United States’ public education faces monumental challenges. Many suspect its future is threatened. Similarly, non-sectarian communities of faith face a multitude of challenges, internally and externally. (I will call these “public” communities of faith, because they represent no single faith tradition, and because, from their respective values, they support certain public endeavors in the “secular” realm for the intrinsic good of such endeavors.)

This study seeks to explore: (1) what values create energy and focus among public education participants; (2) what factors hinder success in public education; (3) what strategies exist for overcoming impediments to success; and (4) what helping relationships, if any, are possible for “public” communities of faith to serve as advocates and partners in support of public education.

Finally, since “public” communities of faith in the United States (1) have always been flawed and (2) have declined in numbers and influence across recent decades, this study asks: What credibility and strength, if any, can such communities of faith contribute to the cultural survival-struggle of public schools, especially when the two are historically separated in practice and by law?