Fifty years ago, the philosopher John Macmurray responded to calls for education to redesign itself around the exigencies of international competition with a robust rebuttal of such instrumentalism. He argued instead that the purpose of education was "learning to be human". This paper explores how Macmurray's ideas might be applied to contemporary…

In 1937, four young women, three of whom were teachers in one-room schools in rural Maine, set off on an eight-week cross-country trip to California. They decided to take the trip so they could teach from first-hand experience. Together they saved $1,200 and then visited 30 states, Washington, D.C., and 2 Canadian provinces. (LP)

This manual describes the "Friends" project, a year-long effort in Minnesota to develop methods for the staff of residential service agencies to support people with developmental disabilities in establishing friendships with nondisabled people in their communities. Six agencies around the state selected a total of 23 individuals (ages 11…

Explores mentoring as a means of promoting spiritual growth for women in a congregational setting. Surveys the roles and activities of mentors with special attention to utilization in business and educational environments. Proposes four likely components of a mentoring relationship. (MJP)

A teacher at an alternative school draws upon his and other educators' experiences to illustrate that learning within relationships and learning about relationships are fundamental to the educational process. Schools must provide safe, caring environments where kids can establish enduring relationships with each other, teachers, and mentors, and…

This article describes one component of a comprehensive model of family-centered preventive mental health services that were delivered as part of a University-Head Start Partnership grant. Personal Best, a carefully designed role competence curriculum, was implemented through a group intervention to examine the personal and contextual factors that…