Explores the future of African-American studies. African-American studies should be the home of free inquiry into the complexity of being of African descent in the world, rather than a closed-shop or a resurrected version of thought police. A true proliferation of ideologies and methodologies is required. (SLD)

New analysis of data from the Second International Mathematics Study shows how large a difference really exists between the educational systems of the United States and Japan, as is usually assumed, even after controlling for curriculum. School effectiveness is a more complicated question than merely one of curriculum. (SLD)

Presents a selective survey of cognitive assumptions informing experiential variation as a platform for consideration of contextual information seeking and the implications for providers of information. Information professionals must bridge intellectual and experiential differences in delivering needed information. Librarians must be literate…

Explores differences between males and females and their manifestation in biology and culture. Cultures differ, not in whether they cope with the socialization of males to invest in child rearing, but in how they deal with this problem. Issues of gender and power and gender and child rearing are discussed. (SLD)

Suggestions for including critical elements of multicultural education in the special education curriculum are offered, including employing student-centered assessment strategies, using culturally responsive instruction, transforming the curriculum, teaching students to accept and appreciate individual differences, teaching social responsibility,…

Examines barriers to the effective recognition and assistance of gifted Black American children, including inadequate definitions, theories, and identification procedures. Discusses rationales for reexamining and broadening definitions and theories of giftedness to make them more applicable to Blacks. Presents prescriptions for change and…

The author discusses some of the conditions that lead to racial tensions, examines the impact of racial incidents, presents a chronology of a specific racial incident at a large, midwestern public university, and describes the strategy used to manage the aftermath of the incident. (MLW)

Presents some thoughts on schools and schooling concerning cultural preservation versus multiculturalism; structural attributes of schooling; roles and characteristics of teachers and principals; organizational forms emphasizing either interpersonal relationships or formal structure; and school life for students as a mixture of official, hidden,…

This study examined secondary school students' attitudes toward physical education (PE) and sport from a multicultural perspective. Surveys indicated students considered PE important to their overall education. Students liked PE for fun and enjoyment. Many students had negative attitudes toward fitness. Some cultural differences surfaced, but they…

Offers questions to guide educators in responding appropriately to culturally sensitive situations concerning Native American mascots and mechanisms for sports teams. Although there are no simple answers, communication and consensus seeking are ways to ensure the appropriate use of American Indian mascots. (SLD)

A rationale is presented for educational change and the strategies to achieve it. The model of speech communities of Dell Hymes is used to show how language differences are connected to social and economic disparities. Efforts to create new speech communities to overcome inequalities are discussed. (SLD)

Proposes a cultural model with alternative narratives for education that considers student and teacher diversity. The article highlights black culture, discussing why it is in the best interest of the global community to recreate the current mainstream narratives, thus helping teachers reclaim their own landscapes by employing alternative…

Questions the appropriateness of "Asian American" as a term to categorize this heterogeneous combination of cultural groups. It explains how the notion of a common and shared sentiment of unity among the many cultures labeled collectively as Asian Americans may be viewed as an artificial construct. (GLR)

Asks what questions would help understand the relationship between culture and legal systems. Argues that one approach is to examine problems or disputes common to various legal traditions. Proposes using the issue of human rights in the Basic Law of Germany as a case study. (CFR)

Describes a criminal case decided in the People's Republic of China in March 1991. Discusses the development of the modern Chinese legal system. Compares criminal law in China and the United States. (CFR)