Does God Belong in Public Schools? By Kent Greenawalt. Princeton University Press, 2005. 296 pages. $29.95.

Abstract

Kent Greenawalt, one of the leading constitutional law scholars, a former Deputy US Solicitor General, and Professor of Law at Columbia University School of Law, takes up the thorny question, “Does God belong in public schools?” Public schools should not sponsor religion. But Greenawalt rightfully recognizes that this principle, by itself, leaves many issues of constitutional law and educational policy unresolved. He thus uses his legal expertise to offer a range of normative principles and practical guidelines for teachers, administrators, lawyers, and judges grappling with the constitutional limits of religion in public schools. Greenawalt begins his book by sketching the history of religion in public schools. The original public schools of America were significantly religious. Students prayed, read the Bible, and were taught the biblical account of the world, including Adam and Eve. This began to change around the nineteenth century, and by the mid-twentieth century, the Supreme Court developed constitutional doctrines that practically constrained religion in public schools.