Trinity Lutheran v. Comer is a court case with humble origins. It started with officials at Trinity Lutheran School in Columbia, Missouri, who wanted to replace the gravel surface of the school’s playground with something more forgiving. Accordingly, Trinity applied to a state-run program whereby organizations can be reimbursed for the purchase of recycled tires that can be used to make a softer playground surface. If you think this story sounds simple, think again. On April 19, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that involves the separation of church and state as well as the ways in which the government and groups with a religious affiliation can cooperate for the public good. This surprisingly complicated and potentially far-reaching case is the topic of a new essay by Show-Me Institute Director of Education Policy Michael McShane, which you can read here.
About the Author
Michael Q. McShane
Michael Q. McShane is Senior Fellow of Education Policy at the Show-Me Institute. A former high school teacher, he earned a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas, an M.Ed. from the University of Notre Dame, and a B.A. in English from St. Louis University. McShanes analyses and commentary have been published widely in the media, including in the Huffington Post, National Affairs, USA Today, and The Washington Post. He has also been featured in education-specific outlets such as Teachers College Commentary, Education Week, Phi Delta Kappan, and Education Next. In addition to authoring numerous white papers, McShane has had academic work published in Education Finance and Policy and the Journal of School Choice. He is the editor of New and Better Schools (Rowman and Littlefield, 2015), the author of Education and Opportunity (AEI Press, 2014), and coeditor of Teacher Quality 2.0 (Harvard Education Press, 2014) and Common Core Meets Education Reform (Teachers College Press, 2013).
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