Religious Groups, Educators Seek Common Ground

By Lonnie Harp

The leaders of several national education associations and conservative religious and citizens' groups have been meeting behind the scenes in efforts to find common ground on school reform and end their increasingly hostile debate.

The sides gathered for the second time last week in Washington in an unannounced meeting and have made plans for more as they try to hammer out a truce in their conflict over school policy--a cold war whose battles have divided residents in communities across the country.

Though ending that war will not be easy, some education observers believe...