The Japanese model of business management and Total Quality Management principles being applied to higher education as well as businesses are often ineffective because of the application of packaged ideas without consideration of the subtleties of individual organizations. The cowboy model of teamwork stresses the individual's role and better fits…

Reports on a study of cultural images of people in 5 nations by 24 10- to 13-year-old children of low socioeconomic backgrounds. Finds that 10-year olds focused on the thoughts and feelings of people whereas the 13-year olds included more knowledge abstracted to the country level. (CFR)

Describes the English-only effort in the Territory of Hawaii that typified the Americanization crusade that swept the United States during and after World War I. Asserts that, although the Americanizers focused on southern and eastern Europeans on the mainland, the focus on Japanese in Hawaii added overtones of racial and political discrimination.…

Five texts by Brian L. Fife (1992), Chester E. Finn and Theodor Rebarber (1992), John Godar (1990), Nathan Rutstein (1992), and Yael Sharan and Shlomo Sharan (1992) on cultural diversity and education reform emphasize the importance of cooperation, administrative decentralization, the need for critical thinking, values that provide common ground,…

Contrasts the author's experience as a public school student in Nigeria with his experiences in a public high school in a suburb of Washington (DC). In spite of poor funding, institutional bias, and cultural differences, the student believes that his Nigerian education was superior in atmosphere conducive to academic achievement. (SLD)

Describes programs and activities of the Close Up Foundation for special needs students. Explains how the experiential citizenship education activities are adapted for hearing impaired, visually impaired, recent immigrant, Native American, Alaskan Native, Puerto Rican, and Pacific Island nation students. Includes two classrom activities used in…

Discusses four ways in which clinical diagnosis can be detrimental to minority clients: (1) cultural expressions of symptomatology; (2) unreliable research instruments; (3) clinician bias; and (4) institutional racism. Recommendations to avoid misdiagnosis begin with accurate assessment of a client's history and cultural background. (SLD)

Summarizes the extent to which the literature has conceptualized poverty and self-sufficiency within the broader person-in-environment context. Findings from an ethnographic study of a multicultural community illustrate how residents redefine self-sufficiency in the context of the environment. Support is defined as a prerequisite for…

Responds to criticisms of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Columbian Quincentenary Statement. States that the statement does not claim that North American multiculturalism began with Columbus. Asserts that U.S. history needs to be integrated closely with world history to help students understand the concept of world systems. (CFR)

A statewide survey of 64 public school teachers of deaf students found that, consistent with earlier research, teachers had inadequate knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) and the role that the deaf community plays in the education of deaf children. Recommendations for preservice/inservice teacher training in ASL and current issues, such as…

The relationships among student achievement, student culture, and educational practitioners' attitudes and expectations were investigated for 20 Mexican-American middle school students with the assistance of 12 teachers and 2 administrators. Findings indicate that these students, whether high or low achieving, perceived themselves, and were…

Provides marriage and family therapists with an overview of issues related to the treatment of clients of American-Indian descent. Discusses a rationale for studying the American-Indian population, presents concerns that therapists are likely to encounter, and identifies considerations when engaging in a therapeutic relationship with an…

To determine if non-Native faculty could be effective role models in a Native Studies program, 58 students from two community colleges and one university were surveyed. Natives' and non-Natives' views on role models varied little. Personality, cultural knowledge, and diversity had a greater influence in role-model selection than did cultural…

Presents specific recommendations to prevent underachievement, including matching experienced teachers who have realistically high expectations with low-achievement students, reducing class size, establishing professional-development programs to assist teachers in learning effective ways to communicate with students and parents from diverse…

Provides guidelines for fostering positive teacher-parent relationships. Discusses recent legislative mandates, how parent/teacher relationships are affected by current policy issues promoted by professional education organizations, and methods of constructive communication. Parents and teachers of students with learning disabilities are urged to…