Determines which factors within the family and school environments influence adolescents' educational aspirations, examining differences among ethnic groups and between males and females using a sample of 2,896 high school seniors from the High School and Beyond Survey of 1985. Findings confirm the significant influence of both environments. (SLD)

R. Coles discusses children's perceptions of racial differences and the ways teachers can help combat prejudice and bias. Literature and art are valuable in the classroom in producing a heritage for children that grounds them not only in factuality but in moral reflection. (SLD)

A study of 162 third graders in New York City finds that slightly over half of children in special education are males with Medicaid coverage and mothers with medical conditions or adverse health habits at birth. Two-thirds of children with this combination were in special education. (SLD)

In both France and England, students scored in the middle-to-high ranks on the International Assessment of Educational Progress, with large gaps between low and high achievers. Despite attempts to democratize education, educational achievement in both countries continues to be strongly linked to parents' social background, with limited access to…

Presents a lesson designed to analyze cultural practices from the perspective of U.S. laws. Proposes a legal philosophy continuum ranging from universalist to relativist positions. Provides student handouts that present legal case studies involving cultural contexts. (CFR)

Contends that differences in child development and cultural backgrounds affect the way children represent their world through art. Describes an exhibit of children's art from Thailand and Australia. Discusses differences in content, media, and style and concludes that both cultures could benefit from adopting aspects of the other. (CFR)

Discusses girls' use of computers and examines why they are often discouraged and lose interest. Topics addressed include the issue of gender; gender bias in computer games; use of the Internet; exposure to technology; girls' preferences; educational reform; choosing software; technology programs for girls; all-girl classrooms; and role models.…

Reports on efforts to redesign medical geography courses taught to undergraduate and graduate students. Describes the author's participation in a curriculum development seminar that focused on current research on women and other underrepresented groups. (CFR)

Asserts that social studies teacher educators must help their students question the nature of knowledge in the social studies curriculum. Discusses epistemological implications of the social studies curriculum. (CFR)

Data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience of Youth are used to examine and contrast the effects of family context and individual characteristics on adolescents' expectations about adolescent fertility, nonmarital childbearing, family size, and childlessness. Socioeconomic and racial patterns are identified. (SLD)

Describes procedures needed to analyze large-scale databases. Presents two examples of how French educational researchers have utilized data from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) studies of mathematics and reading literacy. Includes one table and three figures illustrating these techniques. (CFR)

Contends that social studies textbooks remain a basic source of information for students and they ascribe to texts the values of objectivity and truth. Concludes that, in spite of improvements in recent years, six major concerns about gender-related issues remain. (CFR)

Describes a study of high school students that examined responses to a music video dealing with teenage pregnancy. Students' motivations for viewing music videos, experiences with sex and pregnancy, and family communication patterns are related to the cognitive activities of thinking about the video content and relating it to their own lives. (20…

Four articles discuss library services to diverse user groups. Highlights include the Seattle Public Library's Human Diversity Training Program for library staff; cultural diversity at the University of Northern Colorado, including library collection development; information needs of physicists in special libraries; and library services to…

Studies on motivational or attitudinal differences between women and men have frequently failed to explain observable differences in achievement, probably because they have not considered personal and contextual characteristics of college student samples. Life stage analysis is applied to studies of achievement and male-female relationships. (SLD)