Reviews controversies concerning celebrating the 500th anniversary of Columbus' landing in America. Summarizes historians' perspectives concerning that event, including the following: (1) who was first; (2) discovery or invasion; (3) native population numbers; (4) how so few conquered so many; (5) Columbus and slavery; and (6) Columbus and…

Corson's argument regarding points of difficulty about the Graeco-Latin vocabulary (morphological complexity and form/meaning relationship "opacity") are the basis of a proposal that much of the Graeco-Latin vocabulary of formal English can be shown to be quite regular and can be systematically taught. (Contains 10 references.) (LB)

Introduces the Perseus Digital Library. The texts, maps, timelines, and other tools of the Perseus Digital Library can help students learn about Classical languages and classical culture. All the tools work together, and reference to other relevant information is offered automatically along with each page of text. (Author/VWL)

Between 1970 and 1988, the African-American/white achievement gap was halved; progress halted during the 1990s. Latino students made substantial progress until 1992. Increasing minority and low-income students' achievement levels requires focusing on what really matters: high standards, a challenging curriculum, and good teachers. (MLH)

In the mountains of western Guatemala, Maya K'iche communities draw on extensive indigenous knowledge of the local ecosystem to manage sections of forest allocated as community responsibility for generations. Supported by spiritual beliefs, community elders seek to guide the use and preservation of the forest despite illegal loggers, corrupt…

Integrates the epistemology of cultural syncretism or "mestizaje" into multicultural thinking, instructional materials, and teaching about Latin America. Discusses the origins of white and black myths of the conquest; the centrality of "mestizaje" in Latin American culture; "mestizaje's" origins from the 16th-century…

Explores some of the reasons for spotlighting Spanish language and Hispanic Internet sites on libraries' public access computers and recommends some sites for use by librarians working with Latino youth. (Author)

Reviews the literature on mentoring and the role of organizational socialization, then presents highlights from the Puente Project, a California community college program, as an exemplary model that addresses the needs of first-generation Latino college students from a cultural context. The paper discusses program successes and notes implications…

The present study aimed to assess the role of perception in shaping family realities after immigration. Research participants included six Central American parent-adolescent dyads who perceived each other to be further apart in their acceptance of cultural change than indicated by their self-ratings of behavioural shifts towards Western norms. The…

Japanese and South American immigrant mothers' parenting cognitions (attributions and self-perceptions) were compared with mothers from their country of origin (Japan and Argentina, respectively) and European American mothers in the United States. Participants were 231 mothers of 20-month-old children. Generally, South American immigrant mothers'…

From 1999 to 2002, two university professors, one trained in language education and French and the other in Hispanic literature, undertook a comparative qualitative study of their parallel third-year reading course. Using a variety of data sources, most importantly extensive interviews, they documented their teaching beliefs, practices, and…

Many authors note that the history of teaching Latin would be a fruitful topic for a comprehensive treatise. Although intense debates about the quality and necessity of teaching Latin date back as early as in the eighteenth century, Latin courses have persisted into the present and, notably, with few changes in content. The author supports the…

With the increasing number of undocumented workers entering the United States and the costs associated with educating their children, bilingual education may soon become the target of opponents of illegal immigration. Furthermore, recent leftist shifts in Latin American governments have provided an impetus for an educated biliterate population…

The Latin America Project, which developed print and nonprint materials for use in grades 6-12, is described. The two-year effort was conducted in five phases: survey of existing materials; the development of curriculum units; review of curriculum by teachers attending summer institutes; field testing and evaluation; and dissemination. Titles of…

This paper describes a university course designed to examine the use of film as a revolutionary medium in Latin American countries. Objectives of the course were to illustrate the complexity of studying a film genre, develop an analytical framework for comparing revolutionary films, and encourage students to reach their own conclusions about the…