This case is for use in graduate courses pertaining to student affairs and higher education administration. It presents challenges higher education professionals face concerning anonymous social media, and specifically how threats made through anonymous social media platforms such as Yik Yak affect the entire university community. The anonymity of…

Monica Williams, a beloved counselor of an urban middle school, is shocked to learn that she is being terminated for a comment she made on Facebook. This case was developed for use in an educational leadership course for students to evaluate an educator's right to freedom of speech in relation to social media. Instructors can use the case to…

This four-day learning activity on the controversy of exclusion of gays and subsequently atheists in Boy Scouting is particularly relevant because it highlights the complexities that surround issues of equality, equity, the provision of leisure services, First Amendment rights, and the implications of court decisions on social justice. This lesson…

Offers classroom activities for instructing middle school students about religious diversity in the United States. Incorporates a poster that invites student speculation about the Amish lifestyle. Suggests having students examine what they know about U.S. religions and what life would be like without religious freedom. (SG)

Presents activities for teaching high school students about the freedom of religion. Includes student handouts that explain basic constitutional principles and summarize leading U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning religious liberty. Encourages teachers to invite students to speculate on the future relationship of religion and public education. (SG)

The Foreign Policy Research Institute held its 11th History Institute for Teachers on June 5-6, 2004, bringing together forty-five teachers from fifteen states for a weekend of lectures and seminars. Sessions included; (1) Colonial Origins of American Identity (Walter McDougall); (2) Migration and Colonization (Daniel Richter); (3) Liberty and…

Describes religious illiteracy among undergraduate students. Examines high school textbooks in United States and world history, economics, home economics, and biology. Finds religion almost completely ignored. Argues that the religious neutrality mandated by the Supreme Court effectively eradicates religion from the curriculum. Suggests a new test…

Talking about religion in public middle schools has moved from taboo to necessity during the past few years. Although some middle schoolers hold knowledge of their own religion, most remain uninformed about any of the world's religions, including, for many, their own. The purpose of this article is to make the case for religious literacy--the…

Traces the legal history of the school flag movement and efforts of religious groups to have the mandatory salute abolished. Suggests that schools must educate students for true citizenship and what it means to live in a democracy. Argues that the flag should be a symbol of freedom rather than the object of empty pledges. (DK)

The purpose of this booklet is to clarify what can be taught about religion in public schools while remaining within constitutional guidelines and using teaching material that is pedagogically sound. The first section, "Religion is a Fact of Life," covers the historical background, the current situation, and issues to resolve in teaching about…

This anthology is one of four collections of background readings on church-state issues that comprise "Church, State and the First Amendment: A North Carolina Dialogue." These anthologies are designed to provide primary materials through which North Carolinians can better understand the religion clause of the First Amendment. Volume 4 of…

Offers a perspective on the challenge teachers face with the question of religion's role in the public schools. Discusses seven guidelines for curricular decision making. Cautions against seeking absolute solutions to the questions that will continue to surround the religious liberty provisions of the First Amendment. (DB)

Implications and ramifications of the religion clauses of the First Amendment are examined. Supreme Court rulings of the last six years concerning many issues, including government and privately sponsored nativity scenes in public places, public aid to parochial schools, and equal access of religious groups to public school facilities, are…

Reviews current Supreme Court doctrine as tested in lower federal and state courts in three areas in which public schools are involved. Examines Court decisions on silent meditation, equal access, and baccalaureate and commencement services. Finds the issues have not been fully resolved. (DB)

Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish parochial schools have always had religious studies as part of their curriculum, but there has been the question about whether public schools can also. "In 1962 two U.S. Supreme Court cases (Abington School District vs. Schempp and Engle vs. Vitale) prohibited the practice of Bible reading in public schools.…