This paper explores the use of ethnographic biography as a source of information and reflection for student teachers. Ethnographic methods combine observation of a subject's teaching environment or context, examining the present rather than the past. Information can then be made available to student teachers in need of a personal viewpoint on…

This study examines the education and employment outcomes of black youth whose families moved from mostly-black housing projects in the city to either mostly-white suburbs or other mostly-black urban areas through the Gautreaux Housing Assistance Program in the Chicago (Illinois) area. In interviews with families who had moved 8 to 13 years…

This study describes characteristics of reflective practical teaching, interprets the value of intellectualizing teaching by teachers, and summarizes a successful teaching/learning research process in the context of a large urban school in Spain. Data were gathered through review of curriculum documents and observations, interviews, and written…

The position statement of the Wisconsin Association of Foreign Language Teachers (WAFLT) task force on middle school foreign languages outlines its philosophy for development and administration of second language programs and instruction to meet the special characteristics and social and educational needs of middle school students. The report…

Progress in civil rights for black Americans does not appear to have been matched, at least in recent years, by equal progress in social harmony. It is argued that a considerable part of present racial difficulties are the result of commonly expressed understandings that are deeply flawed and that these flaws can be corrected only if social…

This study examined whether and how an institution of higher education's emphasis on diversity affects students of color differently from white students. Data, which were drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, involved 15,600 students who were freshmen in 1985 and were followed up in 1989 and who identified themselves as…

Focusing on community college programs designed to achieve multicultural climates and minority student success, this monograph provides profiles from documents in the ERIC database of such programs established in the 1990s by individual colleges or developed in partnerships with community, business, or other educational institutions. Introductory…

This dissertation is a qualitative study that explores how three teams of humanities teachers at Capital High School (Charleston, West Virginia) tried to create and sustain an environment in which they could make decisions over curriculum, pedagogy, and school self-governance. The study also examines what empowerment means to the teachers in a…

Data from the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial State Assessment (TSA) in mathematics were analyzed to determine what educational factors influence student learning, how these factors influence learning, and how important these factors are to student achievement. NAEP TSA data were collected from more than 100,000…

This manual for first grade teachers provides suggestions and teaching materials that reflect the multicultural composition of New York City's (New York) public schools. An introduction describes the philosophy that supports a high-quality, developmentally appropriate program through a multicultural perspective. The manual is organized into the…

Designed for parents, educators, lawyers, and others, this booklet focuses on limited-English-proficient (LEP) students' legal rights to an appropriate education. Contents are as follows: overview of state and federal legal requirements of education programs for LEP students; initial identification of LEP students; requirements for English…

An exploration of sources of gang activity in an urban area used ethnographic research with researchers posing as mathematics tutors for 1 year in a school comprising seventh and eighth grades. The "tutors" attended six eighth grade mathematics classes and acted as assistants to the teacher. The classes of 25 to 30 students lasted 40 minutes and…

A difficult task in creating rich, exploratory interactive learning environments is building an environment that is truly engaging. Engagement can be defined as the nexus of intrinsic knowledge and/or interest and external stimuli that promote the initial interest in, and continued use of a computer-based learning environment. Complete and total…

Following a discussion of opportunities for improving academic rigor that addresses the challenges of curriculum redesign, theories of learning and multimedia design, and academic departments and multimedia design, this paper focuses on the migration of an introductory course on library research skills at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from a…

This paper discusses the development of a learning approach based on the unique needs of adult learners who are required to learn and use new information technologies. It establishes how the "Inquisitivism" learning approach has evolved from a synthesis of key cognitive learning theories into one cohesive approach and how the…