(1999). Teachers' Views of the Nature of Multicultural Literacy. A study used focus groups to determine what teachers from a variety of settings think should be the multicultural content of literacy courses for preservice teachers. The three focus groups consisted of a total of 22 preschool through high-school teachers, all of whom taught, or had taught, in culturally and/or linguistically diverse settings. The groups were asked to respond to two questions: What is the nature of multicultural literacy? and What implications does this have for the teaching of preservice literacy classes? Field notes were taken and the sessions were tape recorded. General categories of the content of the discussion were developed for each group, and then comparisons were made across groups. Multicultural literacy for most of these teachers could be broken down into two ideas–what counted as multicultural, and how ethnic and linguistic diversity affected learning. Some teachers had wider definitions than others, but for almost all of them the result of their… [PDF]
(2001). Preparing Principals To Lead in the New Millennium: A Response to the Leadership Crisis in American Schools. There are about 80,000 public school principals in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be a 10 percent increase in the employment of educational administrators of all types through 2006. The National Association of Elementary School Principals estimates that more than 40 percent of principals will retire or leave their positions during the next 10 years. As the need for principal leadership increases, the pool of qualified candidates is decreasing, particularly in urban districts. In an effort to uncover what effective leadership is all about, policymakers are seeking to answer three questions: (1) What kind of educational leaders do we need? (2) Where do we find them? and (3) How do we prepare principals to lead? This report considers solutions to these questions using the notion of shared leadership as a philosophical basis. These solutions would result in new standards of school organization, creating a shift in roles, responsibilities, and… [PDF]
(1998). Teaching Asian America: Diversity and the Problem of Community. This collection of essays examines the wide range of approaches and emphases within the teaching of Asian American Studies (AAS), offering constructive insights into the tensions between diversity and community and into the different dimensions of AAS. After an introduction by L. R. Hirabayashi, the anthology is divided into two parts. Part 1, "Embracing Diversities," includes the following essays: (1) "Queer/Asian American/Canons" (D.L. Eng); (2) "Teaching Asian American History" (G.Y. Okihiro); (3) "'Just What Do I Think I'm Doing?' Enactments of Identity and Authority in the Asian American Literature Classroom" (P.A. Sakurai); (4) "The Case for Class: Introduction to the Political Economy of Asian American Communities in the San Francisco Bay Area" (B. Kobashigawa); (5)"Critical Pedagogy in Asian American Studies: Reflections on an Experiment in Teaching" (K. Osajima); (6) "Unity of Theory and Practice: Integrating…
(1983). Measuring the Child Quality of Life: Issues and Options. A Child Quality of Life Index (CQLI) should be developed in order to realize three objectives: (1) to raise the consciousness of decision makers, prospective donors, field workers, and community members concerning the needs of children; (2) to assist field workers and community members in planning specific programs to meet the priority needs of local children; and (3) to promote enhanced coordination and communication among organizations working to address the needs of children, their families, and communities. Available options for formulating a CQLI include a modified physical quality of life index, normative and non-normative micro-assessment tools, and a combination of micro and global approaches. Concerning (1) sub-scales for age groups, (2) multiple indicators in a small number of sectors, (3) selection of measures, (4) equity considerations in developing countries, (5) practicality, (6) selection of indicators most amenable to intervention strategies, (7) identification of… [PDF]
(2001). Add It Up: Using Research To Improve Education for Low-Income and Minority Students. This guide explains how low-performing schools can become high-achieving ones, using information from studies of Title I schools. It presents practical ideas from these schools and communities as well as the research base behind their success. The nine chapters are (1) \Five Steps to a Good Start\ (e.g., help parents understand how children's social and learning abilities develop); (2) \Four Steps for Setting the Course\ (e.g., set academic success of all students as the school's mission); (3) \Five Ways To Serve Families and Thus Help Students Succeed\ (e.g., use nontraditional forms of communication to reach out to parents); (4) \Five Ways To Assure Quality Teaching\ (e.g., hold teachers responsible for student achievement); (5) \Four Essentials for Setting and Supporting High Standards\ (e.g., create small learning environments); (6) \Six Ways to Tell If Your School Is Serious about Teaching Reading and Math\ (e.g., emphasizing pre-reading skills in preschool and kindergarten);…
