With nationwide concerns about the declines in youth voting turnout across the United States, increased attention has focused on schools to promote "civic education," a broad curricular approach aimed at facilitating students' development of key civic knowledge, skills, and behaviors. However, less is known about how civic education…

"What If Learning" is a pedagogical approach that allows teachers to deliver traditional content, as prescribed by national curricula, while at the same time promoting character virtues fundamental to Christian ethos. It encourages teachers to present topics from a different perspective, which shapes understanding through the lenses of…

Drawing on empirical data, this article makes a contribution to knowledge through bringing together the apparently disparate elements of contemporary education policy, religion, civic virtue and values teaching, in particular, the teaching of 'fundamental British values'. I illustrate, through a discussion of the linkages between these elements,…

"The Wiley Handbook of Christianity and Education" provides a resource for students and scholars interested in the most important issues, trends, and developments in the relationship between Christianity and education. It offers a historical understanding of these two intertwined subjects with a view to creating a context for the myriad…

Since prayer was banned from the public school systems in 1962 and all religious references have been censored, the American Public School System has become completely secular in nature. Children today face a great deal of peer pressure especially when bad behavior is constantly glamorized in both the media and the press. Because of the lack of…

Stephen Prothero's "Religious Literacy" makes a strong case that minimal religious literacy is an essential requirement for contemporary U. S. citizens. He argues further that high schools and colleges should offer required courses in the study of religion in order to help students reach that baseline literacy. Beyond the general recommendation…

In this paper I examine Rousseau's strategy for teaching compassion in "Book Four of Emile." In particular, I look at the three maxims on compassion that help to organise Rousseau's discussion, and the precise strategy that Emile's tutor uses to instil compassion while avoiding other passions, such as anger, fear and pride. The very idea of an…

Children as learners need adults who love them, even when the children are unable to give anything in return. Furthermore, adults should be able to make wise judgements concerning what is good for the children. The clarification of these principles and of their educational import has to start within our own cultural tradition. "Agape"…

Character is defined broadly by leading authorities, including concepts such as practicing apt behavior and teaching right from wrong. Virtue and moral undertones tend to pervade most experts' use of character, although in secular settings, the notion of ethics is more prominent. Overall, developing in students a desire for the good is how most…

This article builds on the foundations and evaluations laid recently by Symes and Gulson in their 2005 article, "Crucifying Education: The rise and rise of new Christian schooling in Australia." It evaluates the warrant of Christian schooling within a liberal democracy and offers a rejoinder for defending the rights of Christian…

This article presents the efforts of one Christian school to counteract secular societal norms and foster Christian values in its students. Anecdotal observations led to an empirical study to ascertain students' thinking about values. In turn, the study results led to the school staff taking specific actions to address the realities discovered in…

The Young Men's Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.) was one of the pioneers in the development of evening education for employed men and boys. The beginnings of this work go back more than half a century, the first work of this kind being reported in 1866. During the last decade of the nineteenth century, broad foundations were laid for the future…