Surveys the history and influence of native and non-Anglo ethnic groups who contribute to Australia's cultural diversity. Focuses on the struggle to preserve the Aboriginal language and asserts that legislation is needed to expedite pro-bilingual education policies. Describes several efforts made to promote cultural pluralism in Australia. (KH)

Review of television's relationship with schools highlights major problem areas--inadequate equipment maintenance funds and teacher training, and negative teacher attitudes--and shows that the integration of computers is experiencing similar problems. Differences worth pursuing are also discussed and ways to avoid problems with computer…

The Inupiaq of Alaska's North Slope are the first Inupiaq to have achieved self-government. The greatest significance of home rule is that it enables the Inupiaq to regain control of their children's education. The North Slope Borough schools must implement a bilingual and bicultural program that teaches children in their Inupiat language, with…

In the first half of the 20th century, the social functions of the indigenous languages in Chukotka, in northeast Asia, increased due to the development of written languages, local press, and broadcasting on radio and television. From 1933 to 1989, the local press of indigenous peoples in Chukotka was used for Communist Party propaganda. However,…

Parents and community members who want to improve their schools are often told that things "must" be done a certain way because of rules and regulations. Often union contracts are blamed for why certain changes cannot be made. Union contracts may not be the barrier to change, however; management inaction may be the real culprit. This…

This edited volume describes the population of heritage language speakers in the United States and outlines what needs to be done to help them develop their languages for use in academic and professional arenas. The book is divided into an introduction plus 14 chapters in 5 sections. The introduction, "Charting a New Course: Heritage Language…

This digest discusses the professional development of foreign language teachers at a time when the foreign language teaching profession is facing a number of new challenges, such as a rapidly changing student clientele, the development of national standards for foreign language education, and advances in technology. The first section of the digest…

This annual publication (published separately in English and Spanish) examines political, legal, social, and educational issues concerning indigenous peoples around the world during 1996-97. Part I highlights news events and ongoing situations in specific countries. In North America, these include threats of proposed oil drilling on sacred sites…

Across the United States, most American Indian children speak English as a first language. This fact allows a unique strategy for teaching an indigenous language as a second language. In all indigenous language programs, formal introduction to linguistics, specifically phonetics and phonology, can provide methods to help children "unlearn" aspects…

This book describes the crucial role missionaries played in the acculturation and "Americanization" of the Cherokee Indians from 1789 to 1839. The book compares the methods, successes, and failures of the Moravians, Presbyterians, Congegrationalists, Baptists, and Methodists in their attempts to Christianize the Cherokees. Each…

This teacher's guide is designed for use in presenting a four-unit course in basic automotive responsibilities that is part of a life skills series intended to help students become more self-sufficient in their personal and professional lives. The course's four instructional units cover these topics: purchasing a motor vehicle, maintaining a motor…

This paper examines how American Indians construct and describe their own cultural identities. In particular, it focuses on cultural group identity from the perspective of three American Indians living in an urban setting, and on the ways that cultural identity can be communicated and enacted. Two American Indian women and one American Indian man,…

A study of 24 Maori children in grades 3-6 who were invited to perform at a children's festival in Turkey and two control groups (control 1, n=24; control 2, n=23) of Maori children who did not participate in the festival examined the effect of an intense cultural program on children's self-esteem, locus of control, and academic performance.…

The relationship between indigenous peoples and nation-states has long been of academic interest, and is also an emerging topic in the international debate about human rights and development. Universities and museums play an important part in this debate as producers, managers, and communicators of knowledge about indigenous peoples. In these…

A study investigated (1) the role of English as a language of power, and how it has affected multilingualism in Canada and South Africa, (2) the nature and implementation of South Africa's multilingual policy, (3) how South Africa's language education policy and policy implementation compare to those in Canada, (4) how South African language…