What do anthropologists of education do? Many observers think that we provide quick glosses on what various "cultures"--typically racialized, ethnic, and national-origin groups--"do" in schools. Herve Varenne and I each name an alternative form of analysis that we think should be central to the subfield. Varenne argues that…

This essay, based on field observation and interviews centered in California, examines the aims and activities of both school ethnographers and school administrators, concluding that the methods and resources of the former could greatly benefit the latter. (DM)

A comprehensive annotated bibliography contains 108 items including books, journal articles, children's books illustrative of educational materials in China, government reports, research reports, newspaper stories, ERIC documents, and articles from the popular press. The listed items have been published over a broad span of time ranging from the…

Social studies educators are encouraged to apply anthropological research to their understanding of classroom dynamics and the learning process. In 11 propositions, the contributions of anthropology to more effective teaching are explored. For each of these propositions, there are a number of relevant research questions to guide classroom…

Articles that are concerned with ethnographic studies of schooling and learning in order to discuss the contribution of ethnographic inquiry to teacher education are reviewed. The first section of the paper divides the literature on the ethnography of schooling and learning into three types: (1) articles that address theoretical and methodological…

The study of education is such an important undertaking it should be a regular part of the curriculum for all students, not just those preparing to be teachers. An ideal syllabus would comprise four main areas of education, interconnected with aspects of four disciplines. The areas would be: education's relation to the culture and subcultures;…

This article describes Mr. Jewel's art history class--one of three art history classes whose curriculum organization, teaching methods, geographic range of materials, and level of content abstraction were studied using the educational criticism approach. Mr. Jewell's activities as a role model emerged as the major focus of this observation. (SJL)

An ethnographic project to develop a model for an ethnic studies program based on community education, community involvement, and a study of community history is described. The project took place in New Harmony, Indiana, a town of 600-700 persons with a strong European heritage, especially German. Part of the project staff was selected from the…

Undergraduate education majors should be given opportunities to conduct ethnographic research as a part of their preservice training. Programs at the University of Utah and the University of Wisconsin (Madison) illustrate ways to use such an approach. (Author/PP)

Based on more than three years of in-depth research, this book tells the stories of a small group of Latino and Latina students attending a predominantly White high school in a rural area of southeast Michigan. The book takes readers inside the hallways and classrooms of Addison High and into the homes and neighborhoods of Spanish-speaking…

It is proposed that professional preparation programs for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers can help teachers become better cultural observers by drawing on their prior experiences in developing perceptions about their own culture and the classroom culture. A theoretical framework and its application in one ESL teacher education program…

Using ethnographic methods of field work and data analysis, this study investigated one example of a comprehensive senior high school to illuminate the nature of its organizational structure and the way in which organizational control and leadership is exercised. Three principal findings emerged from theme analysis of the data. First,…

Research in educational administration needs a coherent empirical base for a comprehensive, ecologically valid theory of administration. This paper describes Roger Barker's Behavior Setting Theory and promotes it as a broad-based conceptual framework for research on educational administration. (Author/TE)

This paper defends Gulick's and Urwick's "classical" principles of organization against March and Simon's influential attack 20 years ago. Citing the Doyle/Newbould case for marketing, the author contends that the significance of "myth" and "ritual" in ordering experience and action in educational organizations should be fully explored. (TE)

Maintains that there are several large collections of educational materials that reflect the historical development of textbooks and curriculum guides. Describes major collections at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), the Center for Research Libraries in Chicago, Harvard University, and Teacher's College, Columbia University. (CFR)