Twenty-three undergraduate social work students from Eastern Michigan University completed a seven-week internship in a geriatric unit at a Mexico City hospital. Analyzes stages that students went through as they began to realize the importance of cultural context and to understand cultural differences in human behavior and service provision.…

Asks theoretical questions about child development and how to define quality contexts for it in light of New Zealand's requirement that early childhood education meet quality criteria. Discusses principles that should underlie good programs, including a sociocultural theory of development and children's interactions with both teachers and peers.…

Provides information for educational technologists who are considering work as consultants in developing countries. Discusses cultural, societal, and political differences; issues of personnel, funding, and power and telecommunications systems; and selecting media. Suggests guidelines for selecting instructional materials and designing distance…

Examined the universality and uniqueness of educational value orientations of American and Chinese physical education teachers. Surveys indicated that though there were some differences between cultures, both Chinese and American teachers valued discipline mastery and self-actualization value orientations. (SM)

Introduces a framework for high school retention efforts based on the findings from a study of 84 young Mexican American women who were first in their families to attend college. The framework provides the means for bridging educational gaps by supporting the strengths of these young people and by reducing barriers to educational achievement.…

The impact of standards-based school reform practices on African American learners, especially those in special and remedial classes, is examined. A rationale is presented for standards-based reform that is culturally responsive and not premised on high-stakes, along with recommendations for school reform that focus on accountability while…

There is a "gaping separation" in academic achievement between minority group children and White children. Research shows that minority group children can achieve when the following issues are addressed: high expectations geared to clear standards, timely intervention for struggling students, excellent teachers with good ethnic…

Describes a Kingsborough Community College program that pairs an experimental sociology course with a speech and English class to help ethnically diverse students develop needed reading and writing skills, while improving their self-concept by noting parallels between their cultures and the dominant culture. Reviews course content and goals. (DMM)

Interviews with 116 Texas health science center administrators and faculty, community leaders, and state officials investigated barriers to development of area health education centers for training health professionals. School and community respondents agreed on the need for more cooperative planning and training for future activities with border…

Delineates the need to make rural education more relevant to rural students in developing nations, stressing limitations in traditional Western approaches. Advocates rural pedagogy that encourages lifelong learning and develops community resources. Provides a case study of a rural pedagogy program in Sri Lanka. (CH)

Verbal skills traditional in many Black communities were acquired by a pattern of socialization that was not as congruent with school use of written and oral language as the mainstream socialization process. The changing language use needs of the workplace present an educational challenge for both minority and mainstream populations. (Author/BJV)

Describes the field experience component of Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities) program. Student teachers visit rural schools, becoming acquainted with their future students and schools. PETOM offers experience with many classrooms and teaching modules. Students are encouraged to reflect and analyze, thus developing…

Contends that barriers to effective education can be overcome by using the community as a living laboratory for social studies learning. Discusses out-of-school learning opportunities that meet four criteria: (1) goal relevance; (2) appropriate level of difficulty; (3) feasibility; and (4) cost effectiveness. (CFR)

Investigates the underlying reasons for the development of a negative self-concept in Canadian Native children attending public elementary schools. Maintains that a child-centered curriculum and instructional strategies will provide the learning environment necessary to foster positive attitudes. (CFR)

Argues that the integration of mainstream literacy into social studies instruction is necessary to ensure that students in urban middle school classrooms learn content. Also argues for instruction from a "multiple literacies" approach in order to validate and engage disinterested students. (CFR)