Description:

Dr. Ilana Horwitz is the colloqium speaker for the Human Development and Social Policy Brown Bag on Tuesday, May 20. Dr. Horwitz is an Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Sociology in the School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University. 

Title: Why Religion Matters for Educational Stratification

Abstract: Dr. Ilana Horwitz draws on her award-winning book, God, Grades, and Graduation: Religion’s Surprising Impact on Academic Success (Oxford University Press, 2022), to reveal how religious upbringing influences academic trajectories. While it’s well known that parenting styles differ across class lines, less attention has been given to the millions of American families—across all class groups—who raise their children with a deep focus on faith. Based on 10 years of survey data from over 3,000 teenagers and 200 interviews, Dr. Horwitz introduces the concept of religious restraint: a childrearing logic that profoundly shapes teenagers’ self-perception and behavior. She explores why students raised with religious restraint often earn higher grades, are more likely to graduate college, and how boys from working-class families particularly benefit. However, the role of religious restraint varies: for professional-class teens, especially girls, it can recalibrate their academic ambitions, leading them to question the pursuit of selective colleges despite high academic performance. This talk offers a thought-provoking look at how religion intersects with education to create new narratives about academic success and inequality.

Biography: Dr. Ilana M. Horwitz earned her PhD in Sociology of Education from Stanford University, where she was an Institute for Education Sciences fellow. Her research focuses on how religious upbringing, race, ethnicity, social class, and gender intersect to shape life trajectories, with a particular emphasis on educational experiences. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods—including surveys and interviews—Dr. Horwitz investigates the social and cultural factors that influence academic success and inequality. Her first book, God, Grades, and Graduation: Religion’s Surprising Impact on Academic Success (Oxford University Press, 2022), won the Distinguished Book Award from the American Sociological Association’s Section on Religion. She is the author of two forthcoming books: The Entrepreneurial Scholar: A New Mindset for Success in Academia and Beyond (Princeton University Press, March 2025) and The Broken Ladder: Why 2/3 of Americans Don’t Complete College—And Why It’s Not Their Fault (University of California Press). Dr. Horwitz’s scholarship has appeared in top academic journals, including the American Sociological Review and Social Science Research. She is also committed to public scholarship, with writing featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Conversation, and Inside Higher Education. Dr. Horwitz holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College and a Bachelor’s degree from Emory University. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Sociology at Tulane University.

Please contact Tammy (tammy.wen@northwestern.edu) to attend via Zoom.