The essays in this first volume of The Journal for the Philosophical Study of Education follow an unusual flow between the personal and social, touching on the experience of teaching and the perspectives of recognized philosophers of education, and leading to broader considerations of policy discourse in education and educational administration. Thus we go from personal explorations of value and meaning (Fontaine) to studies of the effects of social policy and sociopolitical concerns on education (Howell, Loftin) to explorations of teaching (A. Johnston, O'Neill) to the significance of the works of particular philosophers and/or thinkers (G. Johnston, Kim) to international educational discourse and administrative practice (Friedrich and Lee; Bradbury, Halbur, and Halbur).