A number of counter-assumptions can be posited to challenge the usual basic assumptions of the professional literacy establishment. These counter-assumptions include the following: (1) literacy is not just a technical skill neutral across all cultures; (2) culture refers to basic questions about truth and knowledge and varies from one society to…

This New York State study evaluated problems encountered by children with handicapping conditions and their parents (N=1,486) in obtaining a free, appropriate public education. The majority (64 percent) of parents were satisfied with their child's educational program. Only 19 percent were dissatisfied. Parents of children with physical…

An analysis of student achievement and the ethnicity of students and instructional staff in the Syracuse (New York) City School District found a need to develop a multicultural curriculum that would ensure equal educational opportunity. A comparison of the scores of White, Black, and Hispanic elementary and middle school students on the IOWA…

A teacher at the Von Humboldt Child Parent Center, a unit of the Chicago, Illinois, public schools located in the largely Hispanic Humboldt Park area, implemented a practicum designed to improve disadvantaged Black and Hispanic preschool children's language and auditory skills in a nonbilingual learning environment. To carry out the project, 10…

A discussion of pronunciation instruction in English as a second language begins with comments on preparing for pronunciation work in the classroom and goes on to examine the rhythm of English and the characteristics of intonation. The chapter on preparing for pronunciation work focuses on: accounting for learner variables, motivating learning,…

In response to informal reports that the time limitations on the new 1978 test forms of the General Educational Development (GED) Tests resulted in some examinees having to work substantially faster than at a comfortable rate, this study was designed (1) to estimate the time required for examinees to complete the tests at their preferred rate; (2)…

The articles in this focused journal issue discuss women authors and examine female images in English and American literature. The titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "Margaret Fuller and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Rhetoric and the Shape of Learning" (Susan Lundvall Brodie); (2) "Feminist Psychology through…

A product of a statewide (California) survey of 104 school districts and 9 county educational agencies, the report focuses on promising practices for use with handicapped children of limited English proficiency (LEP). In Phase One, seven categories of promising practices or program attributes were identified:(1) first and second language…

The conference papers included in this monograph discuss topics related to early childhood education. Two keynote addresses by Brian Sutton-Smith are presented along with five sectional presentations by other speakers. The first keynote address, concerning the nature of children's stories: (1) argues that adults use stories to indoctrinate…

A study examined (1) whether there is a significant difference between the inclusion needs of delinquent high school girls, high-achieving nondelinquent high school girls, and nondelinquent high school girls; (2) whether there is a difference between perceived inclusion by peers and teachers in these groups of females; and (3) whether there is a…

This study of the effects of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the academic achievement of educationally disadvantaged students in grades 2 through 8 in four urban schools tested three hypotheses: (1) supplementary CAI programs are significantly more effective than non-CAI supplementary instruction approaches for disadvantaged students; (2)…

Although often considered to be homogeneous, the Hispanic community contains many culturally diverse groups. In the United States today, those of Mexican heritage--by far the largest subgroup within the Hispanic community--can be further classified as Mexicano (undocumented resident), Mexican American, or Chicano. This classification system…

Designing instruction for trainees from abroad is very different from creating similar programs for trainees from the United States. Prescriptions based on these differences should be used with a chosen instructional design model when adapting training designs for other cultures. Instructional design principles apply to instruction for learners…

A research study of American Indian high school students and dropouts in the Milwaukee Public Schools explored cultural factors which affect Indian students' decisions to remain in or drop out of urban, middle-class American schools. Enculturation, i.e. acquisition of Indian culture, and its effect on acculturation, i.e. adopting traits of another…

Despite the value placed on traditional culture in Old Order Amish society, these communities have experienced change recently. These changes include: use of legal means to regulate behavior, acceptance of technical medical services such as heart transplants, and diminished importance of farm work to the economy of the community. However, the Old…