Approaching Religious Diversity in Schools

The role of schools and educators in students’ lives is complex and all encompassing. Included in this role, is the task of equipping students to become citizens who are able to and will participate and effectively contribute to a liberal democracy and society. In order for this to occur, the education priced to students must include understanding all aspects of diversity and the diversity of their fellow students and citizens. This diversity encompasses a wide spectrum, including racial, culturally, ethnic, and religious diversity. Providing students with the opportunity to learn about such diversity is particularly important when diversity spurns conflict about how people live together in a society, locally and globally (Kunzman, 2006). In light of the recent events surrounding our involvement in the Middle East, including the events of September 11, the need to teach students and foster understanding of religious diversity has sailed to the forefront of essential issues. The problems that many educators face, especially in public schools, is how to teach religious diversity in general as well as how to do so while staying in the confines of the law.
A vital element of diversity and recently, conflict, is religion. According to the American Religious Identification Survey, 73% of Americans identified themselves as “somewhat religious” and “religious” (American Religious Identification Survey, 2001). While the majority of the population of the United States is Catholic or Protestant, religious diversity in the United States continues to grow (Kunzman, 2006). Because of this fact, schools need to help students to understand religious diversity and foster acceptance between individual students. By doing so, students will be able to better understand the current conflicts surrounding religion in the United States as well as globally. This task is not an easy one, as it requires educators to present religion to students in such as way that will provide students with insight into the lives of others, hopefully encouraging a respect for other members of society, starting with the other students in the classroom.
While it is clear what the role of educators is, the application of such a task can extremely difficult for various reasons. The issue of what is appropriate when teaching religion in the classroom is addressed by law. According to May (2006), there is a distinct difference between religious activity and religious instruction. Religious activity constitutes teaching students that the aspects of one religion are true and should be followed while religious instruction constitutes teaching about religion, such as the beliefs different denominations have and what members believe.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (2008), religious activity is strictly prohibited in the classroom and teachers are also prohibited from discouraging activity because of its religious content or encouraging any anti-religious activity. Teaching about religion, especially religious diversity can be very difficult when having to do so within these strict guidelines. Wagner and Benavante-McEnery (2008) offer the insight that by limiting the amount of “God talk” by students in the classroom, educators are actually inhibiting the self-expression of the students in the classroom. Silencing “God talk” sometimes happens in classrooms, as many teachers fear that too much exploration into this topic would welcome some sort of redress. Unfortunately, while teachers are following the guidelines set out for them, they are sometimes discouraging open and direct inquiry (Wagner & Benavente-McEnery, 2008).
In order to teach religious diversity in the classroom, there are certain approaches educators can pursue that fall within the guidelines as well as provide students with engaging material that does indeed foster inquiry. Educators need to not only teach students the factual aspects of different religions, but allow them to explore the religions more independently. Students need not agree with everything they find or learn, but they should respect all perspectives, regardless of how different those perspectives are from their own. An important element of teaching religious diversity is to introduce the idea of “different” not with a negative connotation, but as an essential and beneficial part of the makeup of the United States. Students are often presented with the idea of tolerance and acceptance at an early age, but usually in terms of race and cultural. Due to the increasing religious pluralism in the U.S., religious tolerance and diversity needs to be introduced to students as early as possible (Wagner & Benavente-McEnery, 2008).
It is the responsibility of educators to teach religious diversity to students in order to prepare them to be influential citizens, who are equipped with the knowledge and understanding necessary to succeed. This task includes teaching students about religious diversity. By downplaying its importance because of the tight confines placed upon teaching about religion in the classroom, educators are doing a serious disservice to students, who need to be aware of how to navigate the conflicts caused by religion in a global society. By allowing students to explore different religions, encouraging inquiry, and introducing religious acceptance at an early stage, effectively teaching religious diversity in the classroom can become a reality.

Kosman, B., Mayer, E., & Kosman, A. (2001). The American Religious Identification Survey. The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris.pdf

Kunzman, R. (2006). Imaginative engagement with religious diversity in public schools classrooms. Religious Education, 101(4), 516-531.

May, C. (2006). Religion’s legal place in the schoolhouse. School Administrator, 63(9), 30-34.

U.S. Department of Education. (2008). Religious expression in public schools 2003.
Retrieved October 18, 2008, from
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/religionandschools/prayer_guidance.html

Wagner, P. & Benavente-McEnery, L. (2008). Genuine religious olerance: Is it a thing of the
past in public schools? Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education, 39(3), 327-350.