McGinnis draws on the idea of engaged learning as critical and illustrates how school literacy practices do not provide urban Khmer youth (and by extension, other groups whose backgrounds are linguistically or socioculturally distinct) with deep levels of engagement in literacy activities. By looking at the types of writing experiences these youth…

This study presents descriptive qualitative data about Latino parenting practices in an urban context. Focus groups were conducted with Dominican and Puerto Rican mother-adolescent pairs in the Bronx borough of New York City. When parenting style typologies are integrated with the Latino cultural components "familismo,"…

Results of national studies suggest that for girls, the middle grades can be a time of significant decline in self-esteem and academic achievement. Reasons for this decline are not clearly indicated by research, but it is likely that multiple factors are involved. One factor is the preferential treatment boys receive in the classroom.…

Miami-Dade Community College began in 1960 and now has 5 campuses and about 20 outreach centers. For the 1993-94 school year (the latest on which there are complete figures), 76,787 students were enrolled at Miami-Dade; another 43,391 took non-credit courses. Over the past 25 years, as the community has changed, obviously the college has reflected…

This manual has been primarily developed to assist child care center staff who are involved in the process of the recognition of the qualifications of overseas workers within the child care industry in Western Australia. The information and practical exercises provided aim to increase staff's level of awareness and acceptance of cultural…

This paper reports the survey of a small population of international English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) student teachers at Deakin University (Melbourne, Victoria) in Australia. Particular emphasis of the study was on what these student teachers have learned from their courses and what challenges they believe they will face on return to their home…

This guide to cross-cultural experiences is designed to help the student or traveler face the difficulties in cross cultural encounters squarely, so that the rewards of broadened experience become available. Part A contains five essays that serve as a foundation for the rest of the book. These chapters define culture learning and the cultural…

Four steps are critical in developing cultural competence in students: (1) a supportive training program; (2) a significant number or "critical mass" of culturally diverse students and allies; (3) opportunities to learn about diversity; and (4) development of racial identity. An appreciation of cultural diversity lies at the heart of any…

A study examined cultural practices of female international students at the University of Texas at Austin. Data were collected from 259 students (representing a 24.7 percent response rate) who revealed those aspects of their own culture which the students retained or modified as well as which American practices they borrowed. A two-page…

By the year 2010, it is projected that in the United States no single ethnic group will hold the majority. Even though a variety of other languages will be represented, English will probably remain as the "common" communication tool between and among ethnic and racial groups. An investigation focused on the impact of language and…

Researchers suggest that children of minority groups are so confused by the customs of the dominant culture represented in schools that their English literacy learning suffers. An ethnographic study examined the literacy learning of two language minority children in a suburban kindergarten program. Using unstructured interviews, the focal…

With growing population diversity a feature of both the work force and the schools, a study was conducted to explore what implications diversity has for school preparation. Data from a national longitudinal study of students enrolled in both secondary and postsecondary programs featuring emerging vocationalism (programs featuring tech prep,…

The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory has developed principles for culturally responsive education, along with a series of tools to help educators respond to the needs of students from a variety of cultural backgrounds. This selective listing of promising programs and practices has been developed to provide examples of professional…

The goal of this practicum was to increase the opportunities of secondary African American and Latino students to critically read, think, and write about literature that was diverse both in terms of culture and gender. Although the students (61 students in grade 11) had completed 2 years of high school English classes, the overwhelming majority of…

In the last decade the United States has witnessed a significant increase in the number of immigrants from the officially English-speaking Caribbean. The fundamental question confronting educators of Caribbean students is how best to negotiate the meeting ground between the variety of English-based creoles and the school-based standard English. To…