Some philosophers of education have recently argued that educators can more or less ignore children's global self-esteem without failing them educationally in any important way. This paper draws on an attachment theoretic account of self-esteem to argue that this view is mistaken. I argue that understanding self-esteem's origins in attachment…

Cites the Rockefeller Commission's findings regarding humanistic studies. Outlines steps for bringing humanism back to the humanities, e.g., by clarifying the humanities' substance and identity, elucidating a cogent and persuasive rationale for their study, and underscoring the importance of a cultural/humanistic context for vocational training.…

Suggests ways of making the coverage and structure of the academic sections of school yearbooks more creative and exciting. (RL)

Offers six organizational principles for restructuring liberal education focusing on educational coherence and commonality, institutional commitment, alternative models, undergraduate educational needs, and political responsiveness. (DMM)

The author cites reasons for having academic teachers on advisory committees: strengthens the link between academic and vocational courses and links the hands-on aspect of vocational education to academic skills. The author suggests ways to help select academic teachers for vocational advisory committees and to involve these teachers in vocational…

Discussion of school violence and student misbehavior reviews research showing that violent and unsafe student behaviors are the outcome of a predictable chain of events that begins with academic failure. The paper urges a greater emphasis on effective academic instruction in any efforts to prevent school violence and improve school safety.…

Recently, various national commissions have expressed concerns about the failure of the nation's schools to develop in students appropriate levels of competence in science and technology. As a complement to the school system, the 4-H program can be an asset for improving children's academic performance. In fact, such 4-H programs can be a second…

Criticizing a conventional view on the subject, this essay distinguishes the concept of educating an individual--that is, transmitting knowledge of any kind--from that of developing an "educated person," and discusses the implications of this distinction for schools' purposes and curricula. (MCG)

The two essays in this document address the many challenges facing liberal arts colleges today. "The Threats to Liberal Arts Colleges" (Paul Neeley), holds that the most serious threat to liberal arts colleges is not ideology or technology but instead it is the marketplace. Competition within the liberal arts sector leads the best schools to spend…

Designed as a forum for the exchange of ideas on significant issues in the humanities, this journal presents articles written by two-year college faculty in the humanities disciplines. The 1989 annual issue includes the following: (1) "Popular Literature and the American Literature Survey Course: The Case of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," by…

Social sciences in the community college are at a critical point in their history and development. Except for a few statistical aberrations, enrollment in the social sciences and humanities is declining significantly. The idea of marketing a segment of a college's or university's offerings, particularly when it is not tied to a particular problem…

Suggests that private day schools cannot imitate boarding schools in offering a full "menu" of academics, athletics, and the arts to each student. Both student interests and parental finances would be better served if these three components were separated into optional tracks, each with its own tuition cost. (SJL)

Outlines how past art education provided a refuge for students from the rigors of other academic subjects. Observes that in recent years art education has become "discipline based." Argues that art educators need to reaffirm their commitment to a humanistic way of knowing. (KM)

Since the rise of science and technology in the latter part of the last century, teachers in the humanities have experienced extreme pressure to justify the place of the humanities in a progressive, scientifically oriented culture. Critics have termed humanists variously as elitist, because they concern themselves with moral priorities rather than…

Proposes that an undergraduate core curriculum minimizes science and does not provide students with an adequate background for understanding contemporary science and technology. Critiques Harvard's science requirements in that it does not reflect the vertical or intensive nature of learning that is essential in science education. (ML)