Analysis of 101 cases of child sexual abuse in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) found overrepresentation of the Indian ethnic group and a mean age of children involved of 6 to 8 years. Associated psychosocial factors included the absence of a protective adult at home, unemployment, and history of perpetrator drug abuse. (DB)

Uses the book, "The Bell Curve," to illustrate the problem of "dangerous knowledge" and its power to harm. The article examines what the book is saying about intelligence, its meaning to society, and the book's possible effect on radicalizing political thought. (GR)

Criticizes California's Proposition 187 and the assertions underlying it, and discusses the implications of this legislation on future society. The article concludes with an outline of the legal hurdles Proposition 187 is facing and the potential consequences of this legislation for California. (GR)

Chronicles and discusses the political and social dynamics that have led to interethnic conflict between Arab immigrants, Arab Americans, and other Americans. The author also reveals the barriers these groups must overcome, mainly discrimination levied against them by the U.S. political structure. (GR)

Discusses implications for community colleges of five observations about contemporary society: political processes/institutions unable to deal with significant issues in substantial ways; a seeming return to local responsibility/control; a dichotomy between problems and solutions; a reluctance to face facts; and the persistence of turfism.…

Describes Overtown Neighborhood Partnerships (ONP), a program directed by the people of Overtown, a poor innercity neighborhood in downtown Miami, Florida, involving public and private sector partnerships in education, housing, health, employment, and other community projects. Examines the role of Miami-Dade Community College and phases in ONP…

Discusses the use of melodrama as a method of historical research that provides students with an opportunity to study historical events and themes. Presents an activity based on the civil rights movement. Includes an example and handouts for creating a melodrama in class. (DK)

Fear can produce behavior that is indistinguishable from racism. The best way to reduce real or imagined racism is to reduce the African-American crime rate to equal that of whites. This will require an enormous commitment to the problems of the innercity. (SLD)

Addresses the importance of teaching young people about foreign policy issues. Discusses state sovereignty and interpersonal and international conflict. Describes a reflective teaching approach in which a problem is identified, defined, and explored by probing questions. Suggests identifying value assumptions and alternatives, predicting…

Sport-specific preparticipation examinations do not address social problems (drug abuse, suicide, murder, accidents, and sex) epidemic among teenagers, but they are often the only contact these youth have with a physician. This article discusses these risk factors and presents methods for assessing them during preparticipation exams. (SM)

The emphasis in gifted programs should be on the interests and needs of the students, rather than on preparing them to perform some social function, such as solving world problems, which require commitment of everyone rather than necessarily requiring intelligence and technology. This approach places unrealistic expectations on gifted students and…

Denis Doyle's proposal in the same "Kappan" issue is part of the recent campaign to persuade the public to privatize public education. Although some view private schools as beacons of transformation, the former are considerably less creative and diverse than public schools. Private companies will do no better than (underfunded) public agencies at…

Compared characteristics and behaviors of 211 male inpatients of an alcohol clinic and a random sample of 200 men from the greater Stockholm area. Those individuals from both groups who used alcohol and hepatotoxic drugs were equally likely to develop social maladjustment problems, including abuse of alcohol and drugs, while they were growing up.…

This article reframes school violence in the context of educational mission goals so that teachers can understand their role in responding to it and acknowledge their skills in addressing it. The article examines types of violence that occur most frequently in schools, evaluates what is known about teacher preparedness, and encourages educators to…

Maintains that, as a historian, social critic, and moralist, Christopher Lasch was a powerful presence in U.S. intellectual life. Presents an interview with Lasch prior to his death in February 1994. Reports that Lasch believed that optimism is a kind of investment in the future whereas hope is the rejection of envy and resentment. (CFR)