This project was designed to develop a model for teaching general music methods for elementary/early childhood education majors using musics of diverse cultures as discrete and infused entities, integrated across the curriculum. The proposed model's primary goal was to develop student awareness of sources of culturally diverse music and related…

A mail survey was conducted of 149 students (grades 4-8) with special needs in 19 school systems in inner city, suburban, and rural settings to determine their knowledge of cultural diversity and to identify their educational needs in this area. Results are organized around the seven areas of multicultural emphasis in the survey: (1) knowledge of…

A collection of three excerpted stories is provided in this paper about cross-cultural communication. The paper presents excerpts from papers written as assignments by teacher/students in a course about first and second language development. In the paper's first excerpt, Angela Jordahl tells about her involvement with Kurdish students in a…

Questions addressed in this paper include: what it means to be a successful teacher in poor, urban, ghetto areas; whether schools of education can prepare white, middle-class young men and women to be successful teachers in such areas; and if it is possible to prepare them, how to do it. Two case examples illustrate some unique challenges found in…

In the Northwest, as across the rest of the United States, the basic characteristics of the U.S. household are changing. In demographic and economic terms, the Northwest is at the forefront of changes predicted for the entire country in the coming century. Urbanization is occurring in a region that was once defined by the relationship of human…

To make public education more democratic and to move toward greater social justice and inclusivity, it is necessary to respect diversity, and to examine difference and identity in the contexts of materiality and social class. Social theory must be built to integrate racism and sexism with class relations and illuminate how oppressive structures…

This issue of "Media & Values" explores the influence of mass media on the perceptions about cultural pluralism and ethnic diversity in society. The essays present various interpretations of that influence and the implications for the society. Articles include: (1) "Promoting Pluralism" (Joseph Giordano; Irving M. Levine); (2) "Does TV Shape…

This paper reports on the development of a school-based Afrocentric intervention for middle school male adolescents who are at risk for academic failure or underachievement. The intervention combined the principles of the rites of passage movement within African American communities and current thinking on the process of second culture acquisition…

This report highlights 11 family support programs that are serving one of the fastest growing groups in the United States--the Latino population. The programs described in this report differ from each other in terms of their structures and the types of families and communities served. They represent a range of geographic areas and vary in terms of…

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was used to identify simililarities and significant differences in the learning style preferences of secondary students from two cultures. A second purpose of the study was to identify gender differences in learning style within and across these two cultures. A total of 103 African Americans from a high…

This study aims to understand the special needs of Asian Americans with developmental disabilities living in the Chicago (Illinois) metropolitan area. Findings are intended to help service delivery systems meet the needs of this population through culturally effective services. The study acknowledges that there are differences among Asian ethnic…

This final report describes activities and achievements of Project Relationship, a Los Angeles (California) program designed to support the successful inclusion of young children with disabilities and challenging behaviors in publicly funded child care settings. During the 3 years of model development and 2 years of model refinement and…

An ethnographic study observed a kindergarten classroom community, as "Peley" (of Southeast Asian origin) and "Raji" (of Indian origin) interacted with students and staff to develop their English literacy. Data included field notes collected at home and at the suburban, central New York elementary school. In-depth interviews…

A study investigated the attitudes of Japanese breastfeeding mothers in the South Bay area in Los Angeles. The sample consisted of 20 Japanese mothers over the age of 18 who were born in Japan, who recently came to the United States, and whose youngest child has been breastfed for at least 6 months. Subjects were interviewed in their native…

This essay argues that some proponents of multicultural education (ME) appear to teach intolerance of certain kinds of speech. The essay argues, in support, the down-playing of tolerance in ME as cultural respect, accommodation, and harmony are stronger candidates as virtues. The essay goes on to point out that ME does not teach cultural…