The Non-Linear Impact of Schooling: Comparing Different Types and Amounts of Jewish Education

This study assesses the impact of different types and amounts of Jewish schooling in producing adult religiosity, using a sample from the Chicago area and an analysis of covariance design. The type of supplementary Jewish education received by over 80 per cent of those Jews who have received any form of Jewish education does not have much lasting impact on their adult religiosity, probably because they do not attend school for long enough. The relationship between the amount of Jewish schooling and adult religious involvement is not wholly linear. Quantity of schooling (measured in hours) exhibits threshold, plateau, and ceiling effects at different levels of exposure. The magnitude of impact produced by increased schooling depends upon the amount of the increase and upon the types of other experiences with which schooling is combined. Implications for Jewish, Catholic, and public schools are discussed.