Many adults search for spiritual guidance and direction and persist in seeking answers to life in today's fast-paced world. With burgeoning economic challenges, political corruption, war in Iraq, poverty, health care concerns, environmental concerns, rising fuel costs, violence, racism, and oppression, many adults seek solace and greater…

There are three main groups of Amish: the Old Order Amish, the oldest group which is also the most strict and conservative; the Beachy Amish of Amish-Mennonites, the most liberal; and the New Order Amish, intermediate between the other two in conservatism. These three papers examine the views of education and schooling practices of these three…

This paper looks at the reasons for the growth of Hebrew Day Schools and also discusses the changing dynamics of Orthodox Jews in the American Jewish community. (Author/EB)

Offers suggestions for fostering spiritual growth through skills and experiences that bring the religious behavior of at-risk youth closer to that of their more stable peers. Discusses the virtues that can help guide youth and lists strategies, such as teaching youth basic religious skills, to foster spiritual growth. (RJM)

Although much of what happens in church-related colleges is similar to that in other colleges, faculty in the former group can avoid secularizing trends and make denominational faith central to their tasks through faculty development, curriculum design, teaching content, and academic policies. (MSE)

On July 14, 2006, the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a study that compared the performance in reading and math of 4th and 8th graders attending private and public schools. According to the NCES study, students attending private schools performed better than students attending public schools.…

Historically documents the life and education of Mary Antin from her suffering as a victim of anti-semitism in Russia to her freedom and acceptance in America. Discusses her literary publications which document her development and self-discovery. Explores her experiences as a Jew in early twentieth-century America. (JS)

Describes the schools established and operated by the Dutch Reformed Church in the Netherlands from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Contends that the neo-Calvinists created a form of moral education consistent with their religious beliefs. Argues that ordinary citizens were still broadened intellectually and socially by these schools.…

This collection of five papers, each originally published in 1982 provides an overview of Amish and Conservative Mennonite history, culture, customs, child rearing views, and educational practices. "Amish/Mennonite History: A Brief Look" traces the history of these two churches from the Reformation to their split from the main Anabaptist…

Chapter 12 in a book on school law focuses on religious activities within the schools. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that bible reading and prayer recitations are not permissible. However, objective study of religion as history or literature or the study of comparative religions would be acceptable. The Court has given approval for excusal from…

The first words of the first of the rights guaranteed to Americans in the Bill of Rights are, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Despite the obvious general intent of these words, doubts remain about specific applications of the law. The permissible relationship…

Describes various research results on the benefits of cooperative learning. Also addresses the shift of Catholic school education toward cooperative learning, reflecting the civic-minded nature of Catholic doctrine and values. (YKH)

This paper discusses present forms of traditional Islamic (Quranic) education in Morocco in the light of modernization. Also considered is the potential impact of such traditional pedagogy on various cognitive abilities, whose growth is sometimes said to have been stunted by such experiences. (Author/SJL)

Explores distinctions between educational and confessional aims of religious education, examines the meanings of indoctrination, and addresses how these issues affect religious education in Scotland's nondenominational state schools. Offers an approach for meeting the requirement of religious observance in public schools that avoids both…

Describes the efforts of Cornelia Peacock Connelly to establish Roman Catholic teacher training schools and schools for poor, working girls in England. Questions whether or not religious education within a specific tradition can be liberating or merely socialization. Concludes that both liberation and socialization were the result of her efforts.…