Contrasts two models of instruction: building on ideas in shared endeavors; and transmit-and-test formats. Discusses how these contrasting formats may relate to interactional patterns observed in toddlers and caregivers in a Mayan and a middle-class European-American community; and elementary school children in Japan and the United States. (SR)

Investigated Canadian university and community college faculty's responses to increased diversity of clients of child-care centers and graduates' perceived level of preparation. Found that faculty believed that the majority of their students were not well prepared to work with diverse populations. Graduates working at child-care centers did not…

Explores assumptions teachers make when planning parent involvement strategies and barriers to family involvement that result from these assumptions. Presents two tools designed to help teachers plan and carry out successful activities by identifying family-related factors that could limit or prevent family participation and making modifications…

Analyzes the discourse between Latino immigrant parents and their children's elementary school teacher during parent-teacher conferences. Finds that parents and teachers often use different criteria to evaluate children's progress, with the teacher holding more individualistic goals for the child's development and the parents' goals being more…

This article addresses educators' ethical responsibility for recognizing the inherent dignity and worth of African American students with disabilities. It opens with a brief overview of multicultural education and continues with a three-pronged model for addressing multicultural competencies: awareness, knowledge, and skills. Strategies for…

Examines the uniqueness of the caregiving experiences of specific cultural groups. Results, based on focus group meetings with African American, Chinese American, Haitian American, Hispanic/Latino American, Korean American, and select Native American communities, revealed differences in perceptions of disability, family structure, care givers,…

Studied relations between parenting and school performance of fourth and fifth graders in 75 Asian-American, 109 Latino, and 91 European-American families. Ethnic differences emerged in parents' expectations for education attainment and grades, childrearing beliefs, perceptions of parental efficacy, and in relations between these beliefs and…

Discusses the nature of special education in Central America and the Caribbean, including policies, programs, definitions, and attitudes regarding disabilities. Also highlights factors in mainstream education that may be related to U.S. educators' perceptions of disabilities and offers recommendations for U.S. educators, especially…

This article discusses the complex belief systems and values affecting the perception of disability for families from culturally diverse backgrounds, including the influence of traditional and spiritual beliefs, beliefs about health and healing, religion, belief about folk medicine and folk healers, and expectations of a child's social roles.…

Discusses what the author has learned in her job at an elementary school in Northeast Mississippi as liaison between English-speaking school personnel and Spanish-speaking students and parents, most of whom are recent immigrants from Mexico. Discusses what the author learned, through extensive talking and questioning of students and parents, about…

Reviews competing explanations for disproportionate rates of school failure among poor, minority students, advancing a culture-centered framework that locates the problem in the complex interaction between nonmainstream students and mainstream schools. Chronic school-based inequalities exacerbate existing differences between poor and middle class…

Protective factors, needed for personal resilience, vary from culture to culture. Resilience in Native Americans is examined via an interview with a Native American social worker who quit her job over an ethical conflict. The interplay of self-concept, family, and culture in young people's development of protective factors is examined.…

The role of language and culture in the education of Europeans for a culturally diverse, global society is discussed. It is argued that a great deal must be done before education will prepare Europeans to deal with contradicting political, economic, social, linguistic, and cultural forces, particularly in the context of the European Union, in…

A study investigated the ethnocultural composition of the peer networks of 896 suburban high school students. Results indicated that gender mix, setting mix, and frequency of contact significantly differed across homogenous, integrated, and heterogeneous peer structures, demonstrating the mitigating impact of environmental factors on the interplay…

Surveys literature on adolescents with respect to the possible causes of the educational lag in Hispanic youth. Presents possible contributing factors to the education lag, including culture shock many young Hispanics experience upon entrance into school. Offers suggestions for strategies to improve attainment levels of Hispanic American Youth.…