We periodically publish our views and analysis in industry-leading publications.
In today’s climate of accountability and standards, many people seem to view schooling as just a prelude to working life, a means to prepare students to become effective workers and secure a prosperous national and individual future. What role could teaching about religion play in such an environment? Amid the competing skills and information that we expect students to master, where does knowledge of the human spiritual heritage fit in?
Read More
This article reflects on the state of K-12 teaching about Islam and Muslims in the United States in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Read More
An examination of the coverage of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in recent world history textbooks, and an evaluation of the textbooks’ adherence to the prevailing guidelines for teaching about religion.
Read More
This article explores what type of knowledge and pedagogical methods are most suitable for the body of information required by social studies standards across the country. In brief, that content involves imparting knowledge about the origins, basic beliefs, and practices of each faith, and the historical context in which they arose, spread and flourished. Importance is also placed on the ideas and traditions of religious thought that grew out of each faith, and the persons and institutions through which it was expressed over time.
Read More
This article explores use of several terms that signify Islam, and provides guidelines to clarify their use in internal and external discourses. Building on this foundation, the article delineates a typology of Islamic education and their associated institutions. This enhances understanding of important conceptual differences that hinge upon subtle variations of language as in the distinction between education of Muslims and for Muslims, and between teaching Islam and teaching about Islam. The article then seeks to elucidate a theoretical conception of “Islamic education,” that takes into consideration Islamic scripture and Prophetic statements, along with commonly-held approaches to education in Muslim history. The article concludes that key motivations and characteristics of a holistic and purposeful education program are shared between Islamic and Western traditions, a phenomenon partially explained by the shared and cumulative transmission of educational values and methods from classical times until the present.
Read More