Though America's students are increasingly diverse, most preservice educators have white, middle-class perspectives and cannot imagine teaching in multicultural urban schools. Six preservice teachers describe their experiences visiting a Harlem school, demonstrating that even brief visits can prompt students to critically examine their implicit…

Study sought to describe the very old living in rural areas and make predictions of survival rates of rural elders to very old age. Among the findings, very old rural adults were found most likely to live with others. Demographic and early life achievement influenced survival to very old age. (RJM)

This study, involving 125 female Irish elementary students, found that girls in a school which had 2 classes of students with moderate mental disabilities had more prosocial attitudes towards children with disabilities than girls in a school which did not have students with mental disabilities. Intervention resulted in a maturing of the children's…

Analyzes the factors behind children's learning difficulties in mathematics from three kinds of characteristics: characteristics of the child, of the teacher/teaching method, and of the subject. Suggests that perceived underachievement comes mainly from poor self-image, learning style, poor language skills, dyslexic-type difficulties, lack of…

Surveyed 154 nursery school teachers in Greece concerning their perceptions of the nature and extent of behavior problems exhibited by their pupils. Found that geographic region and the location of the nursery school (city, town, or rural area) affected teachers' perceptions of children's emotional and developmental problems, but not conduct…

Reports on the beginnings of visual representation in early childhood by using longitudinal studies in both London, England and Singapore. Finds evidence to support the theory that underlying children's use and organization of visual media are certain robust forms of behavior, or deep structures. (CFR)

This article describes the creation and initial teaching of a teacher education course, Gender Socialization in Schools. The course provides an understanding of the role gender plays in teaching and learning in schools and helps prospective teachers, parents, and others in designing educational programs that reduce gender bias. (SM)

Examines the extent to which social studies textbooks include diverse perspectives on U.S. history through a content analysis of the treatment of slavery in 17 5th-grade texts in Connecticut. Students are receiving a sanitized view of the history of slavery, with only a partial picture of discrimination. (SLD)

Discusses issues raised in "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life" (Richard Herrnstein, Charles Murray), a controversial book that looks at the role of intelligence in shaping social structure. The authors' methodology, approach, and interpretations of statistical data are criticized. It is suggested that a…

Techniques for managing college classroom discussions about cultural diversity and oppression are offered, using a model of social identity development that helps to understand student responses and classroom dynamics. The model posits five stages of social identity development experienced by individuals in both disadvantaged and advantaged…

Investigated whether program type or content have an effect on middle elementary school children's software preferences and whether gender differences surface when children choose software programs of different type and content. Analysis indicated that children, regardless of gender, preferred a drill and practice mathematics program over the…

Ninth-grade students in Norway responded to a questionnaire concerning aspects of their teacher's murder. Female students reported talking more with their friends and family about the incident and had higher stress reactions than males. Males did not seem as willing to confront the trauma and pain, suggesting gender differences in the ability to…

Explored the relationship between the developmental appropriateness of kindergarten classroom instruction and first-grade overall and individual subject area reading test averages. Found that first graders from more appropriate kindergarten classrooms had higher reading averages than children from less appropriate kindergarten classrooms. Gender…

Discusses the heuristic value of John Meyer's social theory on citizenship, education, and the nation state in relation to Fritz Ringer's three dimensions of education. Suggests that national differences correspond to differences in centralized or decentralized education policies. (CFR)

A survey of 416 pharmacy students at 9 colleges investigated student needs for and attitudes toward professional organizations, confidence in ability to perform organizational tasks, and participation in professional organizations. Results suggest a variety of factors (attitude, need, faculty and peer influence, gender, and school) were related to…