More than 480 schools nationwide now using Bible
Literacy Project's curriculum, The Bible and Its
Influence
Texas now has 100 schools teaching Bible Literacy
courses
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FRONT
ROYAL, VA (September 15, 2010) – Bible Literacy
Project (BLP), publisher of
the only student textbook designed for public school
courses on the Bible, announced today that 480 schools
in 43 states nationwide are now using its course. Texas
leads the nation in implementation of Bible literacy
courses, with more than 100 schools now using the
textbook, while Georgia boasts 51 schools. (See a map of
your state's use of Bible literacy courses at
www.bibleliteracy.org.)
Eight
states now have more than 5% of public high schools
teaching this course: Georgia (12.3%), Alabama (9.1%),
Indiana (8.2%), Texas (7.5%), South Carolina (7.0%),
Tennessee (6.0%), North Carolina (5.8%) and Kentucky
(5.0%).
In addition, The Bible and Its
Influence is achieving acceptance in larger
districts. This fall, this course will be taught in 30
districts with enrollment of more than 20,000 students.
"Larger school districts often require a district-wide
curriculum review, with public review and comment on the
curriculum and multiple layers of approval," said Chuck
Stetson, BLP's CEO. "Our track record of successful
implementation and strong community support has given
larger districts confidence that our materials meet the
educational needs of their diverse student populations."
Among
the new schools offering the course this fall are 15
pilot schools, which have received free textbooks from
BLP to encourage the introduction of the textbook in
their area. BLP plans to continue this program
throughout the 2010-11 school year for districts that
qualify.
This fall, Oklahoma implements HB
2321, a law encouraging public school districts to offer
Bible literacy courses. BLP will be working with
educators across the state to implement this course in
their districts. Oklahoma joins Georgia, South Carolina,
Tennessee and Texas in passing legislation to support
Bible literacy in public schools. While teaching about
the Bible is legal nationwide, these five states have
used legislation to raise public awareness and to
promote statewide implementation of these courses.
During this school year, Bible
Literacy Project will be attending 26 conventions
nationwide to reach school board members,
superintendents, curriculum developers, and English
teachers with information about the textbook.
Because only seven states remain in
the organization's quest to be utilized in all 50
states, Bible Literacy Project is offering a free class
set of textbooks to the first public school in Delaware,
Iowa, Montana, Nevada, Rhode Island, Utah, and Wyoming
ready to teach the course. "When one school implements
the course, we quickly make contact with neighboring
schools who want to try it too," said Stetson. "We
welcome the opportunity to show these remaining states
the strength of our program."
Bible Literacy Project is a
non-partisan, non-profit endeavor to encourage and
facilitate the academic study of the Bible in public
schools. Along with the First Amendment Center, the
Bible Literacy Project co-published The Bible and
Public Schools: A First Amendment Guide, the
historic 1999 statement that established guidelines for
teaching about the Bible in public schools. The Guide
was endorsed by 21 leading organizations, including the
National School Boards Association and the Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development. In 2005, the
Bible Literacy Project published The Bible and Its
Influence, the first student textbook for academic
study of the Bible in public high schools in the last 30
years. Since its publication, this program has gained
national recognition for its scholarly approach to
teaching about the Bible in compliance with First
Amendment guidelines. Designed for high school students
in grades 9-12, and enjoyed equally by college students
and adult learners, The Bible and Its Influence can
be taught as an English, social studies, or humanities
elective. Bible Literacy Project (
www.bibleliteracy.org ) is a division of Essentials
in Education, an educational publisher.
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