A program designed to serve culturally different gifted elementary students in the Omaha (Nebraska) Public Schools is described. Following a brief rationale, information on the program's identification procedures lists 12 typical characteristics of culturally diverse gifted students. Possible program approaches are delineated, including (1)…

The administration and faculty of Carthage College (a four-year liberal arts college with a primarily white, middle class student body and faculty) instituted the Heritage Studies Program to promote multiculturalism through writing across the curriculum. The four-semester sequence required of all first- and second-year students was approved by the…

As one views the interface of American and other cultures in international business, the first and most vivid impression is a lack of awareness of cultural differences. Persons are assigned to foreign duty with little if any briefing about the culture they will enter. Two approaches to improving the handling of international business are…

The paper, originally given at a 1986 Ethnic and Multicultural Symposium, attempts to provide a practical frame of reference for understanding and appreciating the similarities and differences among Asian Americans. Discussed are immigration and settlement history as well as acculturation (types of acculturation and factors influencing…

Education and training of management personnel in developing nations have been patterned after the American system. Unfortunately, efforts at transplanting such knowledge has neglected the cultural nuances unique to the various nations, resulting in incomplete success. Intercultural communication barriers can be posed by such cultural features as…

To develop and implement diversity initiatives in the university community requires the effective implementation of initiatives in many areas. Diversity leaders should be cognizant of institutional values and attitudes and the vision espoused by the university's president. The diversity leader should inform the university community about…

This paper documents the development of community mental health (CMH) in New Zealand and makes comparisons with the United States. It is argued that the present New Zealand situation bears some similarity to that existing in the United States during the 1960's. The ideology of 'community mental health' is gaining popularity among professional and…

Included in Israel's population is a culturally disadvantaged group comprised primarily of immigrants and their children from non-European backgrounds such as North African and Middle Eastern countries. This group has shown a lower level of educational achievement than their European counterparts, and a number of education and social policies have…

This keynote address states that early intervention services must consider more than professional analyses in their planning. It describes findings from focus group discussions with Latino families of children with disabilities, emphasizing the need to match early intervention services with parent expectations and goals, and the need for services…

The papers in this conference proceedings on the educational needs of Indochinese students concern the following issues: Indochinese refugee resettlement, educational barriers in Vietnamese and Laotian culture and language, basic ESL principles and ESL techniques in teaching content areas, and models for developing programs for the education of…

This paper identifies and explores three major factors that affect the career choices of African Americans. First, the future of the American employment market is strongly based in technology, yet approximately two-thirds of the African American population reported their level of education at high school completion and lower. Second, African…

This paper discusses the context of indigenous language education in western Canada, the hope of language revitalization, and the role of the Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute (CILLDI) in reclaiming and stabilizing these languages. CILLDI was established in 1999 by a collective of language advocates and educators who…

Several studies have shown that public schools in the United States are staffed with counselors and teachers who have a limited cultural understanding of black and other minority students. Moreover, racist attitudes have permeated all levels of the educational system, preventing the development of programs that would help black students to attain…

This paper describes a multi-faceted approach to improving student retention at an urban public university. It is noted that the students at this institution are older, working people; few live on campus and participate in what would be considered traditional student experiences. The paper examines the physical setting and external environment;…

The French-speaking population of Quebec constitutes a small, isolated island in the midst of an English-speaking world. The cultural survival of its six to seven million inhabitants depends upon the quality of its educational system. In the last few years, however, the balance of this system has been upset by a number of factors and the…