ESRI : Religious Education in a Multicultural Society: School and Home in Comparative Context

http://www.esri.ie/research/research_areas/education/Remc/final_report_-_publishabl/REMC_Final_Report_Publishable_Summary.pdf

Across European countries, the education system plays a role in the transmission of religious or secular beliefs and values, with consequent implications for social cohesion among religious and cultural groups. The influence of schooling can occur through the presence of explicit religious instruction within schools, the tacit recognition of specific religious practices and festivals, informal socialisation in relation to particular norms and values, specific rules about dress and behaviour, and the socio-cultural networks to which young people are exposed or from which they are excluded. The relative importance of the education system in religious socialisation varies across European countries, with religious authorities playing a significant role in school management in some countries while, in other cases, there is a deliberate separation or a limited cooperation between Church and school structures