Offers brief descriptions of 47 recently published children's books that break different kinds of barriers and boundaries: geographic, cultural, familial, generational, historical, and literary. (SR)

Shares one teacher's attempts to highlight diversity and children's cultures in authentic ways. Examines three children's connections to culture and their own cultural identities by looking at issues they explored across the school year (family, family and religion, and ethnicity). Situates the discussion of multiculturalism in the context of "kid…

Argues that multicultural education, if it is to be effective and meaningful, needs to be woven throughout the curriculum. Discusses 11 children's books that take into account the age and maturity level of students as they tell forthright stories of the victims, heroes, and just plain folks of the Holocaust, slavery, and the involuntary of…

Discusses case studies of the United States, Germany, and Japan included in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Highlights national standards, teacher training and working conditions, attitudes toward dealing with ability differences, and the place of school in adolescents' lives. Compared to Japanese and German…

Investigates whether and how "cultural standards" influenced the use of cellular telephones by German and Chinese users. Uses focus groups, usability tests, and a questionnaire to determine how users obtained product information. Reports the varying learning and information-gathering strategies of Chinese and German users in terms of…

Recognizing racism involves acknowledging beliefs, attitudes, and symbols legitimized by those with cultural/political power and socialized in successive generations. By modifying curriculum and instruction and addressing expressions of racism, schools can help students move beyond tolerance to acceptance, understanding, and celebration of racial…

Reviews four essays in this issue of the journal. Restates the contributions of the functionalist and interpretive models represented in these essays and demonstrates how the "interparadigmatic" dialog can work. Extends the dialog beyond its current boundaries by bringing the insights of critical and postmodern scholarship to the analysis of…

Although challenges faced by refugee children in English schools are those faced by all students, theirs are exacerbated by their refugee status. Particular problems are those of student migration, language, culture, home and school relationships, the pastoral aspect of school care, and the need for time to deal with the child as an individual.…

Explores how the lack of awareness of human diversity can adversely affect the mental health care of nondominant ethnic groups. Proposes a three-dimensional cultural-interface model for assessing and treating mental health problems. (SLD)

Describes the founding of the Chuyma Aru Association, an Oxfam America partner based in Peru, which is adapting and using traditional indigenous knowledge to stabilize new agrarian infrastructure in peasant communities. Describes the process of gathering statistics and understanding the Aymara campesino world view and crianza (caretaking)…

Shows how students can use persuasive principles of communication (format and writer's purpose) and of classical rhetoric (organization, ethos, pathos, logos, and style) to improve their ability to analyze business letters. Shows how applying these principles to the analysis of business letters from other countries helps students write better and…

Explores how educational systems handle confusion among different historic roots, cultural values, and world views. Finding universally accepted values that cut across the diverse cultures comprising human society remains an important teacher responsibility. Educators must move beyond comforting certainties toward a profound understanding of…

Considers the ecological validity of tests in predicting the effects of speech and language impairment on communicative performance in real-world settings and the need for systematic observation of communicative behaviors, particularly of individuals from other cultures. Discusses whether standardized testing and systematic observation are…

Questions the methods in which schools traditionally teach about American Indians and Alaska Natives. Offers alternatives to help eliminate the stereotypes and misconceptions often found in school curricula. Offers four recommendations to help teachers and teacher educators gain more knowledge about these indigenous peoples. (CMK)

Discusses the importance of stories in introducing migrants to the new societies they enter. Stories allow people to reach out to past generations and provide examples of successful coping in new lives. Stories can be a way to enter another person's world. (SLD)