Reflects on the state of the arts in general and theatre arts in particular. Examines the role of controversy in the arts; discusses "elitism," issues of diversity and being committed to community. Argues that deep, substantive discussions are needed on the value to society of the arts and the values that the arts uphold and exemplify. (SR)

Argues that controversy over the definition of multicultural literature is focused on how many cultures should be covered. Identifies and discusses three key definitions that raise fundamental sociopolitical issues and have differing implications for how multicultural literature is incorporated into the curriculum. Discusses relationships between…

This article reflects on previous articles (EC 624 620-621) that explore how pre-existing structures within the educational system impede the academic achievement of many African-American learners. It urges more educators to be willing to critique school practices and to seek understanding of African American culture in order to alter teacher,…

Discusses problems of learning English by students from Papua New Guinea, suggesting teachers restructure accepted assumptions about teaching and learning in English to more appropriately meet needs of students from different cultures. Argues many of these language problems are associated with lack of equivalence between concepts of academic…

Rather than decrying students' boredom and short attention span, principals should adjust schools accordingly. One's feelings about a learning situation determine the attention devoted to it. Secondary principals can help by keeping their schools violence-free, informing their teachers about emotional aspects of learning and teaching, working with…

Discusses implementing multicultural curricula in early childhood settings. Maintains that early childhood educators need to accept and learn to: live with their personal biases while identifying and confronting them to teach tolerance and acceptance; customize work to staff and children in the program, and be aware of the danger of putting…

Asserts the importance of viewing the world as an interrelated system in which each culture and person has important gifts to share. Examines how prejudicial attitudes can be changed through teaching tolerance. Maintains that the Montessori philosophy and methodology contain all the elements recommended for cultural harmony. Challenges teachers to…

Presents six brief articles by six Arizona teachers offering their reflections about practices, strategies, and vision as they make changes toward a multicultural curriculum. (SR)

A study evaluated 10 textbooks related to working with families of students with disabilities that may be used in special-education teacher-preparation programs. Results indicate variability among the textbooks regarding the representation of culturally diverse populations and fluctuation in cultural-diversity content across textbooks. (Author/CR)

Examines the assumption that the same characteristics of interactions between infants and caregivers are meaningful and important across cultures, using literature from very different cultures to illustrate relationships among cultural values, views of good parenting, and parents' interactions with their infants. Findings have implications for the…

Multicultural education can improve understandings among students of different ethnic groups only if it is implemented systematically. Research with 75 adolescent mothers in an inner-city California high school shows how the celebration of Kwanzaa leads to exclusion and isolation and the speaking of Spanish results in conflict and resentments.…

Discusses the tremendous barriers to success in college that Navajo students face. Discusses five major forms: financial difficulty, family obligations, prescriptive attitudes toward Standard American English, instructor/faculty ethnocentrism, and ambivalence toward Western education. Discusses ways faculty can work to mitigate these barriers as…

Discusses multicultural education and some of the confusion surrounding the philosophy, and explains how multicultural education fits into environmental education. Multicultural education respects diversity of ideas and experiences. The broadness of culture as a concept makes cultural factors key components in environmental issues. Includes…

An adventure educator's anecdotes of international experiences illustrate the gap between the instructor's intended goals of an experiential exercise and participants' perceptions. Offers seven suggestions for structuring a dialog evaluation that works through different culture-based understandings of the same words, so that subsequent activities…

Outlines the elements necessary for successful development and implementation of cross-cultural curricula and related international exchange, drawing on field experience in creating a new international graduate curricula in management. International course development is a resource-intensive activity that must take into consideration the cultural…