The analogy of a tapestry is used to provide instructional techniques and practices to help teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) "weave" together environmental factors (classroom interaction, input) and learner cognitive, affective, and social characteristics (learning styles, strategies, motivation) according to the needs of the…

This report describes a federally funded project designed to meet the needs of culturally diverse children with special health care needs and their families in New York. The goal was to establish a model program that would demonstrate that the quality of life for culturally diverse children with special health needs and their families would be…

The guide, written by experienced English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers, offers practical information to teachers and developers of adult ESL students of varying literacy and proficiency levels. An introductory section offers background information on development of these materials in the Metropolitan Nashville (Tennessee) Public Schools.…

All members of organizations take part in creating a climate in which all people are treated fairly and can achieve and contribute to their full potential, and where diversity, as an organizational resource, can be fully leveraged to enhance organizational performance. This book was designed to assist individuals and work teams in developing…

This paper describes cultural and educational characteristics of West African countries that may have implications for West Africans studying and learning English in the United States. Countries discussed include Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Benin, Niger, Gambia, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, and Mali. The structures of the systems of elementary,…

This report presents an evaluation of a two-way bilingual program in English and Spanish at the Cunningham Elementary School (Texas). The program was designed to extend and expand educational reform by shifting the instructional program at the school over the 5-year time span from a transitional bilingual program to a two-way bilingual, or dual…

This theme issue of a Texas journal focuses on gifted education and culturally diverse students. "Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Students in Gifted Education" (Donna Y. Ford and J. John Harris) discusses the challenges of recruiting diverse students in gifted education and presents solutions, including using different measurements of…

This curriculum handbook uses a discipline based art education (DBAE) approach, and includes lessons appropriate for use with students in grades 3-12. Five units address themes of universally experienced emotions: love, anguish, awe, triumph, and joy. Art exemplars are draw from among the international cultures represented in the High Museum of…

The Nebraska Legislature has mandated that each school district in the state develop a multicultural program for incorporation into all phases of the curriculum, kindergarten through grade 12. In Northeast Nebraska, the Division of Education at Wayne State College has accepted the charge to be a leader in providing impetus for the inclusion of…

This essay discusses multicultural education in the context of responding to an article in a national magazine, which critiqued multicultural education. This essay argues that the article, "School Daze" (Louis Menand) in "Harper's Bazaar" magazine in September, 1992, oversimplifies and misrepresents key issues of multicultural…

This case study of a biracial student who was actually pushed out from the regular school system focuses on the student's perceived reality. The theory supporting the study is Labeling Theory, which asserts that the way in which a student is labeled is dependent on the social context of the student. The subject, a biracial 14-year-old in an…

The cultural crisis in the United States poses a challenge for educators to educate for diversity. According to T. Cross (1988), there are six stages of cultural competence that allow effective cross-cultural functioning. Educators must encourage the movement from the first stage of seeking to destroy another culture to the final advanced cultural…

The essence of cross-cultural learning and how it can be effectively incorporated into an academic program are explored. A design for cross-cultural learning is proposed that can be applied anywhere in the educational process from high school through professional training. It is based on the experiences of the authors in experimental programs in…

The Metropolitan Educational Trends and Research Outcomes Center has identified seven projects in the southwestern United States and one in Massachusetts that exemplify the educational practices important in today's ethnolinguistically diverse classrooms. Preliminary findings indicate that each of these programs contains several critical elements…

The school system in the United States was established as, and remains, an expression of the white, middle-class values dominant in the society. The "melting pot" theory, with its emphasis on assimilation and the reduction of differences has been held by many for a long time. In the schools, however, this emphasis tends to cause feelings…