Used concept maps and surveys to assess the effects of a multicultural education course on preservice teachers' cognitions. Found that Group B students' conceptualizations of effective teaching increased after the course, but other indicators showed that they did not actively reorganize their reconceptualization. Group A students exhibited the…

Analyzes obstacles facing multicultural/bilingual teacher education reform in the context of California's Crosscultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) or Bilingual Crosscultural Language and Academic Development (BCLAD) programs, which try to translate theoretical frameworks concerned with cultural difference into credentialing policy.…

Examines gender-related nature of academic work, based on an international survey of college and university faculty. Describes commonalities for areas of discrimination among men and women faculty in Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States. Focuses on working conditions, professional activities…

Discusses white American ethnic consciousness in the community college classroom. Describes the Racial/Cultural Identity Development model's five stages of white identity development, through which individuals proceed from stages of cultural unawareness to enlightenment: conformity, dissonance, resistance, introspection, and integrative awareness.…

Analyzes data collected from 132 liberal arts colleges to determine the motivating factors for the presence of gender-oriented courses. Results suggest that highly ranked, nonreligiously affiliated schools are most likely to support these courses. Many also are found in larger economics departments with a high percentage of women students. (MJP)

Presents results from ethnographic study on children's everyday life in Finnish daycare centers. Raises question of the relationship between play and real life, and analyzes play and playfulness as communicative resources used by children in creating everyday routines. Argues play is not a separate children's world; by using play, children also…

Maintains that spirituality, by reason of its very nature and essence, is antithetical to the goals of state education. Argues that efforts to define spirituality as separate from religion are disingenuous and driven by a specific political agenda. Discusses the conflicting goals of spirituality and secular institutionalization. (MJP)

An investigation of gender differences in political and social attitudes among Latinos (Mexican Americans, Cubans, and Puerto Ricans) found evidence for a Latino gender gap on attitudes toward social welfare issues and women's social and political roles. Contains 38 references. (LP)

The nonmetropolitan dropout rate fell sharply, 1975-93, closing the nonmetro-metro gap. National longitudinal data on dropout risk factors related to family, community, and local labor market reveal that low parental education and income are the greatest barriers to reducing rural dropouts. High school students had unrealistic educational and…

Rural high school graduates are less likely to graduate from college than their urban counterparts, mostly because they are less likely to attend college. Half of rural college attendees leave home and do not return by age 25. Those that do return are drawn largely by home ties and intervening life choices rather than local job opportunities.…

Investigated associations between parents' reported coercion and negotiation with their children, children's self-reported conflict strategies with peers, and their behavioral competence rated by both parents. Results obtained through observation, interviews, and questionnaires included a concurrent correlation between parents' use of coercion and…

Examined effects of school socioeconomic status, student race/ethnicity, gender, family composition, and school organization on students' sense of belonging. For high SES schools, no statistically significant effects were obtained for the five variables; for low SES schools, statistically significant main effects were obtained for student gender,…

Suggests that teachers can work with children's families to study likenesses and differences in their respective cultures. Details a class project for 7- to 8-year-olds whereby children start with self-portraits and construct masks of their faces. Provides sample mask project timeline and steps for making masks out of paper molds and a…

Sexual stereotypes and bias are prevalent in U.S. public schools. The paper presents samples of common biased behavior by teachers and offers a quiz for teachers to determine whether they are guilty of gender bias. Suggestions for exposing and changing gender-biased behavior and resources for further information are included. (SM)

This study examined athletic trainers' demographic and professional credentials. It noted associations between those characteristics and high school, college, and clinical settings, and investigated predictors of salary. Surveys of prospective employers indicated that possessing a doctoral degree best predicted salary. Higher salaries were in…