As long as new programs based upon the compensatory model are advocated, and demands are made that the participants change to fit the programs, members of minority cultures will suffer. Suitable alternates to existing school admissions criteria would stop defining students in terms of deficiencies, instead focusing upon the positive aspects of…

Although the great heterogeneity of Afro-American culture makes the identification of unique culture traits extremely difficult, two cultural extremes may be discerned; most people fall somewhere between. Mainstream culture is best exemplified in the life style of middle class white America. Many Negroes strive to copy this life style in their…

The purposes of this report are to present the narrations of the slide-tape presentation "Cultural Differences in Industry," and a readers theater script "Understanding Cultural Differences," and to document and describe their development and possible use. These materials were designed as training tools for teaching cultural differences between…

This paper is concerned with conflicts which arise for students in the university setting as a result of having ethnic backgrounds different from the middle-class norm. There are a variety of ways in which an ethnic student can find himself in a classroom situation where behaviors which had evoked positive reinforcement in his subculture are now…

Analysis of an outcome-based, self-paced high school in Canada demonstrates the difficulty of changing the "grammar of schooling" even through extensive reform. The need to be seen as a successful school and the unintended consequences of pedagogical changes practically neutralized the intended reform, leaving the school's middle-class…

Analyses of standardized test scores reveal that nonurban schools are not meeting the educational needs of Black and Hispanic students. While individual nonurban schools may be superior to urban schools in preparing the majority of their students to perform well on state standardized tests, the standardized test scores of nonurban minority group…

Although often considered to be homogeneous, the Hispanic community contains many culturally diverse groups. In the United States today, those of Mexican heritage--by far the largest subgroup within the Hispanic community--can be further classified as Mexicano (undocumented resident), Mexican American, or Chicano. This classification system…

White children of the rural South are caught between two cultures--the middle class value system taught at school and the rural lower/working class values held by their parents. Differences in values and the attitudes of parents present an impediment to the children's education as well as to the successful implementation of health, education, and…

Contends that educational policy during the Reagan Administration has been characterized by restrictive attempts to reconcile cultural diversity with traditional values, while reducing federal support to public schools. Argues that a democratic education must extend excellence and equity to all citizens. (FMW)

Discusses some of the cultural differences between Hispanics and middle class Whites that may create problems in the classroom. Examines the following areas: (1) nonverbal behavior; (2) cognition and perception; and (3) values. (FMW)

The writing center is a logical setting for assisting the culturally dissonant student. Although the education of ethnic minority youth is one of the major tasks confronting American society and public higher education, teaching methods remain oriented to the values of a predominantly white middle class population. As a result, non-traditional…

EDUCATORS ARE NOT ADEQUATELY FINDING WAYS TO DEAL WITH THE DISADVANTAGED IN AMERICA. THEY ASSUME THAT THEY MUST MAKE THE DISADVANTAGED CONFORM TO AND FUNCTION IN THE DOMINANT MIDDLE-CLASS SOCIETY. HOWEVER, WHILE THE MIDDLE CLASS SEEMS TO FAVOR A HOMOGENIZATION OF ALL CULTURES, SOME MINORITY CULTURES RESIST THIS PRESSURE AND FAVOR A SOCIETY IN…

This paper defines the "invisible pedagogy," a teaching model used in British infant schools, and discusses its relationship to middle class culture, working class culture, and "visible" pedagogy. The invisible pedagogy is characterized by several features including (1) implicit rather than explicit control over the child by…

This classic report on the relationship of literature and American education is an exposition of the importance of literature to the common man in a democratic society. No artificial distinction, the authors stress, is made between literature in the vernacular and literature in foreign languages. A defense of letters leads to a discussion of…

Discusses some of the cultural and value differences between Native Americans and the dominant society that often cause discontinuity between traditional home and school life among Native American children and their families. Also discusses ways in which elementary school teachers can help Native American children achieve inner harmony between two…