When considering the current state of public discourse about diversity, inclusion, and free speech, Pareena G. Lawrence begins this article on two hopeful notes: First, Americans celebrate diversity more fervently than their peers in other countries, and second, we've gotten through divisive times in our national history before. In the hope that…

The present study investigated the production of the speech act of disagreement among Tunisian non-native students of English and American native speakers of English. Discourse completion test (DCT) was used to elicit disagreement strategies by the informants. Non-native informants produced a total of 376 acts and native informants produced 395…

Extension professionals facilitate community development through the strategic manipulation of learning and power in peer-to-peer learning partnerships. We discuss the relationship between empowerment and power, highlight relevant literature on the difficulties power presents to learning and the efficacy of service learning tools to facilitate…

We used the Student Friendship Perception Survey (SFPS) (Hamre-Nietupski, Hendrickson, Nietupski, & Shokoohi-Yekta, 1993; Hendrickson, Shokoohi-Yekta, Hamre-Nietupski, & Gable, 1996) to examine the opinions of 656 American and 289 Iranian high school students (13-18 years old, M = 15.0 and 15.5, respectively) in inclusive settings…

Describes the journalism sister school links established between Davenport Central High School (Iowa) and the American International School in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the Fredrico Jorge Logemann School in Brazil. (RS)

We explore the roots of tolerance for immigration-related diversity from a political socialization perspective. Among rural adolescent respondents, we find that attitudes toward immigrants are surprisingly variable along a number of important dimensions: anticipated socioeconomic status, family longevity in the community, and employment in…

In one Iowa school district's (state mandated) global education program, students contemplate (1) their roles and stakes in world issues; and (2) ways to pursue dreams and desired outcomes through available governmental and nongovernmental avenues. A sidebar describes the Odyssey of the Mind international problem-solving competition. (MLH)

The experiences of two college journalism exchange students illustrate some of the differences between American and British journalism. (RL)

Many rural Midwestern communities are experiencing rapid growth in Latino populations with low rates of health insurance coverage, limited financial resources, language and cultural differences, and special health care needs. We report on 2-day site visits conducted in 2001 and 2002 in 3 communities (Marshalltown, Iowa; Great Bend, Kansas; and…

This study investigated the perceptions of African American adult family members, their children, and teachers regarding how family members viewed their roles in assisting their elementary-aged children to become better readers. The study compared each of the subgroups' perceptions respectively regarding: (a) the child's reading level; (b) family…

There has been a recent upsurge of interest in Iowa in educational equity, particularly for minorities, women, children for whom standard English is a second language, and children with physical and mental disabilities. Political and educational sensitivity has led from a de-emphasis on defects and disadvantage to an emphasis on differences and…

This guide from Iowa is intended to: clarify changes in the state's new rules on special education; make the state's definition of mental disability operational; provide practical guidelines on preferred practices for determination of mental disability and the need for special education services; and highlight prescriptive assessment practices…

When educators lack the knowledge, understanding and acceptance of their students' language and culture, especially when it differs from their own, a huge mismatch can and often does occur between school and home. What happens to African American children who are raised speaking Black English but schooled in standard English? How do teachers help…

Iowa teachers reflect on some of their experiences in teaching English as a second language to children of Indo-Chinese refugees who have settled in that state. Teachers must bridge the cultural gap between the child and his/her new nation. (PP)

The second phase of a three-phase study undertaken in Iowa provided a detailed analysis of the adult basic education/English-as-a-Second-Language (ABE/ESL) population. Objectives were to determine student motivation, segment the ESL population into groups based on group behavior, segment the population into groups based on ethnicity, and describe…