Educational Leadership (Religion in Public Schools)

Dissertation Title: Principal Perceived Readiness to Address Religious-Based Issues in Massachusetts Public Schools and the Preparatory Role of Principal Training Programs

DIRECTIONS FROM MY UNIVERSITY – CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter provides literature support for the study. It includes a sectioned (using first level

headings) review of the bodies of literature that built a logical and well-documented basis for the

study. Each major section includes a summary of major research findings and concludes with a

transition statement to introduce the next section.

The literature review serves several purposes:

It identifies chief researchers and documents the scope of the dissertation is meant to

examine.

It distinguishes among areas of consensus, dispute, and ignorance in educational

leadership; and it evaluates the nature and quality of support for various contentions.

It provides new insights or new questions from the literature to offer a conceptual or

theoretical framework in which the dissertation should be understood.

It prepares the reader to appreciate

**********Here is a summary of my Lit Review from my approved DP proposal. Please use it as a guide. Also below is an outline for the Lit Review and some writing that I already did that was approved by my committee. Please use this also if you would like (or not) and adjust as you see fit. Last I provided some writing that I already did. You can use it as a rewrite-please. 

DP Proposal Literature Review Summary

The literature pertaining to this study is in three areas. First, this study will discuss the historical background of public schools and its intersection with religion in the United States. This discussion includes an analysis of the social conflict revolving around the inclusion of religious-based issues in early public schools and the rise of secularism and humanism to keep religion and public schools separate. Current religious-based issues that principals face are also elucidated in the context of their evolving roles, responsibilities, and expectations in public schools. This will include a review of religious components within school curriculums, celebratory practices, student groups, and public ceremonies. Perspectives of teachers and other educators regarding religious-based issues will also be explored. Last, literature regarding social conflict theory is reviewed to frame the contextual factors that contribute to religious-based issues in public schools. 

Second, a review of pertinent court cases and legislative laws that have shaped past and present religious-based decisions in public schools and school law will be conducted. In this section, there will be a summary of the most pivotal Supreme Court cases that have shaped how schools respond to religious-based issues and how public schools maintain the line between church and state. Examples of these cases include the 1844 Bible riot cases regarding the type of Bible used in schools, the 1962 prayer in school cases (Engel v. Vitale), the 1963 ACLU case against prayer and Bible reading in Pennsylvania schools (Abington School District v. Schempp), the 1971 case that established a tripartite test to determine violations of the First Amendment establishment clause (Lemon v. Kurtman), the 1971 case that ruled that it was not unconstitutional for Amish parents to keep their children out of school (Wisconsin v. Yoder), the 1980 case regarding the handling of religious holiday observances, the 1995 case that ruled that it is unconstitutional, for students to lead prayer in school (Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe),the 1997 case that overturned the ruling that federal funds could not be used to support public school teaching in parochial schools (Agostini v. Felton), and additional cases regarding the expression of religion, religion in curriculums and prayer in schools (Lofaso, 2009). 

The third part of the literature review will outline factors that influence the readiness of principals to address religious-based issues in public schools. This includes the role of principal training programs, school district policies, and professional development. It will also include potential factors that affect a principals perception of readiness to address religious-based issues, such as school culture, personal background, and influence from the community. 

My proposed Chapter Two Literature Review Outline that my professors approved 

I.Introduction Roadmap of the Literature View/Education and religion have intersected since the founding of the United States. With the introduction of public schooling, the c

2. Public schooling and religion, from Colonial Times to present

A.             The churchs role in early education systems

B.             Historical background of transitioning from religious based schools to public schools

C.             The overlap of public schooling and religion, as well as humanism and secularism

3. Current religious based religious issues in public schools

A.             Religion curricular content

B.             Celebration and expression of religion (eg. Holidays, garb, and speeches)

C.             Extra curricular religious type activities (eg. Student interest groups/clubs)

D.             Cultural practices (eg. prayer in the classroom)

4. Literature addressing religious based school law significant court cases

A.             1^st Amendment (eg. Free Exercise of Religion Clause, Freedom of Speech Clause, separation of Church and State)

B.             Supreme Court Standards

1. Lemon Test (Is a three-part test to evaluate religious practices in public schools)
2. Supreme Court Coercion Test (a test to evaluate religious practices in public schools)
3. Supreme Court Endorsement Test (a test to evaluate religious practices in public schools)
4. Supreme Court Balancing Test (a test to evaluate whether religion or non-religion is being favored over each other); Supreme Court Cases that involved religious-related school law

C.             High profile court cases that involved religious-related public school legal issues

D.             Massachusetts religious-related public school legal issues

5. The preparation of principals to address religious based issues in public schools

A.             The changing approach to training principles

1. Early Public schools, Principals as teacher-leaders 
2. Principal reform and professionalization of principals
3. Twenty first century principal preparation training programs 

B.             Current principal training programs curricular components

C.             Lack of literature on religion based training

   VI.         Conclusion: Despite there being numerous historical and current religious based religious issues in public schools, there is relatively little guidance examining the role that principal preparation programs take in assisting in solving them. 

