Church & State
Learn more about the relationship between religion and schools–including the separation of church and state and issues of religious freedom
Law & Courts
Next Up at Supreme Court: Employment Rights of Parochial School Teachers
A pair of cases being heard by the high court will likely determine whether job-discrimination laws apply to tens of thousands of teachers at religious schools.
School & District Management
Schools Reconsider the Calendar as Students Grow More Diverse
A growing number of schools are re-evaluating their policies on religious holidays in response to the changing demographics of their students.
School Choice & Charters
From Our Research Center
Private School Choice Programs Fall Short on Transparency, Accountability
Education Week finds that few of the nearly 30 states with programs that pay tuition at private schools or tax-credits to incentivize businesses and individuals to do so require private schools to follow standard policies used to ensure transparency and accountability in the nation’s public schools.
Law & Courts
High Court Leans Toward Support for Religious Schools
In a case from Montana, conservative justices suggested they were inclined to rule for parents who seek to reinstate a state tax credit funding scholarships for use at religious schools.
Law & Courts
Church-Run Charters? High Court Arguments Stir Discussion
There's long been debate over religious charter schools in a corner of the school choice advocacy world. A closely watched U.S. Supreme Court case shows why.
Federal
What Trump's Action on School Prayer Means (and Doesn't Mean) for Students and Educators
President Trump will promote new guidance on school prayer Thursday, but that document will not create any new legal requirements for schools.
Law & Courts
Long History Underlies Fight Over Religious-School Funding
The case being heard by the Supreme Court next week deals with a debate that has raged since the 19th century about federal education funding for private religious schools.
Curriculum
Reported Essay
Studying Religious Texts in School Is Bad. And Good
Studying the Old Testament taught me to be intellectually rigorous, one reporter writes. But is it really possible to separate the religious text from the religion?
Law & Courts
High Court Case Tests Religious Schools' Use of Tax-Credit Scholarships
A national debate over whether public funds may go to faith-based schools is high on the list of cases before the Supreme Court in the coming term, stemming from a dispute in Montana.
Federal
Betsy DeVos Eases Restrictions on Religiously Affiliated Contractors
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced that her department will no longer enforce a restriction that prohibits religiously affiliated organizations from providing contracted services to private school students under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Law & Courts
Reading the Tea Leaves in Denial of Case Involving a Coach's On-Field Prayer
Though the Supreme Court refused this particular case, some see an opening for future challenges involving First Amendment issues and public employees.
Teaching
Opinion
Public School Students Need to Study Religion
Religion should be taught in school, just not in the ways you might think, argues the Religious Literacy Project’s Diane L. Moore.
Law & Courts
School Choice Implications in Religious Rights Case at High Court
A dispute not directly related to education has the potential to weaken or eliminate one of the last legal barriers to vouchers for use at private religious schools.
Standards
High Court Denies Case on Science Standards
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of a group of Kansas parents and students who object on religious grounds to the state's adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards.