Religion and Public Education

Websites
Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents -- graphs and statistics about the major religions of the world.

Religious Identification in the U.S. -- information about religious affiliations in the U.S.

Religious Liberty in Public Schools: An Overview -- an overview essay on this important and sometimes volatile topic.

Religious Liberty in Public Schools -- a site by the First Amendment Center with lots of information about recent and current cases and legal and other precedents.

Divining America Religion and National Culture -- essays on the history of religion in the U.S.

Religion in the Public Schools -- a good essay about the history of religion in U.S. public schools.

Religion in the Public Schools -- a good site that addresses many of the critical questions and issues that arise over the role of religion in U.S. public education -- includes information about all the legal precedents and has many links to other good articles and sites.

Religion in Schools -- a good overview site with an introductory esssay and lots of good links to current articles -- lots of good information about current issues and events related to this topic.

Religion and Public Schools -- a site by the U.S. Department of Education containing "guidelines, publications, and resources on the topics of religious expression in public schools and faith community support of children's learning" -- includes a clear presentation of the governement's perspective on what is constitutional and unconstitutional concerning religion and public education.

American Civil Liberties Union Statement -- a statement of current law and legal precedents concerning religion in public schools.

Teaching About Religion with a View to Diversity -- a site designed "to assist teachers of middle grades and secondary level history and social science programs in their handling of religion as curricular subject matter. The hope is to facilitate instructional endeavors that will, regarding religion, nourish in students a demeanor and civic understanding that is conducive to public civility and religious pluralism.

Teaching About Religion in Schools -- an article from the American School Board Journal about what is acceptable and what is not.

Teaching About Religion -- an essay from Education Week in which the authors make a case that it's important to teach about religion in order to understand the world -- they also distinguish between teaching about religion and engaging in religious practice.

All Sides of the Story: Teaching Religion in America's Schools -- information, lesson plans, and more

Religious Diversity -- a site with many links about different religions.

Religion and Public Education Resource Center -- an organization that "provides general information about the ethical, legal, and educational issues that arise in connection with the topic of religion and public education. The work of the RPERC is based on the conviction that the academic study of the world's religions in public elementary and secondary schools not only makes an indispensable contribution to historical and cultural literacy, it is also an integral part of education for citizenship in a pluralistic democracy."

Finding Common Ground: A Guide to Religious Liberty in Public Schools -- a book by Charles Haynes and Oliver Thomas, available online.

Religious Identification in the U.S. -- presents up-to-date information about the nature of people's religious affiliations in the U.S.

Should Guest Speakers Teach About Religion in the K-12 Classroom? -- an essay response to this critical current question.

Religious Statistics -- provides many links to sites with data about different religions.

The Religious Tolerance Organization -- a site that provides information about religious diversity in an attempt to promote greater understanding and respect -- includes useful information about specific religions.

Yahoo Search Site -- a number of good links about the role of religion in public schools.

The Evolution Debate -- a collection of articles on this topic that have been published recently in the NYTimes.

Pennsylvania School Officials and Science Groups Split Over Biology Curriculum -- an article about the decision by the Dover, PA school board to require the teaching of "intelligent design" in biology classes.

What's All the Fuss About? Evolution, Intelligent Design, and Science Education -- a good overview of recent developments in the controversy over how we teach about the thoery of evolution and whether we should include information about intelligent design beliefs.

Evolution Education and the Law -- a good website with information about legal cases, precedents, and issues regarding the teaching of evolution in U.S. schools.

Kitzmiller v. Dover School District -- the court ruling in a case brought against the Dover, PA Board of Education for requiring biology teachers to state that the theory of evolution has flaws and that there are alternatives, including the view that the world was created through "intelligent design." The court ruled the district may not require teachers to do this.

Evolution Stickers Go On Trial in Georgia -- an article about controversial stickers placed on science textbooks in an Atlanta-area school district. The stickers state, “Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.” The article also includes discussion of other instances of conflict over the teaching of evolution and creationism.

Evolution Sticker Unconstitutional -- an article about the 2005 judge's decision in the case about the anti-evolution stickers that were placed on textbooks in Cobb County Georgia. The judge ruled the stickers unconstititutional.

Evolution and Creationism in Public Education: An In-Depth Reading of Public Opinion -- results and discussion of a national survey conducted in 2000.

Teacher Resources about Evolution and Creationism -- articles from a 1998 issue of Rethinking Schools -- still relevant today.

Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science -- a 1998 book (full text available here), by the National Academy of Sciences, offering guidance for teachers about the teaching of evolution -- includes framework material and lesson plans.

National Center for Science Education -- the website of a group that "defends the teaching of evolution in the public schools."

Adam and Eve in the Land of the Dinosaurs -- an article from the NYTimes about the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky.

Court Rejects Pledge of Allegiance -- an article about the court case in June of 2002, in which a U.S. court of Appeals ruled that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because it includes the words "under God," violating the separation of church and state.

Supreme Court Weighs "Under God" in Schools -- The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on whether to preserve the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance recited daily by American schoolchildren. Congress added the words to the pledge in 1954, at the height of anti-communist fervor. Now, a California father and avowed atheist is suing, saying the pledge amounts to an endorsement of religion. Listen to a radio segment about this controversial case.

Court Dismisses Pledge Case -- an article about the Supreme Court dismissing the Pledge of Allegiance case in June of 2004 -- they dismissed the case, not based on a decision about the "under god" issue but, rather, on the grounds that the father who brought the case (an atheist acting on behalf of his third grade daughter), did not have the legal standing to do this, because he wasinvolved in a custody dispute with the mother.

