Defending Religious Diversity in Public Schools : A Practical Guide for Building Our Democracy and Deepening Our Education

This volume shows how and why our public schools should prepare to understand and deal with religious diversity in the United States and the world. Defending Religious Diversity in Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Building Our Democracy and Deepening Our Education makes a powerful case for exposing students to the multiplicity of faiths practiced in the United States and around the world—then offers a range of practical solutions for promoting religious understanding and tolerance in the school environment. Nathan Kollar’s timely volume centers on the common issues associated with respecting religion in people’s lives, including religious identities, the religious rights of students, bullying and other acts of intolerance, and legal perspectives on what should and should not happen in the classroom. It then focuses on the skills teachers, counselors, and administrators need to master to address those issues, including forming an advocacy coalition, listening, cultural analysis, conflict resolution, institutional development, choosing a leader, and keeping up to date with all the latest research developments from both the legal and educational communities. A cultural toolbox for discerning the values and culture of an institution A true/false exam for legal knowledge about religion in the schools Steps for organizing a Religions Advocacy Coalition Evaluative bibliography that provides Internet sites for current information on issues surrounding religious education in the public schools Easy cross references that link the bibliography and the text