Educators working to improve dropout prevention programs should closely examine the development of defensive overlays in children's world views. Efforts to neutralize defensive world views within existing dropout prevention initiatives should refocus efforts to be more holistic. Such neutralization may best succeed in small schools. (SM)

Emphasizes that applied linguistics, especially within the context of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction, faces a critical juncture and that publishing activities will influence the assessment of the discourses available to reconceptualize the field. Examines the process of editing an article about teaching the Gulf War to ESL students…

Analyzes data from the "High School and Beyond" survey and presents significant findings concerning the relationship between working and dropping out of high school. Discovers that the type of employment and the student's gender significantly impact the drop out statistics. Discusses previous research and includes statistical and tabular…

Argues that the culture is inundated with mass media imagery. Proposes new directions for art education that respond to this by acknowledging the crossover between high and popular culture forms, incorporating new technologies, and accommodating a view of individuals as multifaceted. Outlines a representative classroom unit on media education.…

Discusses the issue of language ecology, focusing on Polish language maintenance in Victoria, Australia, and reports on a study conducted with Polish students at a Saturday language school. Results indicate that the longer the period of residence in Australia, the less students use Polish. (25 references) (Author/CK)

Quantitative, institutional, and substantive changes in secondary and higher education in the Czech Republic since 1989, and shifts in their relationship to each other, are attributed to political and economic transformations. The influence of changes in both educational system and government regulation on the demand for and access to higher…

Discusses how the early childhood program environment can be more sensitive to biracial children of black and white heritage. Considers the history of blacks in the United States; ethnic identity development in biracial children; and planning the early childhood environment, including structuring the curriculum, securing information about the…

Analyzes the political discontent of western Canada towards the Canadian federal government. Argues that the federal government favors the more populous eastern regions (especially Quebec and Ontario) and rewards these areas with greater federal spending. Briefly discusses several projects and proposals that reflect this bias. (MJP)

Models the spread of linguistic change by taking account of the ages of the acquirers and transmitters of change. The article focuses on three interlocutor combinations: parent-infant/young child, peer group-preadolescent and older adolescent/adult-adolescent. Findings suggest that borrowings are the easiest to acquire, while lexically…

Demographic influences on the makeup of urban university student populations are discussed, focusing on how demographic trends can shed light on some current debates in higher education. Issues discussed include welfare and education, ethnicity and poverty, migration patterns, the aging population, and children of Baby Boomers. (MSE)

Describes the political machinations resulting in Manitoba's downgrading of Canadian history from a compulsory to an elective subject. Argues that this reflects a broader nationwide educational trend rejecting the humanities in favor of science and technology. Criticizes a view of society dominated by market forces and self-interest. (MJP)

Charts the changes in Namibian curriculum policy reflecting the recent independence from South Africa and the dismantling of apartheid. Although originally conceived as a radical socialist state, political realities quickly created policies of reconciliation within Namibia. Educational policy has focused on the establishment of a post-colonial…

Outlines an introductory unit in which secondary students use an anthropological perspective to investigate how and why the automobile changed U.S. culture. Instructional materials include a video series, pictorial histories, daily procedures, learning activities, and suggestions for assessment. (MJP)

This study examined the relation of parental involvement and empowerment to elementary student test performance. Surveys of parents and data on student achievement and on school and student characteristics indicated that parent involvement consistently correlated with student test performance, even when controlled for school or student…

Examines role of schools and peer group culture in constructing male and female identity among adolescents in the context of gender violence. Discusses a United Kingdom Department for International Development funded study of abuse of girls in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Ghana. Reveals contemplative sexual socialization processes in which male violence…