Books: Culture Wars, Common Dreams, Passionate Teachers

It would be a mistake to conclude that these mentors are a bunch of wild-eyed social activists. Rather, what came through clearly in the interviews was a quieter sense of confidence and commitment. The mentors knew the problems their students faced; they understood how to help the students overcome them; they believed they had the skills to assist the students; and they were committed to doing so.

And this brings us to the most unexpected finding of our interviews with the mentors. They each assisted their "mentees" in different ways. There was no one approach to their work and no general formula about the sequence of actions they took. The mentors' approaches could be classified as autobiographical--that is, the mentors sought to copy what had worked in their own lives and to avoid passing on what had not. ...

On the other hand, the mentors were exactly alike in another respect: Although they took different approaches and engaged in varied activities, they had similar ideas and shared common perspectives. For example, they thought biculturally. They felt that they could make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged people, and they were committed to doing so. They believed that education was the key to social mobility and that the American Dream...