American Indian education fails because schools force acceptance of a nonindigenous world view and ignore native people's perceptions of life, spirituality, art, time, mores, and learning practices. A University of Calgary experiment demonstrates that the creative arts, especially spontaneous drama, are more effective learning vehicles for native…

Presents an overview of several countries and which factors produce difficulties in the education of minorities. Focuses on Australia, Canada, England, West Germany, India, Israel, Japan, and Malaysia. Suggests factors such as race, color, caste, religion, nationality, immigrant status, and worldview for consideration by policymakers. (SA)

Describes three areas in which international students have cultural differences: dietary laws and customs, contrasting approaches to socializing and entertainment, and obstacles to complete language comprehension. Suggests programs for residential halls and for increasing participation in community events. (Author/ABB)

Chinese, Japanese, and American children at grades 1 and 5 were given a battery of 10 cognitive tasks and tests of achievement in reading and mathematics. Goals were to determine (1) possible differences in cognitive abilities and (2) the possible differential relation of scores on cognitive tasks to reading by children of the three cultures.…

Describes a unit involving seventh grade students in an investigation of another culture that helps students learn how to appreciate a different culture and that allows them to practice their language arts skills across the curriculum. (EL)

The article reviews approaches used in the Kamehameha Elementary Education Program (KEEP) in Hawaii to increase reading skills of educationally at-risk Polynesian-Hawaiian children (K-grade 3). Whole class story reading lessons and small group reading comprehension lessons are described. (CL)

Discusses some of the cultural differences that lead to different traditions and styles of communication, considering word usage/nuances of the language, grammar, style/tone, Arabic tradition of emphasis, and Japanese communication style. An interdisciplinary course that pays extra attention to the needs of foreign graduate students is also…

Discusses the strong oral tradition in the Appalachia region. Examines conflicts that arise when educators stress the importance of reading and writing to Appalachian children while ignoring the home and regional influences that shape their lives. (FL)

This annual report presents several articles related to the work of the Clinical Center for Child Development at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan. The articles are: (1) "The Functional Uses of Infant-Directed Speech of Fathers and Mothers: A Comparison Study" (Katsuko Niwano); (2) "Are Children 'Among the Gods'?: Parental…

The educational systems of Muslim societies, particularly that of Saudi Arabia, have been under scrutiny, especially after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The Saudi educational system is mostly based on Islamic precepts. Nonetheless, the United States government and other…

This booklet provides a basic introduction to the people, history, and cultures of Afghanistan. It is designed primarily for service providers and others assisting the Afghan refugees in their new communities in the United States. The 12 sections focus on: (1) "Preface"; (2) "Introduction" (recent Afghan refugees); (3)…

This paper situates the notion of foreign language (FL) standards within a larger culture of standardization grounded in (1) the context of FL education, (2) the larger political and educational context of standards based reform and standardized assessment, and (3) the pervasive linguistic culture and ideology associated with the notion of…

A brief review of the papers presented at the Symposium on Research and Evaluation Methodology highlights some of the major issues of research in Indian Country. There is a need to translate research results into terms that are meaningful at the local level, yet the act of doing this reveals tensions between scientific objectivity and advocacy.…

This study explored the attitudes of high school teachers of Spanish as a foreign language regarding the following: the use of Spanish, teaching Spanish as a heritage language to Hispanic students, the role of English in the United States, and the use of English at school or home. Participants were teachers of Spanish in three Louisiana school…

This first in a four-part series on why academic achievement gaps persist discusses how to raise minority achievement. It explains how earlier progress in closing the gap has stalled, while at the same time, the greater diversity of student populations and the rapid growth of the Hispanic population and of other ethnic groups have reshaped the…