School personnel across various fields of practice must consider students' cultural backgrounds when providing services, and religion and spirituality reflect critical aspects of human diversity. However, for various reasons, school personnel may hesitate to engage with students' religious and spiritual worldviews. How should K-12 educators respond to issues related to students' religiosity and spirituality, or lack thereof, through their professional practice? How can classroom teachers build upon students' religiosity and spirituality as cultural assets, while also supporting students from minoritized faith backgrounds? Religious and Spiritual Diversity in K-12 Schools is designed to help K-12 teachers, administrators, and related service personnel (e.g., school mental health providers) respond to religious and spiritual diversity in K-12 schools when providing academic, social, emotional, and behavioral support for school-aged youth. The core chapters include a review of relevant research and theoretical foundations, case studies, practical recommendations, and critical discussion questions for further reflection. The book delves into the positive effects of religiosity and spirituality in students' lives, as well as potential emotional stress due to experiencing religious/spiritual issues, such as feeling punished by God or trying to reconcile tension between sexual orientation/gender identity and religion. Further, the book includes several features to facilitate learning and skill applications, including "quick reference" guides accompanying applied chapters, case studies, and critical discussion questions that will assist readers in reinforcing and understanding key concepts.