(1998). Compendium: Writings on Effective Practices for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners. Derived from two national multicultural symposia, this compendium focuses on an array of topics that combine research and educational practices for youth from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds with disabilities and/or gifts. Specific papers include: (1) "Parent-Involved Social Skill Instruction and the Perceptions of Children At Risk and Children with Normal Achievement and Development (Brenda L. Townsend and Richard L. Simpson); (2) "Participatory Action Research Involving Families from Underserved Communities and Researchers: Respecting Cultural and Linguistic Diversity" (Ursula Markey and others); (3) "Promoting Inclusion through Exito: An Integrated Assessment and Instruction Professional Development Model" (J. S. de Valenzuela and others); (4) "Intervention Strategies for CLD Students with Speech-Language Disorders" (Li-Rong Lilly Cheng); (5) "A Study of Effective Instructional Practices by Monolingual English Speaking and… [PDF]
(1997). Let's Ask the Students…Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia Students Talk about Schools and Change. Studies indicate that information provided by students may contribute to successful implementation of educational innovations, but educators seldom seek out student perspectives. In April and May 1997, over 160 high school students participated in 16 focus groups in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The students were primarily seniors and represented various achievement levels, career paths, extracurricular activities, genders, ethnic backgrounds, and attitudes toward school. They attended eight rural high schools in Kentucky and West Virginia, three urban school divisions in Virginia, and four suburban or small-town schools in Tennessee. The students discussed the strengths and weaknesses of block scheduling and year-round schooling, technology, school safety, quality of education, significant learning experiences, teaching, school-to-work opportunities, student activities, inclusion and diversity, parent involvement, and student voice. In general, students gave… [PDF]
(2001). Then and Now: Change for the Better?. This report investigates whether strategies employed by the United Kingdom's Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) have been effective in furthering racial equality. It examines the way that CRE strategies have responded to a range of changing conditions, and it looks at the value of this experience in shaping the CRE's future strategies. Section 1, "Racial Equality: A Changing Context," discusses immigration and race relations, Britain's ethnic minority population, and discrimination, disadvantage, and diversity. Section 2, "Combating Discrimination," highlights: 1977-84 (testing the law), 1985-93 (promoting equal opportunities), and 1993-00 (campaigning for equality). Section 3, "Good Race Relations: Conditions for Equality," discusses challenging racial harassment and majority prejudice, supporting representation and inclusion, and scrutinizing state activity. Section 4, "A New Regulatory Framework," examines pressures on government, the… [PDF]
(1995). The Landscape Transformed: A Law-Related Interdisciplinary Approach to Multicultural Education. A Study for the Klingenstein Program. This project paper for the 1994-95 Klingenstein Fellows Program at Teachers College, Columbia University (New York), examines the philosophical and pedagogical underpinnings of an interdisciplinary law-related curriculum for secondary students. The proposed interdisciplinary law-related curriculum focuses on issues of human rights, civil liberties and environmental justice to advance multicultural and global perspectives necessary for citizens of the 21st century. Its goals are for students to be comfortable with cultural diversity, work to achieve social justice internationally, and advance social inclusion of diverse groups within our pluralistic democracy. The curriculum is based on constructivist principles and is intended to provide students opportunities to examine real-life problems in anchored instructional situations; to develop reflective skills, attitudes, and values; and to use their intellectual knowledge in moral, ethical, or political contexts. Part 1 of this paper… [PDF]
(1990). A Teacher's Portfolio–What Is Necessary and Sufficient? (A High School Biology Unit Plan as an Example.). Unit plans presented by 18 high school biology teachers as part of portfolios designed to represent their work were compared. Portfolios are increasingly being considered in the assessment of master teachers, beginning teachers, and preservice teacher candidates. The research staff of the Stanford University Teacher Assessment Project designed a portfolio development process and guided/assisted the participants as they developed their portfolios. The 18 teachers were chosen to represent diversity in experience and work conditions among biology teachers. The unit plan, one element of the total portfolio, was rated by 16 raters from the research team and the teaching profession. Teachers who developed acceptable plans had a minimum of three types of evidence: (1) the instructional sequence; (2) justification for inclusion of the topic in the syllabus; and (3) a reasoned or descriptive reflection about the successes and failures of the unit. The difference between acceptable and… [PDF]
