In dealing with the current crisis in American families, this paper presupposes that the traditional model family is that of one man and one woman, married, and raising their biological children. The question addressed by this research is: How can public advocates and political representatives better approach America’s family crisis and help preserve the traditional family in the twenty-first century? The subject is no longer merely a matter of statistics, but religious leaders, educators, and public officials have entered into the discussion.

This research compared 2 groups of students and teachers in Arkansas schools to evaluate the effect of a school-wide character education program on the behavior of students, on the culture/climate and on the implementation of eleven principles of character. There were measurable differences in the observed assessment of peer behavior in students in PAR schools (school-wide character education implementation) and NONPAR schools (no school-wide character education implementation). There were measurable differences in teacher observed assessment of the culture/climate and the practice of eleven principles of character in PAR and NONPAR schools.

Theodore Roosevelt believed that educating a person in mind and not in morals educated a menace to society and that all other problems derived from the lack of morals taught in public schools.
Historical sources tell us that from Plato to Dewey, philosophers attempted to transform the way people thought, acted, interacted, and educated. Intellectual elites assumed the role of educating rulers, transmitting certain philosophical ideas, and redirecting culture.

Every historical era included a struggle for power over people’s ideas; twenty-first century America was no exception.

Serious problems in the Arkansas public education system were documented through quantitative studies, national standards test comparisons, and professional assessment reports (Melvenon and Thorn 2001). Test scores were below national standards, incidences of conduct referrals were high, remediation rates for college freshmen reached 57% in 2003, and college drop-outs rose to over 70% the same year. State educators encouraged character education in Arkansas schools and five schools received grants for character education implementation in the 2000-2001 school year (www.aredu.gov).

Character education data, math and literacy scores, and free/reduced lunch percentages were used for comparison in this paper.

Literature delineated current research in the area of ethics education and character development for students in public schools. In to place the problem in the context of existing literature concerning ethics and character education, books, journal articles and recent studies in elementary and adult educational settings were included. The review consisted of works published primarily after 1990, although classic works demanded consideration for historical emphasis. The review was comprehensive, but not exhaustive in its examination of the subject of ethics and character education. Resource material was obtained from libraries at the following institutions: Oxford Graduate School, Dayton, Tennessee; Oxford University, Oxford, England; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas; Arkansas Tec University, Russellville, Arkansas; Bryan College, Dayton, Tennessee; Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel; Jerusalem University College, Jerusalem, Israel and numerous community college libraries.

The very existence of the small democratic Jewish nation of Israel

thriving amidst a sea of Islamic dictatorships is truly a modern day miracle.

Emerging from the ashes of the Shoah1 this ragtag group of people was to

ascend to the heights in every area of expertise and professionalism ranging

from entertainment to cosmetology to science. In the inspiring words of Mark

Twain as recorded in Harper’s magazine in September 1899 he said “If the

statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one quarter of one percent of the

human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of stardust lost in the blaze of

the Milky Way. Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of; but he is heard

of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other

people, and his importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallest

of his bulk. His contributions to the world list of great names in literature,

science, art, music, finance, medicine and abstruse learning are also way out

of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight

in this world, in all ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him”

(Silbiger 2000). The intention of this discourse was to explore the role of the

miraculous in the founding and formation of the modern State of Israel through the vehicle known as Zionism2.

1 Hebrew word for holocaust

2 A word denoting the movement dedicated to the establishment of a Jewish home land

The mythological tales of many of our Western cultures seem to ring with an overwhelming similarity to the stories contained within the Hebrew Scriptures1. The influence of the Jewish people and their stories is a play well rehearsed throughout every nation under heaven, this influence can be seen in every field of expertise from medicine to farming and most importantly, to faith. The purpose of this paper was to explore the plausibility of the Jewish people being the basis of much of Greco-Roman mythology.

As is the case with almost every literary genre, the historical setting and the time period of the text being studied are of paramount importance to the understanding the original intent of the author. The purpose of this writing was to explore the importance of apocalyptic literature of both the first century before and during the Common Era and how it interacted within the New Testament milieu.