Public Schools, Religious Establishments, and the U.S. Supreme Court An Examination of Policy Compliance

The issue of devotional activity in the public schools has long been a staple of the U.S. Supreme Court’s agenda, but knowledge of the local implemen-tation of school prayer policy remains limited to the Court’s earliest deci-sions. To what extent are schools presently engaged in religious activities prohibited by the Court? This study addresses this question through a survey in which recent high school graduates provided data on the level and types of devotional practices in their schools. The results suggest that there con-tinues to be resistance to the Supreme Court, especially in the South, in rural and less educated communities, and in areas with higher concentrations of conservative Christians