Released time religious education has a long history in the United States, but not all programs have been successful, and others have not even been legal! In this article, the legal history and cases involving religious education are explored with particular emphasis on the three prong Lemon test (named for one of the litigants). Practical…

This article examines student perceptions of religious Released Time Educational (RTE) programming. Through interviews and surveys, we found that students made little distinction between public school attendance and RTE attendance and that many believed their RTE program to be part of their school. Moreover, many students found it to be a…

Virginia's Upper Shenandoah Valley, with its Bible-Belt values and flourishing churches, illustrates the challenges of religious-instruction release time for educators. Local schools accommodate Weekday Religious Education, a weekly, privately funded program popular in southern states. Using "public access" tables, permission slips, and…