Jenny Clark, Co-Founder of Read The Word, emphasized the importance of expanding faith-based education options for shaping future civic engagement and outcomes. She made this statement on X.
“Unless we get MORE education options, especially Christian / faith based, it’s inevitable that more cities over time will vote like they did in NYC last night,” said Clark. “More patrons, funders, and foundations should understand: it starts in K-12. We’re doing something about it.”
Faith-based and Christian education initiatives in the United States are becoming increasingly prominent in discussions surrounding school choice and civic influence. According to Christianity Today, many churches are considering plans to open schools in response to growing demand and regulatory changes. This growth in religious education is prompting discussions about its intersection with civic values, democratic norms, and educational pluralism.
A recent EdWeek Market Brief explainer reports that nearly 75 percent of private K–12 schools in the U.S. are religiously affiliated, with about half being Catholic schools during the 2020-21 school year. The report also notes a decline in Catholic school enrollment from 39.4% to 33.2% since 2009, while evangelical Christian schools represent one of the fastest-growing sectors of faith-based schooling.
Voter behavior studies indicate a correlation between religious affiliation and political alignment. A 2024 report by the Pew Research Center found that Christians in the U.S. tend to vote Republican at higher rates than the general population, with religious attendance being a strong predictor of turnout and partisan leanings. These findings suggest that regions with higher faith-based education enrollment may exhibit distinct civic and electoral behavior, though direct causal links remain under-studied.
Clark is a school-choice advocate and education policy expert who joined the State Policy Network as an Education Fellow in 2025 after founding Love Your School, an organization focused on educating families about schooling options. Her academic background includes a degree in Business Economics from the University of Arizona and a Master of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She later co-founded Read The Word(s), emphasizing faith-based literacy outreach through church networks.
Read The Word(s) is a U.S.-based nonprofit founded by Clark and partners, aiming to mobilize churches to address literacy challenges by leveraging faith-community networks for reading proficiency support. The organization describes itself as focusing on church-led literacy outreach, combining spiritual formation with academic support.
