Should religious schools be an option? Should they receive public funding? Are they bad for community cohesion? What should we make of the charge that they indoctrinate? How should they be regulated? People disagree on the answers to these questions. Some maintain that religious schools should not be permitted. If parents want to raise their…

Culturally relevant school leaders help establish and nurture school cultures that support the academic and social success of all students. Yet, some school leaders are not culturally responsive and make uncritical or intentional decisions that disadvantage certain students. This has implications for students marginalized by the dominant culture,…

This study investigates the role of religious politics in the dismissal of Mason in 1845. Related questions are (a) How volatile an issue was religious sectarianism during the early days of music in the Boston schools? (b) What were the religious backgrounds and convictions of the School Committee members responsible for dismissing Lowell Mason in…

The public schooling system is supposed to be neutral regarding religion. Constitutional provisions prohibit government from interfering with, or establishing, religion, and ensure equality of all people under the law. This article examines whether public schooling meets these requirements. It first briefly reviews the history of American…

Adoption of policies supporting school choice, in most Western democracies, has served to settle social and political conflicts related to religion. Conflicts related to racial integration played a similar role more recently in the United States where, contrary to other countries, religion has served to retard rather than to advance public support…

Educators today are accustomed to discussing concepts of multiculturalism, race, class, and gender, but when it comes to religion, most new teachers and many seasoned teachers are confounded. This article provides a critical look at the treatment of religion in public education in the United States, and the potential marginalization of…