Discusses the teaching of language and literature in light of the current "culture wars," focusing on the field of Iberian literature and languages. A model for redefining language curriculum is proposed that is based on the incorporation of language, literature, and culture in all courses. Examines the implementation of this model in Spanish and…

Maintains that the issue of political correctness has gained wide coverage in the press as it relates to higher education academic policy. Reports on a survey of 196 New York State political scientists. Finds that they perceive political correctness as an issue on their college campus and in the discipline, but not in their departments. (CFR)

Contends that most high school graduates have not taken any courses that examine the experiences of minority groups. Summarizes the results of a college classroom experiment that involved the integration of oral history into the curriculum. Concludes that oral history is a viable teaching tool. (CFR)

Maintains that effectively presenting another culture in the classroom is one of the most fundamental problems facing teachers using a multicultural curriculum. Discusses the role of music and the arts in Native American culture. Provides suggestions for presenting traditional Native American music in Western classrooms. (CFR)

Updates and extends a previous study of the portrayal of the black family in collegiate marriage and family textbooks. Examines 20 of the best-selling textbooks published between 1986 and 1980 for their portrayal of family life among four minority groups. Finds little attention paid to minority families and evidence of cultural bias. (CFR)

Presents guidelines to inform teacher education programs aspiring to prepare teachers for working in impoverished urban schools: (1) attributes of preservice teacher candidates, (2) teacher educator expertise, (3) knowledge, behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, and values to be learned by prospective teachers, (4) educational methods, and (5) program…

Maintains that, while geographers have been using films for some time, it is only recently that the full power of this medium has been recognized. Argues that teachers should be aware of subtexts within films that mark significant cultural and political biases. Discusses a list of films used in a college introductory geography course. (CFR)

The implementation of a parent training session with 15 culturally diverse parents in Hawaii preceding a parent-professional conference on transition planning for high school students with disabilities resulted in increased knowledge about transition by participating parents but no significant differences in transition meeting participation…

Assessed the attitudes of 359 immigrant and native-born American parents of kindergarten through second-grade children about child rearing, education, and intelligence and their children's school performance. Found that parents' beliefs about conformity were negatively related to their children's school performance. (MDM)

Examines M. L. Maehr's Personal Investment Model of motivation. Presents evidence for the usefulness of the theoretical framework and the validity of the Inventory of School Motivation, based on the theory, using data for 2,152 high school students from aboriginal (n=492), migrant (n=487), and Anglo (n=1,173) backgrounds in Australia. (SLD)

Early efforts at multicultural education have largely been compensatory attempts to address inequities in cultural representation. What is needed is a rewriting of the entire master script of curriculum to eliminate implicit racism, classism, and sexism. Examples from U.S. history illustrate the scope of revision needed in education. (SLD)

Examines the state of multicultural education in the nation's largest public school systems, focusing on components of existing multicultural programs. Representatives of 28 of the country's largest 30 school systems responded to the telephone survey. Multicultural curricula exist in 20 of these school districts. (SLD)

The interactions of gender, culture, and attitudes about computers were studied for 266 male and 204 female Japanese and 159 male and 144 female Swedish ninth graders. Most differences are best explained by country and student gender variables. The overall country effects are influenced more by females than males. (SLD)

Maintains that educators need to dignify the language and cognitive experiences of African-American children. Asserts that African-American culture emphasizes charismatic and stylistic uses of language. Teachers must understand African-American cultural styles if they are to create cultural continuity for African-American children who attend…

Examined how child, family, and community characteristics were associated with enrollment patterns of 212 children--ages 3 to 5 from low-income, single-parent families--in Head Start. Found that the employment status of the mother had little effect on enrollment and that black children were more likely to be enrolled than children from other…