A 1982 study revealed that American Indians comprise .8% of public school students, but only .3% of those participating in gifted programs, whereas respective White figures are 73.3% and 82%. Factors contributing to the inappropriateness of standardized assessment tools for identification of gifted American Indian students are neglect of…

The digest summarizes major characteristics of American Indian student needs in the disciplines of science and math and offers constructive ways in which students may be motivated for greater achievement. Motivational, attitudinal, and behavioral factors contributing to avoidance of science and math by American Indian students are identified:…

The 14 papers were given at a 1986 Ethnic and Multicultural Symposia and are intended to provide state-of-the-art information on the education of culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional students. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Demography As It Affects Special Education" (James Yates); "A Prereferral Process for Preventing…

Using a measurement of self-concept, researchers explored the different attitudes, value systems, and beliefs of a group of Indian students and their teachers at the three elementary schools on the Red Lake Reservation, an area where schools have operated sporadically since 1843. Almost all of the participating students were members of the Red…

Although by traditional measures of test validity, the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is not culture biased, it, along with the English Composition Test and the Test of Standard Written English, reinforces a narrow view of academic excellence that excludes culturally different youths. Designed to prevent admission errors, the…

The problem of Hispanic-Anglo conflicts in nonverbal communication is approached in this paper from the perspective of a teacher of English and Spanish as second languages, using largely anecdotal and often autobiographical data. Specific cross-cultural differences between Hispanics (Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Cubans) and Anglos in the area of…

A study of classroom communication skills and strategies initiated in an effort to enhance the experience of Chinese graduate students visiting the United States had two parts. In the first, communications in a sampling of U.S. graduate science courses were examined, resulting in information about the language of classroom conversation management.…

The study found distinctly different interrelationships among factors affecting social service use by Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban elderly. Twenty-nine variables and data selected from a 1979-80 15-state survey of 1,805 noninstitutionalized Hispanic individuals aged 55 and over were categorized by the Andersen-Newman model of service…

A naturalistic study of two bilingual first grade classrooms was conducted to gain an increased understanding of the cultural literacy instruction beliefs in society and to better understand the process by which literacy instruction beliefs influence the classroom. One Anglo and one Hispanic teacher working in different midwestern school systems…

An attempt to describe some of the long-term social and historical causes of Canada Native problems, this document illustrates the way in which numerous problems have combined to create the present situation and outlines some of the Canada Natives' current aspirations for the future. The introduction addresses the initial and resultant impact of…

The paper examines ethnicity in American society and the role of ethnic studies in education in the context of a critical response to a paper presented at the National Council for the Social Studies in November, 1977. The original study, "Ethnicity and the Schools," by Daniel Selakovich, claimed that ethnic studies should play no role in education…

The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to increase awareness among educators of changes needed in the educational system to encourage culturally different children to perform to their fullest potential. Culturally different children are defined as children who differ from the dominant cultural group in ethnicity, race, religion, geographic…

The essays in this monograph are concerned with ways to build on the linguistic diversity found in the schools, turning to educational advantage the characteristics of the multicultural classroom. The following essays are included: (1) "Recent Trends in Bilingual Education" by V. John-Steiner and M. Cooper; (2) "Code-Switching in…

This volume contains five essays on both theory and practical learning techniques for bilingual education and the study of English as a Second Language. In "Bilingual Education: An International, Sociolinguistical Perspective," Joshua Fishman discusses transitional bilingualism, monoliterate bilingualism, partial and full biliterate bilingualism,…

Concern for cross-cultural understanding and sensitivity to differences in people's values, assumptions, and modes of thought and feeling is growing in society, schools, and the foreign language department. In order for foreign language teachers to select what is worth teaching for the purposes they want to serve, they should make selections on…