Attached is what I already started writing which you can use as a rewrite. You may see suggestions from a prior tutor and that I didnt complete what I was doing. Use it if you would like or not. I quoted this job as writing but you can do parts as a rewrite if desired.

Below are some references that I used. 

Brown, Matthew. (2013, June 14). Supreme Court ruling 50 years ago set modern course for religion in public schools.  Deseret News.  Retrieved from https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865581712/Supreme-Court-ruling-50-years-ago-set-modern-course-for-religion-in-public-schools.html. 

School District of Abington Township, Pennsylvania v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963)

Hong, Grace Sang-Eun. (2013, May 1). Reclaiming The First Amendment: How the Forces that Changed Our Interpretation of The First Amendment Changed the Character of Our Nation.  Law School Student Scholarship. Paper 238, 21.  Retrieved from http://scholarship.shu.edu/student_scholarship/238.

Epperson v. Arkansas, 393 U.S. 97 (1978).

Schimmel, David.  (1981, November).  Religious Holiday Observances in Public Schools:  When Are They Constitutional? A Legal Memorandum.  Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED208591.pdf.

Florey v. Sioux Falls School District, 464 F.Supp. 911 (D.S.D. 1979); 619 F.2d (8^th Cir. 1980), Cert. Denied 101 U.S. 409 (1980).

Peter Kent & others vs. Commissioner Education & others, 380 Mass. 235 (1980).

Peterson, James W. (2008). Teaching World Religion In The Public Schools. ENCOUNTER: Education for Meaning and Social Justice, 21(4), 40-42.

Massachusetts school religion cases mirror decisions rendered in other jurisdictions. For example, in https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865581712/Supreme-Court-ruling-50-years-ago-set-modern-course-for-religion-in-public-schools.html. 

McAfee, Ward M. (1998). Religion, Race and Reconstruction: The Public School in the Politics of the 1870s. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. 

Rousmaniere, Kate (2013). The Principals Office: A Social History of the American School Principal. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. 

NEA Education Policy and Practice Department Center for Great Public Schools  (2008). An NEA Policy Brief: Changing Role of School Leadership. Retrieved 10/5/2017 from http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB09_Leadership08.pdf. 

Toscano, Paul J. (1990). Secularism, Neutrality, and the Supreme Court: Invisible Religion in the Public Schools. Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers & Distributors, Inc. 

Macedo, Stephen (2001). Diversity and Distrust: Civic Education in a Multicultural Democracy, American Journal of Jurisprudence: Vol. 46 : Iss. 1 , Article 16.

Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life (2007). Boisi Center Papers on Religion in the United States: Religious Pluralism in the United States. Retrieved from www.bc.edu/centers/boisi/publications/boisi_center_papers.html.

Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life (2007). Boisi Center Papers on Religion in the United States: Separation of Church and State. Retrieved from www.bc.edu/centers/boisi/publications/boisi_center_papers.html.

Darden, Edwin C. (2006). Center for Public Education: Religion and Public Schools. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpublic education.org/Main-Menu/Public-education/The-law-and-its-influence-on-public-school-districts.

Brown, Matthew. (2013, June 14). Supreme Court ruling 50 years ago set modern course for religion in public schools.  Deseret News.  Retrieved from https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865581712/Supreme-Court-ruling-50-years-ago-set-modern-course-for-religion-in-public-schools.html. 

Haynes, C. C. (2011). Getting religion right in public schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(4), 8-14.

Feinberg, W. (2014). An assessment of arguments for teaching religion in public schools in the United States. Religious education, 109(4), 394-405.

Dever, M. T., Whitaker, M. L., & Byrnes, D. A. (2001). The 4th R: Teaching about religion in the public schools. The Social Studies, 92(5), 220-229.

Dupper, D. R., Forrest-Bank, S., & Lowry-Carusillo, A. (2015). Experiences of religious minorities in public school settings: Findings from focus groups involving Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, and Unitarian Universalist youths. Children & Schools, 37(1), 37-45.

LINKS TO OTHER ARTICLES:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lara_Willox/publication/249037893_Teaching_Religion_in_America%27s_Public_Schools_A_Necessary_Disruption/links/5629060608aef25a243d2ca8.pdf