Parents of children in a large primary school in New South Wales were asked questions related to their attitudes towards and beliefs about composite (multigrade) classes. Parental concerns about composite classes are commonly reported as negative and this study confirmed this concern. Issues identified as causing concern for parents were a belief…

Romanticism's valuing of love and the life of the imagination, combined with its belief in human potential taken heroically to and beyond its limits, provides a way of addressing differently and fruitfully certain issues to do with pedagogy in schools, making in particular better sense of what it means to be an effective teacher and a productive…

Professionalising the early childhood workforce in terms of improving pay and conditions of work and employing male workers can be seen as independent trends: there is no necessary relationship between the two. However, when the definition of professionalism is extended to include the scope and quality of practice, the experiences and views of…

Religion, like Superhero discourse, is a contested topic of question and debate in early childhood education. This article draws on data from a small ethnographic study that took place in a long day care centre in Sydney Australia. The study examined how children negotiated their "identity work" in the context of popular culture. In this…

In this article, the author discusses African American researchers' perspectives on the experiences, impact and success of Black teachers with Black students in public schools. This study builds on an earlier study that focused specifically on these researchers' insights about the impact of the "Brown versus the Topeka Board of Education" decision…

Four teacher researchers focused on the lack of students' proper social skills for this action research project report. In the classes of four teacher researchers, the students were coming to school lacking proper social skills. Because of this, teachers were spending time allocated for the curriculum, on discipline and the instruction of social…

Hispanics are one of the largest and fastest-growing minority groups in the United States. Projections indicate a need for an increase of 20% of practicing engineers by 2010. Despite the growing number of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers in the American economy, education statistics suggest that too few Hispanic students…

This critical review examines 16 empirical studies applicable to 4 areas of parenting: (1) Nurturance; (2) Parenting Style; (3) Parents as role-models; and (4) Parenting in regard to individual differences in children. The studies were examined in the context of how each one supported Biblical principles. Each study was critiqued in terms of…

This research combines personal experience and a literature review to explore the issue of duality of social positioning of Australian ethnic minority girls. Caught between the minority cultural values and the larger culture's values of girls' education and multiculturalism, the dualism causes conflict within many minority girls. Of particular…

This booklet provides a guide for adults, parents, older siblings, and caregivers to help children develop constructive attitudes about present and future drug use. The first part of the guide focuses on role models in early childhood and implications of their behavior for children's future drug use, noting that parents, family, and the community…

Mentoring programs offer experienced caregivers and directors new encouragement to remain in the field by helping them learn to share their skills with others and grow in the profession. This report is the result of an information-gathering process among mentoring programs for early childhood educators in the United States. Following an…

Some minority and female students traditionally have not been given the help they need to enroll and succeed in mathematics and science classes. Now, however, a variety of approaches are available to give these students the extra attention they need. Parents can help children develop an interest in science and mathematics by: (1) identifying role…

These curriculum materials include a leader or teacher's guide for helping 8- through 12-year-old children cope with bullying, a text for students, and a poster illustrating ways for children to react to bullies. The teacher's guide presents 16 lessons for teachers to use in the classroom. Four of the lessons are role plays through which direct…

This study used Brookfield's Critical Incident Questionnaire (CIQ) to assess the learning environment and student nurses' perceptions of hospital staff modeling behaviors. CIQs were distributed to Associate Degree female nursing students at United Medical Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. A large majority (80%) of the 117 respondents identified…

Project AFFIRM (African-American First Investment Return Module) was established at Evergreen Community College in fall 1989 as a comprehensive academic and support program to help African-American students achieve their college transfer or associate degree goals. AFFIRM courses combine career and economic prosperity components into life plan…