Accelerated schools strive to bring at-risk students into the educational mainstream and perform at grade level through acceleration rather than remediation. Describes four steps to initiate the accelerated process and how a Texas middle school involved all members of the school community in implementing the first two steps, taking stock and…

Presents the results of a case study of 9- to 11-year-olds' understanding of nationalism and collective identity in Scotland. Compares the responses of mostly-white Edinburgh students with those drawn from a multiethnic cohort from English schools. Examines the policy implications of these results. (MJP)

Compares East and West Berlin before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. Offers divergent viewpoints on German reunification from interviews of two professors: one from East Germany, the other from West Germany. Recommends that social studies classes incorporate current events such as German reunification. (CH)

Contends that E. D. Hirsch's book, "Cultural Literacy," is not a work of scholarship but one of dogma and persuasion. Discusses Hirsch's views in relation to democratic values, the national culture, and both public and private education. Concludes that Hirsch wants to retain public education to impose a conservative ideology. (CFR)

Examines how two dimensions of a community of urban science student learners--social-organizational and intellectual-thematic--evolved and influenced each other. Discusses the reasons why the teacher and student succeeded in developing a functional community but did not quite succeed in developing shared understandings in science. Contains 34…

This article reviews literature on whole-school approaches to behaviour management in order to address these questions: How is a whole-school approach to behaviour management defined in the literature? What are the key principles that make a whole-school approach effective? What are the key systems that make a whole-school approach effective? Is…

The goal theory of achievement motivation maintains that the goals stressed by schools influence children's self-efficacy and willingness to try hard. This paper examines the applicability of goal theory to a Navajo school and community and widens the focus to encompass a range of potential culturally relevant goals. Interviews were conducted at…

This study examined the quality and characteristics of black families in South Africa. The research focused on three areas: values and norms regarding marriage and family life, the deterioration of traditional and parental authority, and parenting skills. The fieldwork was done during the years 1988-1990 and consisted mostly of group interviews…

Fifty-two families of students successful in public school and 40 families of students requiring alternative school programs completed self-report instruments on their perceptions of parent-adolescent communication and family functioning. The alternative school programs included residential and day treatment programs for adolescents with emotional…

Research regarding the antecedents and consequences of faculty cultures was surveyed, based primarily on computer searches of ERIC (1966-79), "Sociological Abstracts" (1963-79), and "Psychological Abstracts" (1967-79). Faculty cultures is used to refer to work-related perceptions, norms, and values that are shared by some or all of the teachers…

The place of the English language in contemporary Africa is changing. English has spread rapidly, but, at the same time, the indigenous languages have remained and have grown in strength because of an increase in population and an awakening of national consciousness. A developing country must have a national language, whether English or native, to…

The primary purpose of this book is to present a synthetic account of the sociocultural system of the Spanish Americans in New Mexico. Historical as well as contemporary materials have been used to describe previously existing structures and to illustrate the processes of change. The background study consisted primarily of a systematic review of…

This paper presents a case study focusing on community among students in a distance learning program, the Syracuse University (New York) Master of Library Science-Independent Study Degree Program (MLS-ISDP). During July 1998, the researcher conducted interviews with Syracuse University faculty and staff involved in developing and administering the…

Presents a lesson plan that not only illuminates a little-known incident in Asian American history but also questions how history is constructed and communicated. Provides an excellent historical account of the draft resistance movement within the Nisei internment camps during World War II. Includes handouts and discussion questions. (MJP)

Recognizing the diversity in Kenya, examines education's goal to promote national unity. Analyzes three government policy initiatives, derived from the Mackay, Ominde, and Gacathi reports, based on psychological, cultural, and economic definitions of what constitutes a nation. Resolves the confusion in educational policy intended to promote and…