An Inquiry Into Religion In The Public School With Guidelines Relating To Voluntary Religious Expression And Teaching About Religion

Addresses the attempts to find common ground in schools & communities across America. Includes: religious liberty in Amer. public life; the Supreme court, religion, & public education; strategies for finding common ground; religion in the curriculum; resources for teaching about religion in U.S. & world history; religious holidays in the public schools; the Equal Access Act & the public schools; religious expression & character educ. in public schools; & religious practices of students. Also: The Williamsburg Charter, & sample school district policies.

The fight over the role of religion in public schools is far from finished, and the last and final words have not been written. This collection of original essays reveals and updates the battlefield. Included are essays on school prayer, the evolution/intelligent design debate, public funding of religious groups on university campuses, religious themes in school-taught literature, and more. With diverse tones and points of view, these essays offer quality scholarship while revealing and honoring the heat these themes generate.

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 2,5, University of Vechta (Institut für Anglistik und Germanistik), course: Landeskunde: Education in the United States, language: English, abstract: Religion in public schools is one of the most discussed issues in daily school life. The problem is that state and church are seperatet and noone is allowed in interfering in the authority of the other part. This essay deals with “Religion in Public Schools”. The differences between Germany and the United States should be compared and the different aspects will be described with the ulterior motive of religious freedom in both nations. In the first part the importance of religion will be pointed out, in addition the aspect “religion in every day school life” and futhermore the topic of religion as a subject will be discussed. This part is in regard to the whole essay the more thoretical section. The second part shows the practical paragraph of teaching religion as a subject, different approaches to teaching religion and the difficulties with different religious beliefs of students. The settlement is a summary where the main points are being combined with my own ideas and thougths.

Explains what the law is on common religious liberty and church-state questions in the public school context. Covers: prayer in the schools; teaching about religion; use of classroom space for student-initiated religious activities; holiday observances; released time programs; physical facilities; dual enrollment; distribution of Gideon bibles or religious literature; scientific creationism; curriculum content; secular humanism; compulsory attendance and religious holidays; dress codes; vaccination requirements; and teachers' rights and responsibilities.

This book, an update of the 1988 edition, gives readers a basic grasp of the general legal principles controlling the role of religion in public education with the goal of applying those principles to typical church/state issues. Chapter 1 offers the background of general legal principles needed to understand specific church/state issues. Chapter 2 examines student religious activities, including prayer, religious clubs, display of religious symbols, holiday observances, and distribution of religious literature. Chapter 3 considers religious objections to secular activities, such as pledging allegiance to the flag. Chapter 4 helps to distinguish between courses about religion and those disseminating religious beliefs, and offers advice on teaching evolution, sex education, and other topics frequently of concern to religious groups. Chapter 5 surveys religious activities of school personnel, such as apparel and religious leave. Chapter 6 explores other religious activity on school grounds, such as use of facilities by outside groups. In every chapter the effect of specific legal decisions is made clear. Appendices include the Equal Access Act and a map of the geographic areas of federal judicial circuits, to show the area in which a federal appellate court decision applies. There is a general index and an index of cases. (RKJ)

This volume shows how and why our public schools should prepare to understand and deal with religious diversity in the United States and the world. Defending Religious Diversity in Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Building Our Democracy and Deepening Our Education makes a powerful case for exposing students to the multiplicity of faiths practiced in the United States and around the world—then offers a range of practical solutions for promoting religious understanding and tolerance in the school environment. Nathan Kollar's timely volume centers on the common issues associated with respecting religion in people's lives, including religious identities, the religious rights of students, bullying and other acts of intolerance, and legal perspectives on what should and should not happen in the classroom. It then focuses on the skills teachers, counselors, and administrators need to master to address those issues, including forming an advocacy coalition, listening, cultural analysis, conflict resolution, institutional development, choosing a leader, and keeping up to date with all the latest research developments from both the legal and educational communities.

This booklet offers school administrators guidance on the constitutional foundation of religious freedom and the relationship between church and state in the United States. Most of the recent Supreme Court cases dealing with religion in the schools and many current issues in the field are discussed. Questions that administrators may wish to address before considering specific policies are also raised. The booklet's first chapter introduces the basic issues affecting the relationship between religion and public education. Chapter 2 outlines the law and its constitutional basis, focusing on religious freedom, the "Free Exercise" and "Establishment" clauses of the First Amendment, religious activities within schools, aid to religious schools, and freedom of speech. The third chapter reviews the place of religion in the public school curriculum, addressing religious instruction by religious leaders, instruction about religion, and the inclusion of religiously sensitive material in the curriculum. Chapter 4 examines the noncurricular policies of public schools involving religion; it covers religious holidays, religious observances, meetings of extracurricular religious groups or clubs, school district aid to religious schools, and partnerships between schools or districts and religious institutions. Examples, suggestions, guidelines, and policy recommendations related to religion and the schools are interspersed throughout the text. (PGD)