Education

For the Betterment of the World provides an illustration of the Bahá’í community’s ongoing process of learning and action in the field of social and economic development.

Transformative Leadership: Developing the Hidden Dimension teaches readers about the inner qualities, attitudes, and values that equip a leader to catalyze transformation. This companion Study Guide helps put those principles into practice. Chapter by chapter, key concepts are translated into practical tools for mastery. Using thought provoking questions, individual and group activities, as well as processes for ongoing learning, the capabilities to affect personal and institutional transformation are simplified into actions we can all take to remake our lives, our communities, and our organizations.

Often leadership is considered to be the exclusive calling of a few. In contrast, transformative leadership indicates how we can all show leadership at home, at school and in the organizations to which we belong, without the need of authority or a formal position as the head of a group. Transformative leadership puts emphasis on the interaction between personal and social transformation and focuses on the nobility in each human being, promoting an attitude of service, and a commitment to moral values freely chosen by each person. Faced with the tremendous challenges that characterize this stage of human history, transformative leadership gives youth an idea of what they can do to build a better world –- starting wherever they are.

Most books on leadership focus on skills - those visible aspects of leaders that garner applause, accolades and awards. This book is concerned with what is usually overlooked - the invisible aspects - ones that may never get noticed but without which a leader can never be truly great. This book is concerned with that inner dimension that not only enhances important skills, but determines if the leader will choose to forgo self-interest for the common good. It is those inner qualities, attitudes, and values that equip a leader to accept personal sacrifice in order to catalyze transformation. These are the leaders we need today.

This book is a valuable reflection on forty years of effort on a wide variety of development projects undertaken in Guyana. The projects primarily focused on education (including special education) and health initiatives, with the ultimate aim being not simply to help others but to empower local people and communities to take on active, leadership roles in their lives and communities. These projects were inspired by the vision and teachings of the Bahá’í Faith about spiritual empowerment and social transformation, and their practical application is explored with a view to learning about grassroots development.

This book is the story of Harlem Prep: Transforming Dropouts into Scholars.

From its founding in 1967, the Harlem Preparatory School attracted the attention of educators in New York City and elsewhere for its innovative educational philosophy and process. Harlem Prep was guided by progressive education principles that promoted individual responsibility and dignity, and community engagement. This book recounts the story of Harlem Prep as an independent charter school as told by its former assistant headmaster.