Craig and Aimee Howley at Ohio University are doing research on K-12 teachers/administrators who are also non-religious.
A great deal of research in education focuses on the experiences of marginalized groups. The aim of this study is to investigate the experiences of one such group — teachers who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, or freethinkers. Little is really known about the experience of atheists in any realm of social discourse in the United States, and no study has investigated the experiences of atheists who are employed as teachers. The role of teacher is particularly interesting as a site for studying the experience of atheists because teachers are considered to be bearers of community standards, and few (if any) communities uphold atheism as a legitimate point of view, let alone as a principle on which community life is grounded.
I’ll be speaking with them next week. If you’re up for doing it, you can find Craig Howley’s email address here!
