This paper discusses social and cultural change, deep ecology, and systems thinking in relation to the maintenance of Indigenous cultures and languages. All cultures change, and the current crisis in language loss for Native communities is related to cultural change. From a systems perspective, culture is a way of thinking about one's social…

A study examined community attitudes concerning Lakota language instruction in the schools on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Surveys were completed by 88 Native American, Caucasian, and mixed-heritage households. Results indicated agreement with the establishment of intensified Lakota language education for all school levels…

Gaelic is a minority language in Scotland. Gaelic speakers tend to be older and concentrated in the Western Highlands and Islands and some urban centers. Gaelic is used mainly in craft work and with friends and community members at prayer meetings, stores, post offices, and social events. Gaelic has no official status and limited legal protection.…

Rural Folklife Days is an annual celebration of customs and crafts that have been practiced every fall by generations of people in rural areas of north Florida. This packet is designed to help teachers prepare elementary students for Rural Folklife Days and to introduce them to traditional crafts and arts that are still practiced in parts of north…

This book examines often-cited but poorly-supported claims that immigrants fail to learn English and the mistaken belief that immigrant communities cling to their heritage languages, revealing that, in actuality, English is being rapidly learned while heritage languages are disappearing quickly from family use. The book shows how current…

This report presents comparative data on facility management costs and staffing based on responses from 516 U.S. postsecondary educational facilities during 1993-94. It lists statistics from both private and public institutions, beginning with statistical reductions presenting the survey response tally, institutional profiles, and mean costs per…

This publication is intended as a resource guide for teachers, students, and librarians interested in Mexican American culture, and for groups wishing to conduct local community research using oral histories. The Mexican American Traditions in Nebraska project was designed to document and preserve the richness of Nebraska's Mexican culture. The…

This collection of papers on managed care and long-term supports for people with developmental disabilities includes a range of reprinted articles and resource materials that provide different kinds of information and opinions on the impact of managed care. Articles include: "A Position Statement on Managed Care and Long-Term Supports in…

Ways in which school facility planners, managers, and others can guard against the potential indoor air quality (IAQ) problems presented by paint are covered in this bulletin. It opens with an overview of paint formulations and the functional quality of different paints, paying special attention to the volatile organic compounds present in some…

The recent defeat of New York's statewide School Facilities Bond Act did not eliminate the pressing need for additional funds for school capital needs. This report discusses ways in which the state can meet these needs, shows how "backdoor" borrowing is not an acceptable method of financing school facilities needs, and describes methods…

Drawing on the growing literature on language revitalization initiatives and examples of one Andean initiative in particular, the essay attempts to synthesize some common language corpus and language status transformations that threatened languages undergo during the process of revitalization. Specifically, it looks at the often unexpected changes…

This study examined the effects of a schema-based direct instruction strategy on the addition and subtraction word problem solving performance of three third- and fourth-grade students with learning disabilities. An adapted multiple probe across subjects design was used. The intervention involved training students to distinguish…

This digest considers issues, possible solutions, and successful efforts in dealing with Native language loss, maintenance, and restoration in American Indian and Alaska Native communities and schools. The preservation and maintenance of the remaining 210 tribal languages is a major cultural and education concern in Native communities. The problem…

This study examined the differential effects of two instructional strategies on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of mathematical word problem solving by students with learning disabilities: an explicit schema-based problem solving strategy (SBI) and a traditional general heuristic instructional strategy (TI). Twenty-two middle…

Finding effective treatment models for youth in the juvenile justice system with serious emotional, mental health, and behavioral needs can be difficult. The traditional categorical approach that the juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems often use places youth in a "one-size-fits-all" program, regardless of the…