscal fairness, has positive or negative effects on educational outcomes and on bridging social capital and, ultimately, social cohesion [emphasis added]. Cited from The Stupid Country – Bonnor and Caro (2007, p. 107)

4. Heading The issue Packer, S. (2013). Supporting a 'fair go'. Australian Educator (75), 7.

5. Heading The issue (2014)

6. Heading The issue Mono-cultural enclaves (Buckingham, 2010) A breeding ground for intolerance, bigotry, racism and ethnocentric thinking (Gundara, 2008). “To allow such groups to become separate is an act of deep educational folly” (Gundara, 2008, p. 340).

7. Heading The issue The Claim Religious schools are unfit to effectively prepare students for life in a pluralistic society and their growing presence within Australia’s educational landscape may undermine social cohesion.

8. Heading Research scarcity – the gap Australia Referring to the Christian school sector Maddox (2014) writes: “…this sector has been the subject of very little research [emphasis added], and arguably of even less national discussion” (p. Kindle Location 241). Britain The extent to which faith schools do offer significantly different models of education, both theoretical and practical, which are able to impact on individual pupil attainment or their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, or on overall school outcomes, is for the most part untested [emphasis added]. We need, therefore, to work towards developing an agenda for research into faith schools. (Lawton & Cairns, 2005, p. 250)

9. Heading Research scarcity – the gap I think there are just two systems, ours and the public schools’. I’m not at all advocating prayer and Bible reading in the public school as the answer. I think that we’re too far down the road to believe that’s the answer. We need doctors and lawyers, and we need all the various categories of persons that Christian schools aren’t [emphasis added] able to provide. So, I don’t necessarily write public schools off. I’m just more enthusiastic about the Christian school movement. (Peshkin, 1986, p. 10) Bethany Baptist Academy (Case Study)

10. Heading The research design Do the graduates of evangelical Christian schools form bridging social capital in their post-school pluralistic social worlds? Does the degree of religious diversity present within a school community have any notable impact on the social and civic development of students? What are the key drivers that shape the formation of social and civic competencies? Developmental drivers Graduate Post-school dynamics

11. Heading The research design Case Study Multiple Case 1 School 1 (K-12) Case 2 School 2 (K-12) Case 3 School 3 (K-12) Evangelical Christian Schools Like Schools

12. Heading The research design Data gathering Post-school dynamics Parents Developmental drivers Graduates Educators Workplace contacts 51 semi-structured interviews (48 individual and 3 focus groups) School documents

13. Heading The research design Social and civic values Honesty Respect Tolerance and understanding Responsibility Social justice Excellence Care Inclusion and trust Curriculum Corporation. (2003). Values education study. Carlton Victoria: Australian Government - Department of Education Science and Training.

14. Heading The results Developmental drivers Graduate Post-school dynamics Workshop Cross, G. L. (2014). Religious schools in Australia's education system: An investigation of the social and civic implications. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1523

15. Heading The results Were the graduates able to form bridging social capital? Did the degree of religious diversity present within the school have any notable impact on the graduates’ post-school social dynamics? Were the social and civic values that promote social cohesion evident within the behaviour and attitudes of the graduates in their workplaces? Graduate Post-school dynamics

16. Heading The results Were the graduates able to form bridging social capital? Yes, without exception. Religion was viewed as a point of interest, not division. Relational distance was not formed in response to religious differences. Did the degree of religious diversity present within the school have any notable impact on the graduates’ post-school social dynamics? Degree of cultural adjustment Composition of friendship networks Were the social and civic values that promote social cohesion evident within the behaviour and attitudes of the graduates in their workplaces?

17. Heading The results Social and Civic Attributes ValueEvidentWorkplace Contacts ParentsGraduates Honesty  +++++ Respect  +++++ Tolerance and Understanding  ++++ Care  +++ Inclusivity  +++- Responsibility  +++ Excellence Social justice

18. Heading The results Social and Civic Attributes ValueEvidentWorkplace Contacts ParentsGraduates Honesty  +++++ Respect  +++++ Tolerance and Understanding  ++++ Care  +++ Inclusivity  +++- Responsibility  +++ Excellence Good work ethic ?+ +++ - Social justice Volunteering ? ++++

19. Heading How do we respond to the claim? The Claim Religious schools are unfit for preparing students for life in a pluralistic society and their growing presence within Australia’s educational landscape may undermine social cohesion.

20. Christian Schools National Policy Forum Life beyond the Christian school: A new perspective