National surveys and 1990 census data in Thailand show that the gender gap in educational attainment has closed at all levels, and preferences for educating sons more than daughters have declined substantially. Rural focus groups revealed that parental views on gender and schooling are complex, and access to schooling locally has greater benefits…

Argues that the theoretical consensus on second language learning, which focuses on instruction in the target language, contradicts the main premises used by bilingual education advocates to gain respectability for bilingual education programs. The roles of translation, transfer, input, and interaction in the Eastman model of bilingual education,…

A survey of staff, industrial sector members, and current and past students in a Hong Kong Polytechnic cooperative education program investigated perceptions of the academic and nonacademic values of the system and the needs of local industries. Program design options are considered, including part-time and full-time study. (MSE)

Presents a study of low educational interest and participation area. Quoting from ethnographic interviews, discusses the influences of family, schools, and community on educational decisions. Describes plans to increase public awareness, and develop new curricula and intervention strategies. (DMM)

Shares the reflections on school atmosphere of two high school dropouts who returned to a public alternative school and went on to college. Common themes include student dissatisfaction with traditional high school and middle school, and their positive responses to the support and engagement found in the alternative school. (SLD)

How knowledge of children's thinking in mathematics derived from a cognitive science research model was used by a first-grade teacher to make instructional decisions over four years is described. The curriculum, teacher expectations, and method for using research-based knowledge are reviewed, along with the teacher's knowledge and beliefs. (SLD)

Using grades and standardized test scores as criteria variables, a survey determined relative effects of sociocultural variables, personality factors, and student perceptions of school and social events in explaining differential patterns of academic achievement for 89 Asian-American tenth graders. Findings are discussed in connection with the…

Three retired teachers reflect on their teaching careers, which began in one-room schools in Wisconsin, and discuss their reactions to changes involving the educational level and credentials of teachers, curriculum and technology, teacher expectations of students, and community expectations of teachers. Their positive attitudes challenge…

Discusses American Indian education in four critical areas: tribal control, focus and priority, language and culture, and research. These areas are complex and political due to treaty rights; sovereignty; and relationships between Indian tribes and federal, state, and local governments. Unity among Indians and making Indian education a priority at…

Divided into three parts, this book reviews the basic concepts of the High/Scope preschool curriculum and its development, implementation, and effectiveness. The introduction offers a retrospective of the program's history, describes the five basic principles that form the framework of the approach, and discusses some of the reasons for its…

Every educational change occurs with an equal and opposite reaction to that change. Some changes and their opposing reactions which illustrate this point are: (1) team teaching versus the negative dynamics of group planning; (2) justifications for funding special education versus emphasis on average and gifted students; (3) school site management…

This report reviews recent initiatives to improve family-school collaboration and communication. The six articles are: (1) "Schools, Families, and Students Get Stronger When Parents and Teachers Take Collaboration into Their Own Hands," which highlights parent-teacher action research projects at eight schools through eight case studies; (2)…

The papers in this special issue provide both a general overview and detailed discussion of specific examples of the languages across the curriculum (LAC) movement that is currently gaining momentum in colleges and universities in the United States. Papers include: (1) "International Students as Resource Specialists: Binghamton's Languages…

A survey investigated the attitudes and experiences that distinguish the low-income high school students who decide to attend college from those who do not. Data were gathered in a telephone survey of 900 seniors in the class of 1995 who took the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT); the primary sample was 300 of those students who reported family…

This conference proceedings consists of three keynote addresses and four representative papers. Keynote addresses include: "Impediments to Critical Thinking: Cultural Forces and Our Own 'Stuckness'" by Chet Meyers (which identifies social and cultural elements which make educational change difficult but critically important);…