Mission Statements of Christian Elementary Schools in the United States and the Netherlands

Abstract

This study compares the mission statements of a small sample of Christian elementary schools in the United States and the Netherlands. In the United States, Christian schools are private schools, while in the Netherlands Christian schools receive state funding, just like public schools. Content analysis of mission statements revealed similarities and differences in the number and type of religious as well as non-religious themes. Results showed that the American schools in this study included more religious themes, such as God, Jesus Christ, scripture, and worship, in the mission statements than did the Dutch schools. In contrast, the Dutch schools that were studied included more themes that were not specifically religious, such as respect, safe, confidence, and whole child.