(2000). Learning To Integrate: The Education of Russian-Speakers in Estonia, 1918-2000. This thesis, covering the years 1918-2000, is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 reviews the interwar history of non-Estonian education with particular emphasis on the diversity of the non-Estonian population, the legislation protecting the right of minority groups to mother tongue instruction, and the inclusion of Estonian language and civics courses in the curricula of non-Estonian schools. Chapter 2 examines the Soviet period with an emphasis on population shifts, the destruction of all non-Russian minority education, and the lack of attention to Estonian language in the Russian school curriculum. This chapter considers the debates over language and education in Estonia during the "glastnost" period. Chapter 3 examines the post-communist reforms in language education with particular attention to varying conceptions of integration, the need for improved Estonian-language programs in Russian schools, resistance to governmental reform, and the lack of material and human… [PDF]
(2005). The Curriculum as a Tool for Inclusive Participation: Students' Voices in a Case Study in a Portuguese Multicultural School. European Journal of Psychology of Education, v20 n1 p29-43. Portuguese schools in urban areas became multicultural during the 90s. Some students are quite distanced from the school culture. Many repeat grades. The curriculum emerges as a means of (re)organizing school practice, so that it is designed to foster inclusion. It is a tool for social mediation between the culture and knowledge of teenagers, and academic ones. It shapes the interactions between participants, cultural tools and knowledge. The principles of inclusive schooling promote the respect for diversity, underlining the need to listen to all voices of a learning community. According to the sociocultural approach appropriating knowledge and developing competencies is a complex process. Interactive practices shape students' academic performances. Collaborative project work has been used to promote students' engagement. This action-research project developed an alternative curriculum in a class (grades 5 and 6) from a poor and multicultural school in Lisbon. A follow-up… [Direct]
(1997). Early Education Quality Improvement Project Profiles of Excellence: Exemplary Programs Serving West Virginia's Young Children and Their Families. This document describes the 25 exemplary programs serving young children and their families in West Virginia. The programs were participating in the final stages of a process for state recognition as an exemplary program by the Early Education Quality Improvement Project Committee of the Governor's Early Childhood Implementation Commission in West Virginia in 1996. Nominations for exemplary programs were submitted statewide, and the 25 programs described here were selected on the basis of an evaluation by a review committee in the following areas: parent activities, community involvement, collaborative partnerships, staff development, communicating with parents, marketing/public awareness, team planning, use of volunteers, community service, curriculum, inclusion, transition, and cultural diversity. Each of the program descriptions contains: (1) a brief description of the program and contact information; (2) ideas to share regarding programming; (3) advice from the program regarding… [PDF]
(2004). Evolution in Health and Disease: The Role of Evolutionary Biology in the Medical Curriculum. Bioscience Education e-Journal, v4 Article 3 Nov. Recent work has emphasised the relevance of evolutionary processes to medical thinking and practice. However, medical curricular revisions, in reducing basic science content, have often excluded evolution. This study establishes the extent of inclusion of evolution in UK medical courses, reports on the level of medical student rejection of evolution, and on student reactions to a special study module (SSM) approach to evolution's relevance to medicine. A questionnaire survey was sent to course directors of all UK medical schools on evolution in the curriculum. First year medical students completed a questionnaire on their acceptance or rejection of evolution. Students completing an SSM on Evolution in Health and Disease evaluated the course by questionnaire. Only 37% of responding medical schools included evolution in the curriculum. 10% of medical students surveyed did not accept long-term evolution, though most rejectors accepted that natural selection works within species…. [PDF]
(2002). Perspectives on the Community College: A Journey of Discovery. This monograph was designed to provide a comprehensive and enlightened view of the community college as it faces complicated new demands. It offers articles written by community college professionals, including the following: (1) \A Journey of Discovery\ by Albert L. Lorenzo; (2) \Organizational Readiness: Middle Age and the Middle Way\ by Cindy L. Miles; (3) \The Community College as a Learning-Centered Organization\ by Cynthia D. Wilson; (4) \The Recovery of Persons\ by Sanford C. Shugart; (5) \Cultural Diversity: Symbolism or Inclusion?\ by Sandy Sudweeks; (6) \Professional Development for a New Age\ by Rose B. Bellanca; (7) \Effecting a Successful Transition of Leadership\ by Ronald L. Baker; (8) \What the Experts Say: Leadership in Times of Uncertainty\ by Judith A. Maxson; (9) \The Evolving Community College: The Multiple Mission Debate\ by Thomas R. Bailey; (10) \Community Colleges in the Public Policy Arena\ by Katherine Boswell; (11) \Through the Looking Glass: Future… [PDF]