Prayer, the Bible and the Public Schools MS Word - The First Amendment guarantees both freedom from government-established religion and freedom to practice one's chosen religion. While it clearly requires a delicate balance, the U.S. Constitution permits many alternatives. This article is taken from the Fall 2000 ECS State Education Leader....

Prayer, the Bible and the Public Schools MS Word - Statistics about states with laws addressing prayer, moment of silence, Ten Commandments, Bible reading and evolution. (Education Commission of the States, October 2000)...

The Legal Evolution of Intelligent Design - This brief examines legal action regarding the teaching of evolution in public schools. There has been political activity at the school district or state level pertaining to teaching about the origin of humanity in 40 states since 2001. Almost one-third of the science teachers who responded to a recent survey of the National Science Teachers Association said they had experienced pressure by parents and students to include lessons on intelligent design or creationism in their science classes, and 30% had felt pressure to eliminate evolution from the curriculum. (Martha M. McCarthy, Educational Horizons, Spring 2006) ...

Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools - On February 7, 2003, Secretary Paige issued guidance on constitutionally protected prayer in public elementary and secondary schools. This guidance explains the responsibilities of state and local educational agencies with respect to this aspect of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. (U.S. Department of Education, 2003)...

Religion and the Public Schools - This brief provides a thorough discussion of the controversial issue of religion in American public schools, which encompasses more than just prayer, but also compulsory attendance, pre-entrance health requirements, release time for religions purposes, curriculum, school activities, and holiday displays and pageants, to name a few. This article provides an historical concept and presents balanced arguments in favor of and against the issue. Numerous court decisions also are listed. (CEPI 2000, Policy Issues, Virginia Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute, Phyllis Errico, editor.)...

For Goodness' Sake: Why So Many Want Religion to Play a Greater Role in American Life - Public Agenda's survey found that many Americans believe religion can help individuals become better people. Alongside this belief, Americans are wary about injecting religion into politics, public schools and public life. When it comes to prayer in school, for example, the public favors a moment of silence over spoken prayer. The goal of this report is to illuminate the expectations and individual reasoning that bring people to voting, the schools, family matters and to their social interactions (S. Farkas, J. Johnson and T. Foleno, Public Agenda, January 2001). ...

Good Science, Bad Science: Teaching Evolution in the States - More than one-third of the states get low grades for the standards they have developed for teaching evolution, according to this new report. This report is the first comprehensive analysis of how each state handles evolution in its science standards for the public schools (Lawrence S. Lerner, Fordham Foundation, September 2000). ...

Finding Common Ground: A First Amendment Guide to Religion and Public Education - This user-friendly manual helps clarify many of the legal misperceptions concerning what aspects of religious tradition may and may not be included in the public schools. It clearly explains the religious liberty clauses of the First Amendment and Supreme Court decisions, and provides sample district policies to address various issues. Finding Common Ground provides clear guidance on student prayer and religious instruction, graduation prayer, religious literature, religious excusals, religious music and a number of equally important issues that most citizens find perplexing. (Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, 1998)...

State Regulation of Private Schools - This report provides a brief description, by state, of the legal requirements that apply to private schools. In addition, each state entry includes statistics on private schools by type in the state. This manual is intended to serve as a reference for public and private school officials, state policymakers and researchers. It is an update of a 1993 publication, The Regulation of Private Schools in America: A State-by-State Analysis, by the (then) Office of Private Education. (U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C., 2000)...

Voters’ Views on Religion - Public Agenda, a nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research and citizen education organization based in New York City, presents an interesting graph depicting public attitudes concerning religious ideas in the schools. (Public Agenda, 2000)...