Law, Education, and the Place of Religion in Public Schools International Perspectives

This text presents a comparative, cross-cultural analysis of the legal status of religion in public education in eighteen different nations while offering recommendations for the future improvement of religious education in public schools. Offering rich, analytical insights from a range of renowned scholars with expertise in law, education, and religion, this volume provides detailed consideration of legal complexities impacting the place of religion and religious education in public education. The volume pays attention to issues of national and international relevance including the separation of the church and state; public funding of religious education; the accommodation of students’ devotional needs; and compulsory religious education. The volume thus highlights the increasingly complex interplay of religion, law, and education in diverse educational settings and cultures across developing and developed nations. Providing a valuable contribution to the field of religious secondary education research, this volume will be of interest to researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in religion and law, international and comparative education, and those involved with educational policy at all levels. Those more broadly interested in moral and values education will also benefit from the discussions the book contains.

Chapter 1: Religion and Education in Australian Government Schools Paul T. Babie Chapter 2: Religion and the Public School Curriculum in Brazil Nina Beatriz Stocco Ranieri Chapter 3: Education About Religion in CanadaMark Anderson & Paul T. Clarke Chapter 4: Law, Education, and the Place of Religion in Public Schools in EnglandJavier García Oliva & Helen Hall Chapter 5: Religion in the Hungarian Education SystemBalázs Szabolcs Gerencsér & Nóra Zsuzsanna Cseko-Lengyel Chapter 6: Law, Education, and the Place of Religion in Public Schools in Italy Giovanni Patriarca Chapter 7: Law, Education, and the Place of Religion in Public Schools in MalaysiaFatt Hee Tie Chapter 8: Perspectives on Law, Education, and the Place of Religion in Public Schools in Mauritius Jeewan Ramlugun Chapter 9: Separation of Church and State in Mexico Amid Debates over Religion in the National CurriculumRicardo Lozano & Heriberto Lozano Chapter 10: Law, Education, and the Place of Religion in Dutch Public SchoolsPieter W. Huisman & Stefan Philipsen Chapter 11: Challenging Voluntary Religious Instruction in New Zealand Schools A. Keith Thompson Chapter 12: A Legal Framework for Teaching Religion and Ethics in the Polish Education System Marta Ponikowska-Stejskal & Boguslaw Przywora Chapter 13: Law, Education, and Religion in South African Public Schools Marius H. Smit Chapter 14: Law, Education, and the Place of Religion in Spanish Public Schools Javier García Oliva & Helen Hall Chapter 15: Sweden Exemplifies how Religion is Taught in a Secular StateDavid Ryffé Chapter 16: Religious Education in Taiwan’s Public SchoolsChih-Hung Chou Chapter 17: The Legal Basis of Religious Education in Turkey Bilgen Kiral & Erkan Kiral Chapter 18: Legal Issues Surrounding the Teaching of Religion in Public Schools in the United States Charles J. Russo Chapter 19: Summary and Recommendations for the Teaching of Religion in Public SchoolsCharles J. Russo

Charles J. Russo is Panzer Chair of Education and Research Professor of Law, University of Dayton, USA