Recent trends in English Language Teaching (ELT) research necessitates the study of course books and instructional materials from various perspectives including but not limited to their cultural, social, and psychological qualities and effects (Kramsch 2000). Age, social class, and gender, as represented in course books are studied because…

Engagement is a potentially useful construct for organizing strategies to support adjustment, achievement and retention in school, particularly among our most vulnerable student populations. Even if high quality schooling is available, high levels of achievement will implicitly demand engagement on the part of students. This initial analysis,…

This took kit is part of a national campaign to help parents get more closely involved in their children's education. The campaign, "Success in School Equals Success in Life," asserts that all parents have the right to free, high quality education for their children regardless of race, gender, national origin, or disability status; all parents…

This paper provides an initial evaluation of data gathered by running versions of a five-week online programme called "e-Reflections". This includes comparisons with a course specifically for academics from (or working in) the Gulf and the wider Middle East Region. "e-Reflections" is an online programme developed at University…

The recent proliferation of technology in educational settings is giving teachers new and innovative methods of teaching an inquiry-based curriculum within a constructivist framework. One problem within the nation's schools is the growing cultural divide. The cultural divide is the extent of the cultural barrier that exists between educators and…

This booklet is a basic introduction to the people, history, and cultures of the Somali Bantu. It is designed primarily for service providers and others assisting Somali Bantu refugees in their new communities in the United States. It focuses on: "Introduction"; "Land"; "People" (place in society and social…

Some health researchers have used the concept of acculturation to explain health behaviors or illnesses prevalent among Hispanic people. This paper reviews studies in health, educational, and social science research among Hispanics and argues that acculturation studies are seriously limited by several basic conceptual and methodological problems.…

These three newsletters focus on advances and challenges in disability research. The first issue focuses on the results of a survey that investigated how many consumers with disabilities had a computer available in their home and their Internet use. The study involved administrators of Independent Living Centers (ILC) and ILC consumers. Findings…

This book originates from an international conference convened in 1998 by the Centre for International Studies in Education and Graduate School of Education at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom. The theme for this conference was "Education at Reconstruction and Transformation." The papers have since been completely rewritten and are joined…

Based on the view that children have special needs that must be recognized and attended to by the adults who care for them, this book explores the stressful experiences faced by children on a daily basis and presents advice and techniques for protecting children during those challenging experiences. Part 1 of the book focuses on children's…

This pamphlet explains the U.S. Department of Education's mission to ensure equal access to education and promote educational excellence. The Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA) provides national leadership in promoting English language proficiency…

This conference proceedings compiles a representative sample of the papers presented at the Institute of Early Childhood in July 2001, one in a series of conferences examining the challenges which the schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy present the early childhood profession in Australia. The conference focused on the interpretation of experiences and…

The rapid increase in the United States' racial and ethnic minority populations has accompanied a mental health revolution. Traditional models previously used to explain normality and abnormality are being questioned. Therefore, ways in which school psychologists can become more aware of their own cultural background, and thus provide caring,…

Noting that the concept of America as a "melting pot" ignores the differences that make individuals unique, this book provides a perspective of how culture influences life in the classroom, and the importance of maintaining culture in the lives of young children by means of multicultural education. The book provides over 60 hands-on…

Evaluating the comparability of a test administered in different languages is a difficult, if not impossible, task. Comparisons are problematic because observed differences in test performance between groups who take different language versions of a test could be due to a difference in difficulty between the tests, to cultural differences in test…