Secondary School Choice as a Window on Jewish Faith Schools in Contemporary British Society. Issue 4 (1st October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Miller, Helena; Pomson, Alex; Hacohen Wolf, Hagit
• Is Part Of: Journal of school choice. Volume 10:Issue 4(2016)
• Page Start: 537
• Page End: 559
• Publication Date: 2016-10-01
• Subjects: interviews -- Jewish education -- parental choice -- research study -- school choice -- secondary school -- United Kingdom; School choice -- United States -- Periodicals; School choice; United States; Periodicals; 370
• DOI: 10.1080/15582159.2016.1175903
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1558-2159

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Research into school choice has generally explored both the processes by which choices are made and the considerations that parents explore when making this important decision on behalf of their children. This article examines the secondary school choices of Jewish parents in the United Kingdom. It explores parents' reasons for choosing to select Jewish faith secondary schools. We frame our arguments against the backdrop of the wider faith-school phenomenon in the UK, and as with the Christian communities, we find a disconnect between the small number of Jewish adults attending places of worship regularly and the growing number of Jewish children attending Jewish faith schools. We show that for many parents, schooling is synonymous with Jewish socialization, or enculturation; developing networks of Jewish friends, providing sufficient cultural resources to enable participation in Jewish life, and nurturing distinctive values. We show how Jewish schools have become more than places for academic advancement for these families; they have become the primary locus of Jewish community.