A 1980 analysis of educational films on Africa in the collection of a major U.S. urban public school district and a 1991 follow-up reveal that the district's visual resources about Africa were, with few exceptions, inaccurate and misleading, exhibiting the worst stereotypes. Reviews some practical approaches to cross-cultural education. (SLD)

Designs and teaches a required course on cultural diversity in U.S. society. Develops effective strategies for counteracting students' intergroup intolerance. Focuses on two common triggers of intolerance and offers strategies for reducing that intolerance. (Author/NL)

In this study of psychological mechanisms of depression and somatic symptoms in adolescent females during a period of increased opportunity for women, 20% of 297 suburban high school female students reported concerns about the limitations that being female had placed on their mothers. These women had more somatic symptoms correlated with…

Presents two lessons designed to counter textbook images of minorities merely as victims, by introducing high school students to two federal court cases involving Asian immigrants' efforts to guarantee their rights. Includes lesson objectives, background on lesson organization, procedural outline, primary documents necessary for each lesson, and…

Surveyed male and female preservice elementary teachers regarding factors influencing their decisions to become teachers. Females were motivated by perceived intrinsic aspects of elementary teaching but emphasized perceived extrinsic aspects. Males were aware of the feminization of elementary teaching but considered a male presence in elementary…

This paper discusses the overuse of medications to deal with attention deficit disorder (ADD) in the classroom, offering suggestions related to teaching strategies, classroom environment, school environment, and home environment to help keep students' attention without resorting to medication. A chart shows the difference between ADD and other…

Suggests that distancing is the dominant response to poor people by those who are not poor and that distancing, separation, exclusion, and devaluing operationally define discrimination. Examines U.S. classism in the context of theoretical propositions about the moral exclusion of stigmatized others. Describes cognitive, institutional, and…

Over the past years, a large body of scholarly literature has developed to address gender inequity in the developed world, and suggestions for reducing the gender gap are well documented in the literature. However, still lacking in research is why there is gender inequity in mathematics and science education in African schools. Girls are not…

This article explores the challenges facing the South African National Department of Education in its commitment to provide equal educational opportunities for all. "The Story of Nothemba" is central to the theme of this paper. It describes the story of a South African girl born in eQebe, whose physical disability and systematic…

Drawing on a number of fields of educational research this article argues that girls come to school better prepared to meet its demands than boys. Parents encourage different skills in their children, as a result girls have more sophisticated communication skills, and are more likely to have been encouraged to participate in intellectual tasks…

Since the 1980s, "Rethinking Schools" magazine has been renowned for its commitment to racial equality in education. Now, "Rethinking Multicultural Education: Teaching for Racial and Cultural Justice" has collected the best Rethinking Schools articles that deal with race and culture. "Rethinking Multicultural…

This paper discusses how first-grade teachers often perceive which of their students will ultimately succeed in school and which students will drop out. It argues that teachers look at a child's gender, color, behavior patterns, dress, family status, ethnicity, and socioeconomic level and, either consciously or unconsciously, label that child and…

This study contributes to the elaboration of a sociocultural perspective on literacy by considering the role of gender in shaping students' participation in literacy activities in school. The project aims to illuminate the way in which gender expresses itself in and helps to shape the nature of children's literacy acquisition across different…

This digest includes several articles relating to perceived gender differences among early adolescents. "Middle School Voices on Gender Identity" (Cynthia Mee) describes a study in which 2,000 middle school students in grades five through eight were interviewed with a 52-item open-ended questionnaire. Three statements from the questionnaire were…

This is a collection of papers reporting student research projects at the Annual Research Forum, Department of Education, Wake Forest University (North Carolina). They include: "Student Interest in Studying World History in Relation to Current Events" (Conan Arthur); "Perceptions of High School Student Athletes and Athletics"…