Teaching about Religion

Worldview Education

Goal

To provide academic information and teaching materials related to
teaching about religion in public schools in support of:

1. an educational commitment to pluralism,

2. acknowledgment that public schools are for students
   of all worldviews, whether religious or nonreligious, and

3. the professional understanding that public school teachers
   need to exercise a scrupulous neutrality regarding religion.

Clients

This website is designed to serve professional educators [teachers, administrators, college professors, and curriculum developers] especially in the areas of teaching about religion in history, social studies, and religious studies.  The emphasis is on planning and conducting instruction within U.S. public schools, but site content may also interest others in private schools or home schooling.

Contents

The site offers educational information in the form of a worldview sampler, background information on a broad range of critical concepts (e.g. religious liberty, teaching about religion and the nonreligious worldview, civic responsibilities), links to teaching materials such as free lesson plans, links to other sites, position statements, historical information and source material, and resources of additional interest to public school educators, especially in the areas of social science and history.  Specific material highlights social issues and civic concerns associated with introducing religion as subject matter into public school curricula. There are also on-line lessons a teacher can study.  The lessons focus on the necessity for religious neutrality in public schools and offer the teacher guidance on creating within the classroom a "level playing field" for learners inclusive of disparate worldviews and a "civic climate" that is respectful of the freedom of conscience of all the youngsters. Your entrance to a world of information is located at the top of the left border.