A Position Statement of National Council for the Social Studies
Approved and published 2021
 

Introduction and Rationale

The academic study of religion is an essential part of any social studies education, and the National Council for the Social Studies strongly supports its inclusion in the curriculum. The study of religion is a critical lens for understanding human existence in its broader cultural context, including its relation to economic, political, and social institutions, as well as the impact of religion on history, arts, geography, language, and literature.

All students benefit from studying religion because of its pivotal position in both public and private life. Preparation for citizenship in a religiously pluralistic country and world requires the study of religion. A deep understanding of religions helps students to amplify diverse voices, combat intolerance, and create opportunities for community building. It prepares students to engage with people of diverse religious identities and belief systems with civility and respect.

With this position statement, NCSS reminds Americans that the strength of our shared goal in building one nation of many peoples and beliefs depends on our deep and abiding commitment to understanding one another across differences.

Intended Audience

This position statement informs the general public and the entire K-12 community, including educators, administrators, and public decision makers, from pre-kindergarten through graduate school, about the importance of studying religion in the social studies curriculum in ways that are constitutionally and academically sound.

Background and Guidelines

Despite a 1963 Supreme Court ruling that argues, “[I]t might well be said that one’s education is not complete without a study of comparative religions or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization,Abington School District v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963)” the unique pedagogical and constitutional challenges of teaching about religion have left many educators, administrators, and district officials hesitant to include it in their curricula.

Since 1988, NCSS has joined with leading educational, religious, and civil liberties groups to endorse numerous statements in support of the academic study of religion in public schools and, in 2017, NCSS added the Religious Studies Companion Document to the C3 Framework. Developed by educators, administrators, and experts in the field of religion and education, the supplement equips state departments of education and school districts with student learning indicators and frameworks for studying religion in ways that are constitutionally sound and consistent with high academic standards. Outlined below are key guidelines from the C3 Framework and its authors for ensuring an academic and constitutional approach to religion in public schools.

The study of religion in public schools must not serve as indoctrination or religious education. Instead, the study of religion must:

• Be academic, not devotional.
• Strive for student awareness of religions, but not press for student acceptance of any religion.
• Encourage learning about the practice of religion, but not sponsor the practice of religion.
• Expose students to a diversity of religious views, but not impose any particular view.
• Educate about many religions, but not promote or denigrate any religion or nonbelief.
• Inform students about religious beliefs, but not seek to conform students to any religion or nonbelief.Adapted from "A Teacher's Guide to Religion in Public Schools"(https://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/teachersguide.pdf) endorsed by NCSS and 21 other national organizations and disseminated by the Department of Education to all public schools in 2000.

Educators, subject-level coordinators, textbook authors, and other stakeholders involved in the curriculum design process should be aware of key disciplinary frameworks from the academic study of religion, including:

The premises that religions are:

• Internally diverse and not uniform, as is commonly represented;
• Dynamic and change through time, as opposed to being static or fixed;
• Embedded in cultures and not separable from other forms of human expression.

And that individuals and communities construct their religious identities through:

• Beliefs and values including theological, doctrinal, scriptural, and ethical claims about daily life as much as those about a transcendent reality or experiences of the divine;
• Behaviors including practices associated with rites, rituals, and life both inside and outside of strictly religious settings;
• Experiences of belonging including membership in religious communities and other social communities with intersecting racial, national, ethnic, familial, gender, class, and other identities. Adapted from the "Religious Studies Companion Document for the C3 Framework" published by NCSS in 2017 and approved by the American Academy of Religion.

The American Academy of Religion, the largest scholarly society dedicated to the academic study of religion, emphasizes schools’ “civic and educational responsibility to include robust study about religions in the social studies curriculum,” including the critical role the study of religion plays in social studies education:

• There exists widespread illiteracy about religion in the U.S.

• Religious illiteracy often fuels prejudice and antagonism, thereby hindering efforts aimed at promoting respect for diversity, peaceful coexistence, and cooperative endeavors in local, national, and global arenas.

• It is possible to diminish religious illiteracy by teaching about religion from a non-devotional perspective in primary, middle, and secondary schools. Adapted from "Guidelines for Teaching about Religion in K-12 Schools in the United States" (https://www.aarweb.org/common/Uploaded files/Publications and News/Guides and Best Practices/AARK-12CurriculumGuidelinesPDF.pdf) by the American Academy of Religion released in 2010.

Consistent with the broader goal of the C3 Framework to engage in civic life in preparation for post-secondary life, the study of religion provides students with the knowledge they need to think critically about the historical and contemporary world. Moreover, the study of religion fosters the understanding of global contexts, encourages civic participation, and cultivates the skills needed to work collaboratively with diverse populations.

Recommendations and Implementation

NCSS recommends that the study of religion take place across social studies disciplines and courses, wherever and whenever knowledge of the religious dimension of history and culture is needed for balanced and comprehensive understanding.

NCSS recommends that state departments of education work to ensure inclusion of the study of religion in all social studies programs including stand-alone world religions courses.

NCSS recommends that every public school district adopt clear First Amendment policies and guidelines on teaching about religions. In-service professional development must be provided to administrators and teachers to carry out these policies. Additionally, NCSS recommends that pre-service teacher education includes constitutionally appropriate and inclusive frameworks for addressing religion across the curriculum. Prospective social studies teachers should also be encouraged to take coursework in religious studies as part of their certification.

NCSS urges state education leaders, textbook publishers, online content creators, and teacher educators to strengthen and add depth to the study of religion in public schools by acting on the recommendations and frameworks contained in this statement.

NCSS members are encouraged to use this position statement to urge state departments of education and local school districts to adopt policies, learning standards, and practices for study of religion consistent with high academic standards and First Amendment principles.

Conclusion

Religious Studies are essential for understanding the role of religion in public life, negotiating differences in the public square, and forging public policies that serve the common good. Through the deliberate and thoughtful study of religion in historic and cultural contexts, students will be adequately prepared for citizenship in a religiously pluralistic society and world.

The National Council for the Social Studies has long led the call to include the study of religion in the curriculum in ways that are both constitutionally and academically sound. With this position statement, NCSS renews that call by reminding Americans that the study of religion prepares students to critically engage in a pluralistic, peaceful democracy, by understanding the deepest values, social identities, and aspirations of people from both around the world and in their classrooms.

Bibliography

Eck, Diana L. A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" Has Now Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation. San Francisco, Calif.: Harper, 2001.

Biondo, Vincent F., III and Andrew Fiala, eds., Civility, Religious Pluralism, and Education. New York: Routledge, 2014.

Haynes, Charles C. and Oliver Thomas. Finding Common Ground: A First Amendment Guide to Religion and Public Schools. Nashville, Tenn.: First Amendment Center, 2007.

Haynes, Charles C., ed. Teaching about Religion in the Social Studies Classroom. Silver Spring, Md.: National Council for the Social Studies Bulletin, 2019.

Lester, Emile. Teaching about Religions: A Democratic Approach for Public Schools. Ann Arbor, Mich.: The University of Michigan Press, 2011.

Moore, Diane L. Overcoming Religious Illiteracy: A Cultural Studies Approach to Teaching About Religion in Secondary School. New York: Palgrave, 2007.

Nord, Warren. Does God Make a Difference? Taking Religion Seriously in American Schools and Universities. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Waggoner, Michael and Nate Walker, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Education. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.