The Center was founded in 1975 to protect the right of students to meet for religious speech at high schools. Eventually the Center helped secure the right of all students at public educational institutions – whether elementary schools, high schools, or colleges and universities – to meet for prayer, Bible study, worship, and other religious speech on campus. The Center has also worked to protect the access of religious community groups to public school facilities on the same basis as other community groups. The Center has also provided resources to help teachers of faith understand the rules for religious expression and religious materials in the public schools.