A panel of distinguished thinkers has concluded that, in the next 25 years, higher education will face challenges that may be fatal if not successfully met. Higher education must respond by helping to solve the problems of public education, seriously addressing diversity and social integration, and making science the property of the people, not…

Compares the culture, sociology, politics, and economics of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans in the United States. Describes increased racial-ethnic national pluralism, the increased possibility of conflict between groups, and the need for dialogue and work toward coalition among these groups. (JB)

Tests the hypothesis that Japanese children demonstrate higher task persistence under non-competitive conditions than do their U.S. peers. Comparison of 107 first graders in Japan and 86 in the United States supports the study hypothesis. Type of school and student gender have no significant effect on task persistence. (SLD)

A disproportionate number of minorities are going backward, losing hope in the American dream. Bemoaning tribalization and multiculturalism does little to eliminate the economic and educational disparities that fuel them. The appropriate antidote for cultural insularity is a culture of inclusiveness infusing every facet of our society. Economic…

Discusses a comparative study of elementary school teachers in England and France that preceded the implementation of the National Curriculum in English schools. Reports differences in teaching methods, classroom organization, and teacher student relationships between the two countries. Concludes that greater focus on professional autonomy by…

Considers the general meaning of equal educational opportunity and its meaning in the context of specific policies, with an eye toward providing a philosophically grounded examination of equal educational opportunity as it applies to multicultural education. Describes how progressive liberal educational theory can meet the challenges of…

Calls for education that acknowledges the multiple perspectives of our multicultural society to build a community that is attentive to differences and open to the idea of cultural plurality. African Americans and other minority groups must be allowed to tell their own stories. (SLD)

Argues that a hegemonic ideology of superiority in the schools perpetuates the oppression of African Americans. African Americans can overcome this ideology by using their consciousness of social injustice to correct these lies and to construct new institutions that reflect self-definitions of African Americans. (SLD)

Presents a theory of the origins of a lack of cohesiveness in African-American culture based on a lack of a "social" reference resulting from the historical division of house slaves from field slaves and other efforts to keep those who shared language and culture from having contact. (JB)

Discusses how parents and teachers can encourage sensitivity in their children, providing them with tools to reach out openly to others and to be accepting regardless of differences. Specific strategies for putting differences in perspective and for making friends are offered. (SM)

Although the current debate over multicultural education largely involves the disciplines of history and literature, the social sciences hold the key to a multicultural society with a common supraculture. The social sciences are willing and more able than the humanities to confront issues central to pluralism within unity. (SLD)

The instruction offered to 68 potentially gifted preschool and primary grade students participating in a summer institute was complemented by a learning component for their parents. A common and differentiated curriculum was developed for Anglo and Hispanic parents based on their expressed expectations regarding child development. (Author/JDD)

Maintains that communicative competence is the primary way of teaching about and learning to live in a multicultural society. Asserts that multiculturalism confronts errors of educational theory and illustrates how life's struggle is always a struggle for freedom and to assume responsibility. (CFR)

This study examined the perceived ethnolinguistic vitality of Anglo-Australian and Vietnamese-Australian ethnic groups in Brisbane as measured by the modified Subjective Vitality Questionnaire (SVQ). Results of the confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the applicability of the SVQ to both high and low vitality groups. (30 references)…

Two student teachers, one completing her practicum in a rural culturally nondiverse setting and the other in an urban culturally diverse setting, expressed similar concerns about students' impoverished environments, troublesome home lives including abuse and single-parent homes, and difficulties associated with teaching a diverse group of…