Distinguishes between voluntary minorities or immigrants and involuntary minorities who came to another culture against their will or as refugees. Also distinguishes between primary cultural differences that existed before two cultures met and secondary differences that arose after contact. Argues that involuntary minorities have difficulty with…

Emphasizes that culture should be defined to incorporate family, familial and community environments, and social norms. Discusses the way in which environmental norms enter into processes of individual development, and the application of the norms to the school achievements of African-American children. (RJC)

Demonstrates how minority "group" behaviors and beliefs can have complex and powerful effects on individual learning in the classroom. (HTH)

Educational Anthropology has sought to explain performance differences between groups of students. The real issues are not language, cognitive style, or upbringing. Instead, the differences have to do with unequal educational opportunity, the relationship between minority and majority groups, and the lack of encouragement for minorities in the…

Two contrasting educational responses to cultural diversity are discussed. One is a core curriculum education movement and the other is a multicultural education movement. It is argued that neither of these responses will have an appreciable effect on the school-learning problems of minorities who have not traditionally done well in school.…

This book addresses the black-white achievement gap from an ethnographic, qualitative perspective. By focusing on middle class black students and documenting their experiences, it demonstrates that the problems black students encounter in school are much more pervasive than the literature and prevailing wisdom suggest and that class-based analyses…

Identifies different types of minorities (i.e., autonomous, immigrant or voluntary, and nonimmigrant or involuntary) and suggests that immigrant minorities are more successful in school and society than involuntary minorities because they view cultural and language differences as barriers to overcome, whereas involuntary minorities develop new,…

Discusses how culture affects minority school adjustment and academic performance and its influence on social mobility. The author proposes the use of a cultural frame of reference as a new level for analysis of the cultural problems that confront minority students at school. (GR)

Argues that neither the core curriculum nor the multicultural education approach to school reform adequately addresses the problems of minority groups who traditionally have not done well in school. The crucial issue in cultural diversity and learning is the relationship between minority cultures and the U.S. mainstream. (SLD)