Contact: Sheila Weber, Bible Literacy Project, 646-322-6853, sheila@bibleliteracy.org

NEW YORK, Nov. 20 /Standard Newswire/ -- To kick off National Bible Week (November 19-26), the Bible Literacy Project and the National Bible Association have partnered to launch 5000 billboards nationwide, which will highlight the message "an educated person knows the Bible."  The billboards also direct people to "read the research" that was conducted by the Bible Literacy Project and funded by the John Templeton Foundation, published in two national reports in 2005 and 2006, which revealed that 98 % high school English teachers and 100% of university professors surveyed agreed that students need to know the Bible in order to be well educated. Billboard can be viewed at: Bible Literacy Billboard

At the National Bible Week dinner in New York City, Dr. John Templeton, Jr., highlighted the research funded by his foundation, published in Bible Literacy Report I: What American teens know and need to know; and Bible Literacy Report II: What university professors say incoming students need to know.

• 100% of university professors surveyed--including Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford—agreed that incoming students need to know the Bible.

• 98% of high school English teachers said Bible knowledge gives a distinct academic advantage to students in studying English.

• 90% of high school English teachers said Bible knowledge was critical for a good education but that today's students are "clueless, stumped, and confused." 

• Bible Literacy Report I included a Gallup poll of 1002 teens and revealed that students do not know enough about the Bible to properly understand British and American literature or understand the Bible's impact on art, music, history and culture. 

Chuck Stetson, chairman of the Bible Literacy Project, said, "We have a tremendous disconnect in public school education. On the one hand, national surveys show virtually 100 percent of educators recognize the importance of knowing the Bible--that it is key to understanding English literature, as well as art, music, history and culture. On the other hand, only 8 percent of public schools teach about the Bible, yet it is perfectly legal as long as an elective is taught academically and not devotionally. As The Chicago Tribune affirmed in their endorsing editorial, 'Not to teach about the Bible is failing our students,'" Stetson said.

Last year, the Bible Literacy Project released the first student textbook for public high school academic study of the Bible, The Bible and Its Influence, which has gained the admiration of the media, educators, scholars, faith leaders and parents across the country. This student textbook satisfies the consensus standards agreed upon by the National School Boards Association and The First Amendment Center. In its first year, the course is being used in 82 school districts and 29 states. Educators from some 900 schools are now reviewing The Bible and Its Influence. A Teacher's Edition and online university-based teacher training is available. To learn more, go to www.bibleliteracy.org.