Religious Education-Confronting Issues As Old As Public Schools, by Kevin Baker

The issue of religion in American society and the role of government has been long debated and discussed. In addition, there are very few areas in which religion has been more hotly contested than in the area of education. Within this collection, students are provided the opportunity to read some background information about religious education from Baker’s article. Once students read his article, they are then able to read Jefferson’s product, The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom before beginning in the reading of case law that deals specifically with religious schools, prayer in schools and tax vouchers for religious/parochial schools.  Students have the opportunity to read and learn about the precarious balance that must be struck between religion and government involvement, while also asking how the educational requirements a state creates can be met by attending a religious school.  Students then wrestle with whether or not government tax vouchers are an effective means of support and to what extent the vouchers should be offered.