Title: Religion in the Public Schools | Pew Research Center
Headings: Religion in the Public Schools
Religion in the Public Schools
About this report
The Pillars of Church-State Law
Prayer and the Pledge
School prayer
The Pledge of Allegiance
School officials and student speech
Religion in the curriculum
Creationism and evolution
Study of the Bible
Holiday programs
Multiculturalism
Rights in and out of the classroom
Rights of students
Rights of parents
Rights of teachers and administrators
Religious activities and the principle of equal access

Content: In the early 20th century, liberal Protestants and their secular allies battled religious conservatives over whether students in biology classes should be taught Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The Pillars of Church-State Law
The Legal Status of Religious Organizations in Civil Lawsuits
March 2011
Are legal disputes involving churches and other religious institutions constitutionally different from those involving their secular counterparts, and if so, how? Government Funding of Faith-Based Organizations
May 2009
The debate over the meaning of the Establishment Clause. Free Exercise and the Legislative and Executive Branches
October 2008
A look at state and federal statutes that protect religious freedom. Free Exercise and the Courts
October 2007
The courts have grappled with the meaning of the Free Exercise Clause. Religious Displays and the Courts
June 2007
Government displays of religious symbols have sparked fierce battles. The Supreme Court stepped into those controversies when it ruled, in Cantwell v. Connecticut (1940) and Everson v. Board of Education of Ewing Township (1947), that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause applied to the states. The two clauses say, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Before those two court decisions, courts had applied the religion clauses only to actions of the federal government. Soon after the Everson decision, the Supreme Court began specifically applying the religion clauses to activities in public schools.