Faith and Freedom of Religion in U.S. Public Schools: Issues and Challenges Facing Teachers

Abstract

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 religion-minority and secular students in the public school. The intent is to help, especially beginning teachers, deliver equitable educational experiences for students of diverse faiths and worldviews. Content, curricular, and methodological recommendations for infusing a religious diversity unit within a teacher preparation course are offered.

Notes

Religious literacy should stand beside racial, ethnic, gender, and linguistic competence as foundations needed in teacher preparation.

Students are asked to journal about what they know about a non-Christian faith or a religion with which they themselves do not personally identify.

For example, I have heard students say that Catholics are not Christian.

This terminology (Judeo-Christian) is problematic in and of itself because, as Laura Levitt (2009) and many others argue, the phrase overgeneralizes and at the same time discounts intra- and inter-group diversity.

Examples of this phenomenon include: the regular usage of Anno Domini (A.D.), meaning “in the year of our Lord” to describe the Common Era (C.E.); the swearing of oaths upon the King James Bible and the Pledge of Allegiance's “under God” clause; Sunday being viewed as the collective Sabbath day and Christmas being treated as a de facto national holiday.

The Secular Coalition for America describes its constituency as nontheistic Americans, including those who describe themselves as “atheist, agnostic humanist, freethinker, skeptic, bright, ignostic, materialist, and naturalist,” among others. See: Secular Coalition for America, http://secular.org/constituency (accessed July 1, 2014).

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

Students are given a reading list and guiding questions to study a minority faith group in this country. They use their journals to discuss what they are learning.

A distinction is made between “religious education” and “religion-education.” The former term refers to teaching religious theology, the latter refers to teaching about religions (religious studies).

My students are exposed to this literature.

This means the curriculum is not religiously indoctrinating and must have an academic/scholarly purpose.

For further information on what constitutes permissible and impermissible content, see the Anti-Defamation League (http://www.adl.org/civil-rights/religious-freedom/) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

An example of a case involves the ACLU's objection to a Nebraska public school district's policy barring students from wearing rosaries (see Miller 2011).

Students are provided with case studies that exclude Muslim and Jewish students based on religious observances and dietary restrictions. A teacher schedules a pizza party during the month of Ramadan, a solemn Islamic holiday that excludes Muslim students from this communal class activity. In a similar case, a pizza party is scheduled in the Spring during Passover. This would alienate Jewish students who observe that holiday by refraining from eating leavened products such as bread.

The following is an example of a case study along with processing questions about a common dilemma: It was three weeks before Christmas and Ms. Jones decided to have her 5th grade students make Christmas stockings. She showed her excited students the sample stocking and told them that they would each make one after lunch. As the students lined up, she noticed that both Manuela and Sara were upset. She asked them what the problem was. Manuela responded, “I’m a Jehovah's Witness and I’m not allowed to make Christmas stockings but I don't want the other kids to make fun of me.” Sara didn't say a word. The next day Sara's mother came in and complained that the teacher was insensitive to her religion. Questions: What are the underlying issues/problems in this case? What is the teacher's responsibility in this situation? What needs to be taught and how?

A curriculum that includes content on Hanukah (a festival), but does not include Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, or Passover is problematic because it excludes these major Jewish holidays. The content in this case would be incomplete and slanted. Moreover, to teach that Hanukah is tantamount to a Jewish Christmas is also problematic since this is inaccurate.

Teachers should be aware that opting out (i.e., ignoring religion entirely) would not necessarily represent fair, balanced instruction (as Lemon v. Kurtzman requires) because that approach permits the dominant Christological ideology of the macroculture to continue influencing, while stifling all others. A dearth or absence of instruction about minority religions is tantamount to ignoring certain students.

When examining the myriad ways that religion and public education interconnect, there is potential for problems on religious, pedagogical, and legal grounds. Teachers need guidance on issues including: prayer, holidays, accommodations, displays/symbols, dress codes, dietary restrictions, and teachers’ own religious expression. Acquiring this information is achieved through required readings, guided discussions, and personal reflection.

Critical questions that students consider: Explain in your own words the intent and purpose of the First Amendment's religious liberty clauses and how they preserve religious liberty in schools. What makes it challenging for teachers in public schools to teach about religion? Explain and provide examples of faithism. How are students influenced by faithism? What is the dynamic between religion and teaching and why is it important for teachers to understand this dynamic? Identify examples of overt, hidden, or null curriculum vis-à-vis religion and show how people of minority faiths (and secularists) are perceived and treated in public schools. How are students affected by null and hidden curriculum? How might you implement religious content in your classroom? What content would you need to know in order to facilitate religion-based concepts in the curriculum? Identify the gaps in your own knowledge-base and create a plan to close those gaps.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ilene Allgood

Dr. Ilene Allgood is a Senior Instructor in the College of Education at Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter, Florida. E-mail: [email protected]