A Brief History of the Pledge of Allegiance -- good background information about the Pledge and inclusion of the phrase "under god."

The Pledge of Allegiance: A Short History -- a history of the pledge, written in 1992.

A School Prayer Case -- an article about a 1996 case in Mississippi.

Court Decision about a Recent School Prayer Case -- more information about the 1996 case in Mississippi.

School Prayer: A Community at War -- a site about a documentary film -- includes statements of opinion on this controversial issue.

Religion in the Public Schools -- an essay by the Anti-Defmation League.

Religious Tolerance & Religious Diversity -- This site is about the study of scientology and religion. It explains roles religion has played in history and science, and it presents information about religious diversity.

Does Music with a Sacred Text Have a Place in the Public Schools? -- a website that supplies teachers with information about how to introduce religious music into their curriculum.

How Far Can Public Schools Go in Accommodating the Religious Needs of Muslim Students? -- a good essay about how to accommodate the needs of Muslim students constitutionally.

The Council on Islamic Education -- the homepage of this organization -- lots of useful information, resources and perspective.

Teaching about Islam and Muslims in the Public School Classroom -- a very useful report published by the Council on Islamic Education.

Introduction to Islam -- some good information about Islam.

An Introduction to Islam -- an online book that provides good overview, history and detail.

Discrimination Against Muslims and What to Do About It -- a webpage at the site of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) about this important issue.

SoundVision -- extensive resources about Islamic perspective, experience, and issues. Includes discussion of issues such as gender equity and Muslim/non-Mulsim relations, and offers videos, books, and online discussion groups.

Islam Online -- news, views, and perspective rooted in the Muslim experience and the Islamic religion.

The World of Arab and Muslim Children in Children's Books -- a good overview article about books for children that are told from Arab and Muslim perspectives or that sympathethically portray these cultures and avoid stereotypes.

Ramadan on the Net -- a good site about the annual Islamic observance of the Fast of Ramadan.

Essentials of Ramadan -- another good site about Ramadan, a major annual event on the Islamic calendar.

Muslim Home-School Network -- a site in suport of Muslim homeschooling that has useful information and resources about the Islamic faith and education.

The Jewish Year -- This site provides information about many Jewish celebrations and festivals of the year. Links provide resources for lesson planning.

Jewish Music Resources -- This site provides links to books and articles that you can read online about Jewish music.

The Anti Defamation League -- this site places religion in a global context as well as educational, political, and private contexts.

PBS Online News Hour: Teaching Religion -- this interview covers the various alternatives to teaching religion as well as measures to have religion taught in every public school across the country.

The American Academy of Religions -- this website includes information for teachers with publication information and other various teaching ideas and resources.

SFGate.com: Bush: Intelligent Design Should be Taught -- the article explains President Bush's position on whether evolution or intelligent design or both should be taught in public schools.

LA Times: The Case of Behe vs. Darwin -- this article is an extensive report on a current federal trial in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that addresses the issue of intelligent design as a mandatory inclusion in the curriculum. The case may serve as a precedent for others around the nation to follow.

The National Education Association On Religion in Public Schools -- a website by this teacher's union with lots of links and information.

The American Academy of Religion -- a website with information for teachers; complete with publication information and other various teaching ideas and resources.

Agnoticism/Atheism:About.Com -- this website provides links to current news stories about the different issues surrounding the role of religion in public schools.

Americans United: Religion in the Public Schools -- this site provides perspective about the issues of religion in public schools from the standpoint of those who believe very strongly in the separation of church and state.

Family Education: Religion in Puboic Schools -- this page addresses the issues surrounding religion in public schools from school prayer to whether or not the Bible can be used as a teaching aid in classrooms.

Books and Articles
DelFattore, J. 2004. The Fourth R: Conflicts Over Religion in America's Public Schools. Yale Univ. Press.

Eyre, E. 2003. Creationists Want Science Lesson Plan Changed. Charleston Gazette, Feb. 14.

Fraser, J. 1999. Between Church and State: Religion and Public Education in a Multicultural America. St. Martin's Press.

Gaddy, B., Hall, T. & R. Marzano. 1996. School Wars: Resolving Our Conflicts Over Religion and Values. Jossey-Bass.

Kafer, K. 2002. How to Teach Religion in Public Schools. The World and I. August, p. 52-57.

Lee, F. 2002. The Secular Society Gets Religion. New York Times, August 24.

Miller, K. 1999. Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution. Perennial.

Nord, W. 1995. Religion and American Education: Rethinking a National Dilemma. University of North Carolina Press.

Phi Delta Kappan. The September, 1999; February, 2000; and November, 2003 issues of Phi Delta Kappan have a number of good articles on the issue of religion and education.

Reading, Writing, and Religion? A Debate of Biblical Proportions. Weekly Reader, Vol. 104: 20: 3.

Removal of School's Religious Pictures Sparks Conflict. Church and State, Vol. 58:10: 21.

Sears, J. & Carper, J. (Eds.). 1998. Curriculum, Religion, and Public Education: Conversations for Enlarging the Public Square. Teachers College Press.

Silva, P. and Mackin, R.A. 2002. Mind and Heart: Creating the Good High School. New York: Teachers College Press.

Young, C. 2002. One Nation, Many Gods. Reason, 34(5): 20-22.

 

 

 

Anderson, R. D. 2004. Religion & spirituality in the public school curriculum. New York: P. Lang.

Some Good Videos/Films
School Prayer: A Community at War, 1999 -- an award winning documentary about a school prayer case in Mississippi.