Religion

===By law, the US Census and the Ithaca City School District cannot systematically collect information on the religion of their students. Given the diversity of our school community we know that our families observe a variety of religious traditions. The study of religion serves the academic goals of educating students about history and cultures in a pluralistic society. ===

The Supreme Court has ruled that public schools may not sponsor religious practices but may teach about religion. This distinction can be confusing to teachers causing some teachers to avoid the topic of religion all together, and others to celebrate traditional December holidays in a non- academic way, while avoiding a more inclusive discussion of religious diversity.

 Students are naturally curious about the varieties of religious traditions. Learning about religion in an academic way can be a wonderful opportunity for children to learn about traditions and values that may be different from their own. When a student's religious background does not match the background of the dominant culture, that student may feel isolated or invisible. Creating a dialogue about religion in the classroom encourages respectful sharing of ideas and creates opportunities for broadened self-knowledge and world view.

**Why I Wear the Hijab - Muslim Women Speak**
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The resources assembled here will help both you and your students develop a richer understanding of religious diversity.
Each day millions of parents from diverse religious backgrounds entrust the education of their children to the teachers in our nation’s public schools. For this reason, teachers need to be fully informed about the constitutional and educational principles for understanding the role of religion in public education. This teacher’s guide is intended to move beyond the confusion and conflict that has surrounded religion in public schools. || The AAR has been involved in addressing issues related to teaching about religion in public schools since the 1970s. These efforts have included producing publications in the 1970s and early 1980s addressing the legal, curricular, moral, and pedagogical dimensions of teaching about religion in public K-12 schools. || The conventional "world religions" curriculum introduces students to the doctrines and histories of major religious traditions, but this introduction is simply not enough. Our students also need to explore the social lives of contemporary religious communities, and to guide them in this exploration their teachers need to understand the pedagogic and constitutional issues surrounding the academic study of religion. The resources assembled here will help both you and your students develop a richer understanding of religious diversity and the study of religion. || Developed in conjunction with EdOnline, Thirteen/WNET’s educational division, RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY’s lesson plans introduce students to today’s most important religious and moral issues. Using selected stories, online video, and other resources from the R&E Web site, these lessons address a broad range of current events from bioethics and the role of faith in politics to Islam and terrorism.This link contains a multifaith calendar. || Holiday celebrations can be wonderful opportunities for children to learn about the traditions and values that are cherished parts of people's lives. But many early childhood professionals wonder what holidays to celebrate in the program or classroom and how to respect the cultures represented by all children. Many parents, too, wonder why programs celebrate specific holidays or why they discourage any celebration at all. || The purpose of this website is to provide anyone interested in improving U.S. schools with valuable information and resources about important issues in education and teaching. The information and resources presented here are the product of ongoing work by an education professor, [|Jeff Claus], at Ithaca College, in Ithaca, NY and students in one of his courses. It focuses on analysis of contemporary issues in education, with particular emphasis on issues of equity, diversity, multicultural education, and the development of schools more effective for ALL students and families. || At Tanenbaum, we hear it again and again. Educators tell us that they're afraid to teach about religion. Yet a majority of hate crimes in the U.S. are based on race and religion; in some states, religion is the number one cause. Twenty percent of their students are children of immigrants, and many practice minority religions that their peers know nothing about. And more than half of 8- to 11-year-olds say bullying is a serious problem. Educators cannot afford to be afraid. We must reach children before they learn to hate. Before Tanenbaum, no elementary school programs addressed the religious dimension of multicultural education, leaving children unprepared to live in an increasingly diverse world. Tanenbaum gives kids that preparation. || The purpose of this website is to provide anyone interested in improving U.S. schools with valuable information and resources about important issues in education and teaching. The information and resources presented here are the product of ongoing work by an education professor, [|Jeff Claus], at Ithaca College, in Ithaca, NY and students in one of his courses. It focuses on analysis of contemporary issues in education, with particular emphasis on issues of equity, diversity, multicultural education, and the development of schools more effective for ALL students and families. || Herein lies a dilemma that public schools in the United States face. Every December the elementary school becomes a battleground. A war is waged over what should be taught, what symbols can be displayed in the school hallways, and what music is sung at the December concert. Emotions run high. Christian parents do not want the mention of Christmas to be banned in schools, and parents from other religious backgrounds don’t want their children to be inundated with Christmas festivities. Teachers and administrators walk a tightrope in between. We are so worried about offending someone that public elementary schools are not teaching about any religion at all. ||
 * [[image:A-teacher's-guide-to-religon-in-the-public-schools.png link="@http://www.freedomforum.org/publications/first/teachersguide/teachersguide.pdf"]] || ====__A Teacher's Guide to Religion__====
 * [[image:American-Academy-of-religon.png link="@http://www.aarweb.org/publications/Online_Publications/Curriculum_Guidelines/AARK-12CurriculumGuidelines.pdf"]] || ====American Academy of Religion====
 * [[image:religious-worlds-of-ny.png link="@http://religiousworldsnyc.org/resource-page/resources-teaching-american-religious-diversity"]] || ====Religious Worlds of New York: Resources for Teaching American Religious Diversity====
 * [[image:multi-faith-calendar.png link="@http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/multifaith-calendar/"]] || ====__Religion and Ethics Newsweekly__====
 * [[image:Holidays-in-the-early-Childhood-program.png link="@http://www.pbs.org/kcts/preciouschildren/diversity/read_celebrating.html"]] || ====__[|Precious Children: Celebrating Holidays]__====
 * [[image:Religion-and-public-education.png link="http://www.ithaca.edu/wise/religion/"]] || ====__WISE: Religion and Public Education__====
 * [[image:Teaching-the-First-Ammendment.png link="https://www.tanenbaum.org/programs/education"]] || ====__[|TANENBAUM: Combating Religious Prejudice]__====
 * [[image:Arab-American-and-Muslim-culture.png link="@http://www.ithaca.edu/wise/arab/"]] || ====[|WISE: Arab American and Muslim Culture, Experience, and Issues]====
 * [[image:december-dilemma.png link="@http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/december_dilemma_language_lear_85659.php"]] || ====December Dilemma and English Language Learners====
 * Republished from Essential Teacher,December, 2008. **