This report summarizes and draws implications from a two-year pilot program in which 12 elementary school principals received training designed to help them become more effective leaders in their own school settings. The goal of the program was to enable participating principals to define and enact the leadership roles best suited to their…

This book attempts to show how schools can go about humanizing their own processes and procedures. It takes the view that schools are complex social systems and that systematic changes--not merely changes in individual attitudes--are required to realize humanization. From this "systems" point of view, the most powerful tool for developing…

The person who considers himself an educational leader must be able to do more than merely hold the position. The power of position cannot be ignored, but by itself, that power is inadequate. The leader must be able to develop insights and talents for delegating authority while looking at alternatives in any situation, communicating effectively,…

Certain issues are cited as the most difficult in secondary education. These include the failure to provide equal educational opportunity; the establishment of school programs that are throught to be irrelevant or that treat student populations as homogeneous entities; unyielding bureaucracies; and a lack of opportunity for parent, student, and…

A citizen-based, long-range goal-setting program for future growth and development is documented in this report. The program spanned over two years in time, involved over 1,100 local citizens, and produced goals and policy guidelines for both the short- and long-range future of the city. The components of the process consisted of staff and support…

Pakistan is an underdeveloped country, full of socio-economic problems where a few oppress and exploit many. One of the most significant reasons, in this context, is the high illiteracy rate in the country. However, can high literacy rates guarantee peace, prosperity, and justice in any society? Clearly, not. There are several countries where the…

World reaction to the 1995 release from house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader and founder of the major opposition party in Burma (now Myanmar), indicates significant change in international relations, specifically in the international political system. The total sovereign states today (249) have increased, as have system "rules"…

This book focuses on the Wannsee Conference (Berlin, Germany, 1943) where Germany's "learned men" gathered to work out a "final solution" for the Jewish "problem." It addresses the issue of what had gone wrong with the education system when the men attending this conference (who had received its highest degrees) could…

This book examines the philosophical foundations of adult education (AE). The following topics are discussed: philosophy of AE (philosophy and action in theory and practice and philosophy for adult educators); liberal AE (historical development, liberal education and the educated person, broad scope, process, liberal education of adults, Great…

This paper describes a non-aversive behavior management approach called gentle teaching and details supportive techniques of the approach. Principles of gentle teaching are explained, including unconditional valuing of individuals (shown by verbal valuing, gestural valuing, and physical valuing); value reciprocation; and behavioral involvement…

Taken from the author's doctoral dissertation, this award-winning monograph describes a method for humanizing educational research in adult education and provides five stories of adult education efforts in the 1930's as examples of such research. The method described suggests valuing qualitative data as much as quantitative in the field of…

All research on curriculum development incorporates implicit assumptions about the nature of persons and the nature of learning. These assumptions fall into two major categories: (1) psychological assumptions, based on empirical descriptions; and (2) logical (conceptual) assumptions, which give explanatory accounts of meaning. Most curriculum…

One of five papers discussing the humanistic model used in the training of reading teachers at City College of New York, this paper deals with procedures used to sensitize students to their own behavior as they work with urban children. The procedures described involve role play and simulations that allow potential teachers to identify their…

Broadly conceived, social impacts refer to all changes in the structure and functioning of patterned social ordering that occur in conjunction with an environmental, technological, or social innovation or alteration. Departing from the usual cost-benefit analysis approach, a new methodology proposes conducting social impact assessment grounded in…

This paper introduces a note of caution about oversubscribing to rational game theory models of analysis at the expense of humanistic inquiry. Although game theory provides a useful tool for the explanation of rational alternatives in given social situations, it should not replace humanistic inquiry. "Good" decision-making in game theory usually…