This response to EC 607 382 raises concerns about the standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. These include (1) the modest references to student diversity, (2) instructional methodology, and (3) the need for more research to validate the standards' curricular and instructional recommendations. (DB)

Examines the increase in immigration and foreign nationals in European countries since the 1950s. Points out that liberal immigration laws made Germany the most popular haven for refugees and others. Contends that Germans will have to adjust to a multicultural Germany within a multicultural Europe. (CFR)

Investigates familiarity as a determinant of perceptions of group heterogeneity, the objective level of heterogeneity characteristic of the target group, and the tendency for perceivers to see social groups consistently with 182 Chinese and 182 American college students and some teachers. Cultural differences in judgments are explored. (SLD)

Notes that creation of multicultural campus environments requires systemic, planned change efforts. Introduces and extends application of multicultural-organization development concepts to work of student affairs practitioners. Concludes that, to create truly multicultural campuses, student affairs practitioners must develop strategies to…

Examines how the Southern European Mediterranean immigrants to Australia attempted to contribute to the making of an educational system that would cater to their real or imagined cultural ecology and educational curriculum. An economic rationale is suggested for the Australian model of multiculturalism and its impact on education. (SLD)

Discusses differences in academic discourse presentation, including preference for the use of first person singular "I" in some languages vs. the "we" perspective in others. Data are presented concerning employment of the two perspectives in English, German, French, Russian, and Bulgarian research articles in linguistics.…

Provides an annotated bibliography of resources for school library media specialists to use to help new teachers. Subject areas include general needs, cultural diversity needs, program models, mentoring, personal viewpoints, specific suggestions, videotape use, and Web sources. (LRW)

Presents examples of discourse in classroom interaction that show how social relations in the classroom mirror larger societal relationships in ways that exclude students' cultural and linguistic practices as resources for meaningful literacy learning. Shows how this discourse process (called reciprocal distancing) is used by teachers and students…

Discusses and evaluates four different approaches used to study special educational needs: the Difference Model, the Developmental Model, the Ecological Model, and the Discursive Model. The need for adopting a multiple approach to the study of special educational needs is urged. (CR)

Discusses issues faced by Haitian students in the United States, examining Haiti's two distinct societies and describing the effect of Haitian culture on students of Haitian descent in U.S. public schools. Explains how children of Haitian descent must cope with U.S. education and discusses the bilingual challenge for such students. (SM)

To test the language experience hypothesis, the comprehension of high-, moderate-, and low-familiarity idioms was examined in 24 African-American and 24 European-American fifth graders. Results indicated a significant effect of group on idioms rated as low-familiarity. The influence of social and regional culture on idiom comprehension is…

Discusses how teachers can use magazines written for culturally and linguistically diverse groups to increase their own knowledge base and to use as a resource for multicultural-education lesson planning in order to provide students with an opportunity to learn about high achieving individuals who come from backgrounds similar to their own.…

Explores teaching as a cultural activity by focusing on U.S. and Japanese systems of teaching in the context of cultural beliefs about how students learn and the teacher's role in the learning process. Educational improvement could result from greater awareness of the cultural scripts used in teaching. (SLD)

Compares responses to a timed writing assignment by students from South Korea and from the United States. Finds that South Korean texts showed more similarities to than differences from the American texts, and suggests a more complex context situation than the commonly accepted high context/low context model of cultural differences can…

Discusses how American cultural values have impacted traditional Confucian values and traditional Korean perspectives on legislation, policy, and special-education systems for people with visual impairments. The need for continuation of the transformation to enhance the educational system for people with visual impairments is stressed. (CR)