This "fastback" examines the U.S. Supreme Court decisions and a few lower court decisions concerning religion and education rendered in the 1980s, and for background purposes, it also includes some decisions prior to the 1980s. The first of four parts discusses cases pertaining to prayer and religious activities in school. Included in the discussion are cases concerning "moment of silence," posting the Ten Commandments, school clubs and the Equal Access Act, religious holidays and holiday observances, Christmas pageants and other seasonal observances, and prayers during school functions. The second part discusses cases involving aid to parochial schools. Litigation involving shared time programs and Chapter I services is discussed, along with tax deductions for education expenses. The third part addresses religion in the curriculum, reviewing cases on religious objections to compulsory school attendance, "creationism" and evolution, using the Bible in the school curriculum, teachers' rights to refuse to teach objectionable material, and textbooks and "secular humanism." A list of cases is appended. (TE)