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What is the role of philosophy in education? This timeless question may best be answered by examining Plato's earliest dialogues in which he makes a case for philosophy as the centerpiece of education. I call this effort Plato's project for education and interpret the Apology, Crito, Charmides, Laches, Ion, Hippias Minor, Euthyphro, and Lysis as an integrated attempt to promote philosophy as education in ancient Athens. Plato accepted arete (excellence, virtue) as the proper goal of education, but his interpretation of arete as a distinctly moral quality required a new approach to education. Plato recognized that the quality in a doctor that makes her aim at what is good for her patient is distinct from the skill that enables her to choose the most effective treatment. Against traditional education, which emphasized social standing, professional skill, and the accumulation of information, Plato focused on the moral dimension of human beings and prescribed philosophy as a means for developing it. Memorization of information and tuition in practical skills may help us in our particular crafts, but it does little to improve us morally. This task must be undertaken separately through examination and reflection. Success will be judged not by one's peers, or even by one's government, but by the gods themselves who adhere to a universal idea of goodness. Plato's conception of arete as the health of the soul precipitates a new approach to education that focuses on philosophy and presents Socrates as its hero and martyr. Health of the soul, like health of the body, is something that requires constant labor and attention, and yet may never be perfected. In Plato's project, the ignorant Socrates and the dialogues themselves become indirect teachers by exhorting students to care for their souls and to appreciate the task. The promise that arete can be achieved through the pursuit of moral wisdom is given in the words and actions of Socrates. Like his ancient friends, the reader struggles to understand Socrates and from this struggle emerges philosophy: the love and pursuit of wisdom; the proper education for arete.

The allegation that students in hospital schools of nursing were exploited has not been adequately supported by research. This examination of the financial relationship between Worcester Hahnemann Hospital (WHH) and Worcester Hahnemann Hospital School of Nursing (WHHSON), from the school's founding in 1900 until both hospital and school closed in 1989, begins to fill this gap in the history of nursing education. The study explores the effects of historical events on WHHSON while focusing on the development of the educational program and the financial relationship between school and hospital. Classic and contemporary writings about nursing and nursing education, including the work of Dock and Nutting (1907), Robb (1907), Goldmark (1923), Nutting (1926), Burgess (1934), Brown (1948), Stewart (1950), Kalisch and Kalisch (1995), and Donahue (1996) were sources of contextual material. The WHHSON archives, a rich source containing letters, brochures, annual reports, yearbooks, newspaper clippings and photographs, was the primary source of data on WHH and WHHSON. The study follows Stewart's (1950) chronology of nursing education until 1932. From 1933–1989 the chronology is based on national economic events which impacted nursing education. Chapters move from the general to the particular, beginning with contextual events, continuing with developments in nursing and nursing education, and finally relating this material to developments at WHH and WHHSON. The study found that the relationship between the students and the hospital was more complex than one of simple exploitation. While WHH depended on the cheap labor of student nurses to balance its budget in the early years, students received a good education, achieved entry into nursing practice, and fulfillment of basic human needs. The hospital consistently funded educational improvements mandated by accreditation standards for WHHSON. In later years these costs were covered by insurance reimbursements and by shifting educational expenses to students. The study concluded that not only one hospital, but the whole health care system in the Worcester area was subsidized by the labor of student nurses in a relationship characterized by dependency, enmeshment, symbiosis, and synergy.

This study describes the evolution and range of goals attributed to the College of Micronesia in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). In doing so, it traces the transformation of education from community-based, traditional Micronesian activities, to missionary and Japanese schools, to American formal education, and finally, to the public school system that exists in the FSM today. It tracks the evolution of the College of Micronesia--FSM from its earliest roots in the 1950s to the present. The study includes an interview and questionnaire process that identifies numerous College roles and then asks representative student and staff groups, to evaluate each role in terms of importance. The process allowed comparisons of student and staff perceptions and examined, in-depth, the ramifications of following the eight most-highly valued College roles from each group. Although the College of Micronesia was originally conceived as a teacher education institution, it has evolved into a liberal arts institution, which by having an unclear mission, appears to fill the expectations of its different stakeholders. In all, the College was found to have 25 distinct missions; ranging from teaching English to providing manpower for national development. Two groups, students and staff, were found to view all but one of the missions as important. On the whole, student and staff were found to be in general agreement about the various missions of the College, but for different reasons. Whereas staff tended to see the College a nation-building institution, students tended to see the degrees the College offered, as a vehicle for obtaining government jobs and a higher living standard. Both groups were found to have broad ranges of expectations. The argument was made that in light of decreasing resources, the College should begin to focus its mission. In final analysis, the study sheds light on similarities and contrasts of Micronesian and American educational goals and values and illuminates difficulties of managing colleges in developing micro-states. It presents a detailed look at one of the world's least known national colleges so that its future can be plotted more systematically.

On April 18, 1989, eighteen school aged children from the metropolitan Hartford, Connecticut area, acting through their parents, commenced a civil action in the Hartford Superior Court. The suit named the State of Connecticut, constitutionally elected officials, and officials of various state commissions and agencies as defendants. The plaintiffs alleged significant constitutional violations under applicable sections of the State constitution which they believe constituted a denial of their fundamental rights to an education and rights to equal protection under the law. In the landmark civil rights decision of Sheff v. O'Neill, the Connecticut Supreme Court, on July 16, 1996, ruled that based upon these constitutional claims, the state had an affirmative obligation to provide Connecticut's school children with a substantially equal educational opportunity. This constitutionally guaranteed right encompasses the access to a public education which is not substantially and materially impaired by racial and ethnic isolation. The Court further concluded that school districting based upon town and city boundary lines are unconstitutional. The implications and potential ramifications of this decision are significant. This dissertation chronicles the events and examines the issues surrounding this landmark decision. The background contributing to the plaintiffs claims, the state's position, the historical evolution of the case, and reaction/actions and proposals to remedy and comply with the court's order are examined.

The specific purposes of this study were to identify and highlight the many and varied contributions Black people made in providing schooling for their children in the South from 1865 to 1954, and thereby, make a significant contribution to the literature on this subject. This study added weight to the historical importance Blacks have placed on the education of their children. Ignorance of this history affects how Black children are viewed, treated, taught, encouraged, or discouraged in the process of acquiring an education in this society. Fifty-one autobiographies were used as the primary data source. They spanned three major periods--Reconstruction, Post-Reconstruction and the period after World War I to the Brown decision. They were selected on the following criteria: the life of individuals who lived in the Southern region of the United States; and, individuals whose own personal experiences related to formal schooling as students, parents, teachers or community activists. This research, historical and largely descriptive, was designed to investigate the role Black parents and the Black community played in providing schooling for Black children in the South, from 1865 to 1954. These authors, in their own words, reported that their parents and communities placed high value on education and made many sacrifices in order to have their children acquire an education. It is clear from this study that the white authorities in control of the education of all children in America were primarily interested in the education of white children and this fact adversely affected the education of Black children. The research demonstrated that across the periods studied Black children did not have the same educational advantages that white school children had. Further, this study suggests the need to re-examine the issues related to why Black children are not given an equal educational opportunity. To monitor this process, Black parents, as the first teachers, must become more involved in the education of Black children. However, in order to do that the schools must bring Black parents into the system.

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