Includes bibliographical references and index.

Do American students need moral education and religious freedom returned to the public schools? -- The schools of educational philosophy -- Prayer in the school and moral education in America prior to the Revolutionary War -- Character education during the post-Revolutionary War period -- Prayer and moral education in the eyes of the founders of the modern day public school -- The practice of character education from the mid-1800s until 1962 -- The new philosophy of education beginning in 1962 and 1963 -- America has lost its way -- A nation without absolute values -- Most of America's problems are not economic and academic in nature -- What we can do to restore character education and resurrect religious freedom in America.

"According to William Jeynes, the lack of both school prayer and consistent moral instruction in our schools has had devastating consequences both for our education system and for the nation as a whole. In A Call for Character Education and Prayer in the Schools, Jeynes makes a compelling case for restoring moral instruction and nonspecific religious moments to the classroom as a way of restoring a much needed moral grounding in American society in general. The book traces the history of character education in the public schools, including coverage of leading advocates of their inclusion from Thomas Jefferson to DeWitt Clinton to Horace Mann. Jeynes then offers a broad survey of the country since the Supreme Court decisions of 1962 and 1963, asserting that most of America's greatest problems are moral in nature, and could be addressed by making moral instruction and a focus on the spiritual a part of our young citizens' school lives."--Publisher's description.