Background Resources
This page contains research and implementation guidelines for
academic study of the Bible in public schools.
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Bible Literacy Report: What
do American teens need to know and what do they know?
found that 90% of English teachers interviewed believe that
Biblical knowledge is crucial for a good education. This
landmark national study of high school English teachers revealed
that American high school students are deficient in their
academic knowledge of the Bible, and it is limiting their
ability to study literature and understand art, music, history,
and culture. The study, funded by the John Templeton Foundation,
also contains a Gallup poll of teenagers which found that:
- 17% thought "the road to Damascus" was where Jesus was
crucified.
- 68% couldn't identify who asked "am I my brother's
keeper?" (Cain).
- 53% couldn't name the Biblical event at Cana (turning
water into wine).
- 22% thought Moses was either one of Jesus' 12 apostles,
an Egyptian pharaoh or an angel.
Read the Executive
Summary
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Document
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Bible Literacy Report II:
What University Professors Say Incoming Students Need to Know,
revealed that English professors surveyed at leading
universities--including Yale, Harvard, Princeton and
Stanford--agreed that "regardless of a person's faith, an
educated person needs to know about the Bible." Released June 1,
2006, the report surveyed 39 English professors at 34 top U.S.
colleges and universities, who said that knowledge of the Bible
is a deeply important part of a good education.
Read the Executive Summary
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The Bible & Public Schools:
A First Amendment Guide, co-published by the Bible
Literacy Project and the First Amendment Center, provides
consensus legal guidelines for teaching the Bible in public
schools, and was endorsed by 21 national educational, religious,
and civil liberties groups, including the National School Boards
Association, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the
American Jewish Congress.
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Document
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