This summer marks 50 years since the Supreme Court ruling that effectively banned official prayers in public schools.

Ever since, wave after wave of proposed bills and amendments have sought to undo that ruling - or at least circumvent it.

And now, a former minister says prayer as government-sanctioned religious training never had a place in public school classrooms anyway.

Students are free to pray, individually, to their heart's content, says former minister and NASA engineer Charlie Webster, author of Revitalizing Christianity (www.NewCenturyMinistries.com).

"If we as Christians are looking to the government to instill biblical values in our youngest citizens, then we're in bad shape," says Webster "Any time the church wants the state to teach morality and biblical matters, we're definitely on the wrong path."

After working as an executive for the space shuttle program, Webster earned a master's degree in New Testament studies and taught that subject at the college level. He offers a list of reasons why official school prayer could never be a good source of religious training, including:

• Religious pluralism: America is a melting pot of nationalities, cultures, ideas and especially religions. "If we did allow the reading of sacred writings and public prayers in schools, we Christians want to think that they would always be compatible with our beliefs," he says. "But in this country, government must give equal time to all religions within a community. It would be extremely difficult - if not impossible - for schools to provide meaningful training for all the religions represented by their students."

• Differences in the specifics: Even among Christians, different groups have disparate beliefs, customs and viewpoints. Again, there are too many to expect schools to address each in a meaningful way.

• Prayer in school was largely ignored: I know because I was one of those who joined my classmates in ignoring them.

• Pew's rising "unaffiliated" percentage: In addition to religious variety, the Pew Research Center shows that more than 16 percent of 35,000 polled Americans check the "unaffiliated" box. They include atheists, agnostics and those who believe in nothing in particular. Whether non-believers are teachers or students, Webster says, their presence would present a number of dilemmas if official school prayer were sanctioned.

"The truth is that it was not what happened in schools that affected the moral fiber of this country; it was what happened in homes and churches," Webster says. "Today, comparatively few Christian homes devote a significant amount of time to religious training, and more and more the same is true of churches."

Nowadays, many churches have resorted to gimmicks in an effort to draw in more followers, he says. These attempts do more to distract from the Christian message than promote it, Webster says, and government-based policies have much the same effect.

"Instead of trying to find a political solution, we need to do our own jobs," he says. "If all Christians did that, any political decision would be of no significance at all. The world is starving for what we as Christians are supposed to have, but we've left it behind."

About Charlie Webster

A former minister with bachelor's and master's degrees in biblical studies, Charlie Webster has taught the New Testament at the college level and has served as a minister. He is currently an engineer for NASA.

In Iowa, geography does not determine opportunity.

The Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy (IOAPA) provides Advanced Placement (AP) courses to every high school in Iowa with a focus on small/rural schools ranging from Denison to Danville.  AP courses are college-level and nationally recognized for their rigor and as indicators of college readiness.  High scores on the national AP exams in various academic areas can provide a high school student with college credit.

IOAPA is part of the University of Iowa College of Education's Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.

IOAPA is completely online and gives every Iowa student the opportunity to take AP courses and exams regardless of the size of school or community.  IOAPA is currently funded by the Iowa Legislature and underwrites the cost for the student.  Since the start of IOAPA in 2001, more than 10,000 students from communities across the state have taken AP courses.  The course completion rate has been over 90 percent, which is remarkable for online courses.  Also, Iowa students taking courses through IOAPA have consistently scored above the national average on AP exams.  The message is simple:  Give Iowa students a chance at a high-level academic challenge, and they will not only step up to the challenge, but will perform at a high level.

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

Zane Scott-Tunkin, a teacher and mentor at Colfax-Mingo High School: "The IOAPA is a great resource for schools that do not offer an on-site AP Program."

DID YOU KNOW?

IOAPA was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as one of the nation's top six programs to feature in its report, "Connecting Students to Advanced Courses Online: Innovations in Education" (2006).  To find out more about IOAPA, visit http://www.iowaapacademy.org.

Proposal encourages states to advance higher education attainment

CHICAGO - July 18, 2012. A champion of education, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon today urged fellow lieutenant governors to make high school graduation and college degree completion a higher priority in their states.

Simon's resolution before the National Lieutenant Governors Association's conference in Chicago asks member states to collaborate with school districts, employers, and institutions of higher education to ensure that high school graduation rates increase and students are better prepared to enroll in college or enter the workforce.

Simon, the NLGA's Midwest Region Chair, serves as Governor Quinn's point person on education reform and is leading the charge to increase the proportion of the Illinois' working-age population holding a college degree or certificate to 60 percent by 2025. The 50th anniversary conference event includes 30 "seconds in command" from around the country and is expected to generate $600,000 in hotel, transportation, restaurant and tourism revenue.

"Nationwide, we see a trend of high school seniors either not graduating in four years with their class, or graduating unprepared for college- or career-level work," Simon said. "This resolution aims to open a dialogue within and between states on how we can boost high school achievement, degree completion and competitiveness in the workforce."

This resolution is an extension of Simon's educational work in Illinois. This spring, Simon moved legislation through the General Assembly that will require the state Board of Education to create math curriculum models for middle and high school students. The optional statewide curricula aims to better prepare high school graduates for college or a career - by reducing the need for costly remedial classes, or making students more employable for in-demand manufacturing jobs.

According to Complete College America, in the next decade more than 60 percent of all new jobs will require an advanced degree or credential, though the higher education attainment rate of adults in the United States is currently 38 percent. In order to meet that gap, 22 million students nationwide need to earn a post-secondary degree or certificate over the coming decade.

"Our states and country can only remain competitive in the global marketplace if we anticipate its needs now," Simon said. "By strengthening our middle and high school curriculums now, we will help put our students on a path of achievement and success."

To bring a policy item before the NLGA, a resolution must be co-sponsored by two lieutenant governors, one from each political party. Six additional resolutions will be considered today, including one on Alzheimer's treatment and prevention, and one on broadband internet development. The lieutenant governors will take a final vote on all resolutions on Friday. Today serves as a review period before the executive committee where lieutenant governors can ask questions of the sponsors and suggest changes to the resolution.

The NLGA is a bipartisan, nonprofit, professional organization for elected officials who are first in line of succession to the governors in the United States and five territorial jurisdictions. The NLGA's inaugural meeting was held in Chicago in 1962 and has returned this summer to celebrate its 50th anniversary.