The population of the United States is growing more culturally diverse each year, and this diversity is clearly evident among families with young children; however, individuals who work in early childhood programs are not as diverse as those they serve. Moreover, many early childhood professionals have little preparation for working with families…

This study analyzed aspects of educating young children in Tanzania and then transitioning them to the U.S. and Canada, examining parents' perspectives of their children's transitions. Researchers collected data via questionnaires and interviews with 30 Tanzanian parents about 35 children's adjustment to new education systems, highlighting…

This paper suggests that space and spatiality are major features of racial identity and the formation of student resistance. It brings together critical studies of "Whiteness," human territoriality, and theories of resistance in education. The problems between white teachers and students of color can be understood better through a combination of…

A young teacher attempted to engage a class of high-risk urban students by introducing them to books about intolerance and ethnic misunderstanding and developing their own awareness of discrimination and social bias through diaries that documented their own thoughts and feelings. Calling themselves the "Freedom Writers," these students arranged…

The Bridging Cultures Project is a collaboration among several researchers and teachers (n=8) to design professional development activities on the topic of cross-cultural understanding. During the fall of 1996, participating teachers will be given a pre-assessment and post-assessment. The assessments are designed to give some information on how…

This paper discusses how professionals have responded to the challenge of educational discrimination against minority group students in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, explaining that minority students and their parents may differ from other students in their experience and understanding of the school system, cultural knowledge relevant…

An individual's school motivation and achievement are products of a complex set of interacting motivational goals, sense of self, and self-concept variables. Motivational goals may be differentially salient to individuals from different cultural backgrounds; and sense of self, including academic self-concept, may vary across cultural groups. This…

This paper examines how people reflect, individually and collaboratively, in different cultural contexts, discussing the consequences for teacher education. The paper suggests that the ways in which people reflect individually are shared across cultures, but the ways in which people reflect together are structured differently by their varied…

The purpose of this study was to examine a profile of academic self-concept for a sample of 293 students of a private girls-only high school in Japan as measured by the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC)-Form S, Japanese version (W. Michael and others, 1984). The DOSC-Form S, Japanese version, yields five scores associated with the five underlying…

This digest reviews behaviors and instructional strategies that enable teachers to build stronger teaching/learning relationships with students from culturally diverse backgrounds. Strategies include: (1) appreciate and accommodate the similarities and differences among the students' cultures; (2) build relationships with students; (3) focus on…

This study examines the nature of education policy regarding students with special needs in Italy, Ireland, and the United States. It begins by reviewing the definition of inclusion and then explores the nature of legislation pertaining to special needs education and inclusion in the three countries. Results of the study indicate: (1) the most…

Urban and rural Aboriginal- and Anglo-Australian children were tested for reading and math achievement, for nonverbal psychometric test intelligence, and for three cognitive styles. Psychometric intelligence was clearly a more powerful predictor of the effects of culture and location on school achievement than was cognitive style. (Author/CMG)

Describes how the events of a week of outdoor education for 40 migrant teenagers of various cultural backgrounds moved from racial and geographic discord to cooperation, proving that the melting pot is still working. (SB)

A study used a Functions of Reading Scale to explore the reading activities of students in grades three, five, and eight in Ireland and the United States. Results showed the patterns of relationships between the variables in the Scale to be consistent across cultures and grade levels. (FL)

Of all components that make American diplomacy effective, few are as neglected as the educational, linguistic, and cultural components of foreign policy. Weapons are insufficient for a nation that underinvests in the political, economic, educational, and cultural alliances that can counteract the distorted world image of America. (Author/MSE)