Religious schools in America have better academics and college preparation than public schools, much lower drop out rate too.
http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/5
I think you'll find that that applies to private schools in general, not just the religious ones. Implying that it's the religious aspect that makes the difference rather than the education level and economic status of the parent(s), amount of free time available to spend studying with their children (instead of often being single parents, having longer hours, or a second job), prospects for paying for college, class size and resources, quality and experience of teaching staff, and other factors is false.
The vast majority of lower income families whose children attend public schools are also religious, more-so than higher income families with a longer track record of higher education in fact. It's not the religion that makes the difference, it's the increased opportunities available to the students of private schools over public schools.
The religious extremists want organized prayer in public schools ...
And the non-extremist, religious mainstream wants it too. Imagine that.
I have no problem with kids taking a moment to pray to themselves privately in class. I have no problem with forming a Christian (or any other religion) or Bible-study club on campus during lunch or after school, or just gathering informally. I have no problem with kids wearing crosses, t-shirts, or more formal religious garb (of any religion) so long as it doesn't endanger the children or put down other groups (no "Follow my God or you'll burn in Hell" type stuff). I have no problem with school-sanctioned displays celebrating the secular aspects of holidays or even student-made religious displays so long as all religions or lack thereof of the students are allowed to be represented or discussed. I have no problem with classes about religious history and its influence on modern society.
What I do have a problem with however, is authority figures from the teaching staff or administration setting aside a block of time during school for prayer. Their job is to educate students in subjects that would be useful to people of all cultural or religious backgrounds, not force them to take part in or sit through a period of prayer that excludes many students with different or no religious beliefs.
If "mainstream" religious people are in favor of that, they can qualify for homeschooling their kids or pay for private religious school. Otherwise they need to go back to school themselves and study up on the history of separation of church and state in the US, since they seems to have forgotten about it with their insistence on forcing prayer or teaching Creationism in public school. I somehow doubt the same people who are so in favor of forcing their religion upon others in school would feel the same way if it was Muslim prayer being forced on American students.
