United States | God and grades

Pious pupils in America perform better

But that does not justify Republican efforts to put Christianity into classrooms

An illustration of a high school student taking notes dictated by God's hand.
Photograph: Leon Edler
|Washington, DC

Religion is making a comeback in American public schools, and Republicans are leading the charge. In April Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, signed a bill to allow clergy in public schools (Texas and Louisiana have passed similar laws). In June Louisiana passed a law requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public-school classroom. A week later Oklahoma’s state superintendent directed all public schools to teach the Bible.

Explore more

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “God and grades”

From the August 17th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, speaks to the press after the Maryland Senate debate in Maryland.

Why Larry Hogan’s long-odds bid for a Senate seat matters

He offers conservatives a pragmatic path beyond Trumpism

Democratic suppporters at the campaign trail for Vice President Harris, Pittsburgh, USA.

Polarisation by education is remaking American politics

The battle for Pennsylvania is a test case for new coalitions of Democrats and Republicans



Hurricane Milton inundates Florida

Three factors laid the ground for its destructiveness

Shirley Chisholm is still winning

The first black woman to run for president taught a lesson in making political change

US election forecast: who will control the House of Representatives?

Our prediction model assesses each party’s chance of winning the chamber