Designed to supplement students' study of the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment, this text can help them identify the First Amendment as a blueprint for a tolerant society. The introduction explains the purpose of the book and describes its contents. The first chapter discusses events leading to the First Amendment's creation. The chapter…

This is the first of four special handbooks on constitutional themes. "The Idea of Liberty" (I. Starr) suggests that for teaching purposes, the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights is an excellent operating definition of liberty. "Introducing the First Amendment" (D. Sorenson) is a lesson plan for use with upper elementary and…

The definition of religious freedom from the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786) to the most recent U.S. Supreme Court decision is not clear and well-defined. The two religious clauses found in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (those denying Congress the right either to establish religion or to prohibit its free exercise)…

Church and state is discussed in four articles: "Religion, Separation, and Accommodation: A Recipe of Perfection?" (Delos B. McKown, Clifton B. Perry, pp. 2-7); "Public Religion: The Republican Banquet" (Martin E. Marty, pp. 8-9); "Religion in the 1980s" (Ernest van den Haag, pp. 10-11); and "Education in…

Uses the "Westside Community Schools" case that involved religious freedom to illustrate using mediation as a form of conflict resolution. Provides instructions to the teacher and a sketch of participants' roles in simulation role-play exercise. Lists additional resources on religious freedom and conflict resolution. (DB)

This paper proposes that U.S. teachers are mostly uninformed and misinformed about the appropriate place of religion on the school campus and in the classroom. Four critical questions are addressed; (1) What does the U.S. Constitution say about education and/or religion? (2) What are the current court decisions regarding specific religious…

Religion's place in the curriculum and how school administrators can avoid litigation while discharging the obligation to educate are discussed in this report. It is designed to give school policymakers guidance in arriving at informed decisions about religion's place in the curriculum. Chapter one examines the dilemma of adequately educating…

This paper explores major historical changes in public school values from colonial times to the present and describes the ways such changes have affected private education. Emphasized are values based on religious premises, values that affect the religious beliefs of others, and the impact of both types of values on decisions to leave public…

The U.S. Supreme Court case of Gary E. Widmar, et al., versus Clark Vincent, et al., is presented. The question addressed is whether a state university (University of Missouri at Kansas City), which makes its facilities generally available for the activities of registered student group (evangelical Christian group, Cornerstone) desiring to use the…

Reviews court cases in which parents challenged school practices on religious grounds. Puts particular emphasis on recent attempts to make the curriculum conform to religious views. (Author/JM)

The Pope called upon Roman Catholic institutions of higher learning to "make known their Catholic identity" by integrating Catholic teaching and discipline in all university activities. Religious institutions find themselves facing precarious legal challenges, where the constitutionality of government appropriations could be challenged,…

In "Zelman v. Simmons-Harris," the Supreme Court of the US made it clear that governments do not unconstitutionally "establish" religion merely by permitting eligible students to use publicly funded scholarships to attend qualifying religious schools, so long as the students' parents are able to make a "true private…

Asserting that fear and misunderstanding about religion in public education precludes reflection and compromise needed to promote societal well-being, this paper examines the current status of religion in U.S. public education and considers implications for policy making and practice. A brief history of religion in public education and two recent…

Information about the French policy of government aid to private schools is presented in this report to promote understanding in the United States of the pluralist dilemma raised by the private school aid issue. An historical longitudinal policy evaluation involved document analysis and interviews with 16 French policy actors. The French policy is…

Provides annotations for 11 documents concerned with teaching about the Bill of Rights and related issues. Includes details for obtaining these documents through the ERIC system and provides other bibliographic information. (CH)