School Wars Religion Values (Dp11)

Drawing on their combined backgrounds of religious study and practice, as well as years of experience working in the field of education, the authors present research in educational theory and practice, highlight important court cases, and draw on philosophical and religious studies to reveal a foundation for understanding world views at issue. School Wars offers educators, community leaders, and parents a better way to understand and respond to the differing world views that lie at the center of this ongoing debate.

School Wars examines the Religious Right's challenge to public education—from concerns about sex education to attempts to restrict specific works of literature and textbooks. It takes an objective look at such subjects as the current conflict concerning the role of fundamentalism, the so-called religion of secular humanism, the state of public education, and global education and multiculturalism.

Drawing on their combined backgrounds of religious study and practice, as well as years of experience working in the field of education, the authors present research in educational theory and practice, highlight important court cases, and draw on philosophical and religious studies to reveal a foundation for understanding world views at issue. School Wars offers educators, community leaders, and parents a better way to understand and respond to the differing world views that lie at the center of this ongoing debate.

Library Journal

This primer challenges organizations and groups that are pushing for change in U.S. public schools. The focus is on conservative Christian groups that are most vocally, forcefully, and politically involved in these cases. The authors, an educational consultant (Gaddy), a Methodist minister (T. William Hall), and a former monk (Robert J. Marzano), identify leaders on both sides of the conflict and carefully map their respective goals. New educational methods reflecting recent research on the psychology of learning have at times brought reactions from fundamentalist groups bordering on paranoia, with accusations of Satanism and occult practices being used in the schools. The authors attempt to deal impartially with these extreme views. In clear and straightforward language, they succeed in simplifying complex and delicate issues on religion and explaining how different systems operate in the human psyche. They also provide rational solutions for teachers and community leaders. Overall, this work is well balanced and informative. Recommended for libraries serving students, educators, and general readers alike.-Arla M. Lindgren, St. John's University, Jamaica, N.Y.

BARBARA B. GADDY, an education consultant and communications specialist, is a member of the executive committee of the Colorado Language Arts Society. T. WILLIAM HALL is an ordained Methodist minister, religion scholar, and professor emeritus at Syracuse University. ROBERT J. MARZANO, who spent four years as a monk with the Christian Brothers of Ireland, is a trainer for the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory.