This paper examines how stances and understandings pertaining to whether home education is civically legitimate within liberal democratic contexts can depend on how one conceives normative roles of the secular state and the religious neutrality that is commonly associated with it. For the purposes of this paper, home education is understood as a…

Religion in public schools has long been a controversial issue. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1962 that teachers and administrators cannot lead prayers in public schools, and a decision in 2000 barred school districts from sponsoring student-led prayers at football games. At the same time, the court has held that students retain a First…

During the mid-nineteenth century, Americans created the functional equivalent of earlier state religious establishments. Supported by mandatory taxation, purportedly inclusive, and vested with messianic promise, public schooling, like the earlier established churches, was touted as a bulwark of the Republic and as an essential agent of moral and…

Here is a book to serve educators from all types of schools in either pre-service or professional development that is designed as a text for master's and licensure (post-master's) level. This book covers all the relevant issues in school law: (1) The legal system; (2) The federal and state role in education; (3) Church-state relationships; (4)…

A discussion of compulsory attendance legislation and issues relevant to home schooling are presented in this report. The first section offers a literature review and discussion of the socialization and academic achievement arguments. Section 2 provides a chronologically ordered summary of cases that address such issues as qualifications of…

To provide information about legal decisions on home-based private education programs, court cases decided since 1980 and the courts' analyses of constitutional issues raised during litigation are summarized. The memorandum discusses cases that involved challenges to the constitutionality of state home schooling regulations and are based on: (1)…

Home schooling, practiced as an alternative to both public and private schooling, is on the increase. This booklet provides an overview of the home schooling movement's statistical and demographic background. It also describes the legal context in states across the United States; the advocacy groups that are involved; the reasons why parents home…

In the midst of a trend toward uniformity of education, parents, teachers, community groups, and government groups are struggling for control over what that education shall be. Regarding problems concerning religious and ethical education, the courts' interpretations of the establishment clause ultimately conflict with interpretations of the free…

This document presents the September 2004 issue of the Council for American Private Education's (CAPE's) newsletter. Articles in this issue include: (1) Students' Views of High School Vary by Type of School; (2) Action Needed Now on Title V; (3) Survey Looks at Teens--Online and Off; (4) Report Examines Teacher Turnover; (5) School Choice Setback…