How Young is Too Young? Teaching About Religion in Public Schools
Linda K. Wertheimer
Journalist and Author
Date: November 10, 2015
Co-sponsored by the听Lynch School of Education and Human Development.
Abstract
The place of religion in public schools is a passionately debated topic in American society. While there are some on the right who have grown incensed by the inclusion of Islamic history in the curriculum of some school districts, many have called on government leaders to reserve a place in the public curriculum for discussions about different faith traditions. Stemming from a听Boston Globe Magazine听cover story about the controversy surrounding a Massachusetts' middle school's field trip to a local mosque, Linda K. Wertheimer chronicles the public debate about religion in America's public schools in her newest book.
Speaker Bio
Linda K. Wertheimer听is the author of听,听(Beacon Press). The book chronicles public schools鈥� efforts to teach about the world鈥檚 religions in several regions of the country and听stems from a听听she wrote about Wellesley Middle School鈥檚 challenges after it faced controversy for taking children on a field trip to a mosque. She worked full-time for major metro newspapers for more than 20 years, including serving as education editor of听The Boston Globe听and as a reporter at听The Dallas Morning News听and听The Orlando Sentinel.听She has won numerous awards for her writing, including second prize from the Education Writers Association. She was a 2014 finalist in the Massachusetts Cultural Council artist fellowship awards for an excerpt from听Faith Ed.
Wertheimer holds a bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degree in journalism from Northwestern University and lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, with her husband and son. She teaches at Grub Street, a writers鈥� organization in Boston, and teaches journalism part-time at Boston University.
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Event Photos
Journalist and author Linda K. Wertheimer speaks about religion in public schools at a Boisi Center event on November 10, 2015.
Photos by MTS photography
Event Recap
The question of whether religion should play a role in the curriculum of public schools is a topic fraught with disagreement. Some Americans think the First Amendment means that religion has no place in public schools. Others have stressed the need to educate children about diverse faith traditions as a critical component of creating a society that understands and respects those diverse beliefs.
In a November 10 talk at Boston College, education journalist and author Linda K. Wertheimer supported comparative religious education in public schools that exposes students to conceptual ideas about religion. She said that a critical question is when that education should begin. Co-sponsored by the Lynch School of Education, Wertheimer鈥檚 talk, 鈥淗ow Young Is Too Young? Teaching About Religion in Public Schools,鈥� was centered on the major themes of her newly released book,听Faith Ed.: Teaching About Religion in an Age of Intolerance.
Wertheimer鈥檚 research into the intersection of religious education and public schools began in 2011 when she authored a cover story for听Boston Globe Magazine听chronicling the controversy surrounding a Wellesley, Massachusetts middle school鈥檚 trip to a Boston mosque. Citing models of three school districts teaching about world religions, she argued in her talk that the sooner students are educated about religions the better. Even kindergarteners can be introduced thoughtfully and responsibly to world religions through children鈥檚 books. According to Wertheimer, teaching about religions in the classroom will lead to a more educated and tolerant population.
In teaching about religions, it is crucial for the fine line between teaching and preaching to be managed, in keeping with the US Constitution, something Wertheimer thinks teachers can do with proper support from their districts. She argued for an educational system in which teachers receive robust training about how to introduce religious ideas into the classroom and on managing questions or comments from students about the material.
Drawing on her own experience as a journalist, Wertheimer said the media has an obligation to report about comparative religious education fairly and comprehensively. Doing so, she thinks, would help avoid controversy that often surrounds news stories about religions in public schools.
Read More
Books
Biondo, Vincent F. and Andrew Fiala, eds.听,听(New York: Routledge, 2014).
DelFattore, Joan.听.听(Yale University Press, 2004).
Deckman, Melissa M. and Joseph Gilbert Prud鈥檋omme.听.听(Peter Lang, 2014).
Fraser, James.听.听(St. Martin Press, 1999).
Green, Steven K.听.听(Oxford University Press, 2012).听
Greenawalt, Kent.听听(Princeton University Press, 2005).
Haynes, Charles C. and Oliver Thomas,听,听(First Amendment Center, 2001).
Kunzman, Robert.听听(State University of New York Press, 2006).
Lester, Emile.听.听(University of Michigan Press 2011).
Macedo, Stephen.听.听(Harvard University Press, 2000).
Marty, Martin E. with Jonathan Moore.听.听(Jossey-Bass, 2000).
Moore,听Diane L.听.听(Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).
Nash, Robert J.听.听(Teachers University Press, 1999).
Nord, Warren A.听.听(Oxford University Press, 2010).
Nord, Warren A.听.听(University of North Carolina Press, 1995).
Nord, Warren A. and Charles C. Haynes.听.听(First Amendment Center, 1998).
Prothero, Stephen.听.听(HarperSanFrancisco, 2007).
Ravitch, Diane and Joseph P. Viteritti, eds.听.听(Yale University Press, 2001).
Waggoner, Michael D., ed.听.听(Roman & Littlefield Education, 2013).
Wertheimer,听Linda K.听.听(Beacon Press, 2015).
Articles
Erik Eckholm's article in听The New York Times, 鈥�."
Walter Feinberg's article in听Religious Education, 鈥�."
Noah Feldman's article in听The New York Times Magazine, 鈥�."
Steve Kraske and Lisa Rodriguez's article in听KCUR-FM, 鈥�."听
Nicholas Piediscalzi's review in听Religion & Education, "."
Katherine Stewart's article in听The New York Times, 鈥�."
Linda K. Wertheimer's article in听Boston Globe Magazine, 鈥�."
Linda K. Wertheimer's article in听The Washington Post, 鈥�."
In the News
Last month, former education editor of the Boston Globe,听Linda K. Wertheimer听spoke about the importance of comparative religious education in our public schools in an听. Next month she will speak on the topic at Boston College in an听event听organized by the Boisi Center and the Lynch School of Education.听
The debate about the place of religion in public schools is renewed every September when students return to the classroom. In recent years, many conservatives听听by the听听of some schools. In a country that has grown increasingly diverse in the religious sphere, others have called on school districts to听. In a听, journalist and author听Linda K. Wertheimer听will argue that discussions of and respect for different faith traditions deserve a prominent place in the public curriculum.