Presents an overview of areas related to preparing educators for diversity that have particular significance or unique implications for special education. Issues addressed include special-education eligibility determination, instructional methodology, parental involvement, culturally diverse special educators, and educational equity. (CR)

Treatment programs for the growing problem of solvent abuse, in the form of sniffing gasoline, among Canadian-Native youth have had no success. Increased self-esteem, which is central to successful treatment, can only be achieved through programs designed by Native people and based on the their culture. Contains 32 references. (TD)

Explores issues related to state support for cultural identity schools, schools with educational practices and aims designed to reinforce a particular cultural identity. Drawing a distinction between "strong" and "moderate" cultural identity schools, the article considers contextual factors a liberal state may consider in the legitimate support of…

Discusses the discrepancies among physicians, psychologists, and schools regarding the diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit disorders. Stresses the need for all evaluations to include cross-disciplinary cooperation, and for the acceptance of standardized measures as part of the identification and treatment process. (CR)

This article discusses the difficulties students may have if they do not understand a teacher's verbal communication due to learning disabilities or attention deficit disorders. Strategies are provided for communicating with students, including speaking slowly, keeping instructions short, and using visual reminders. The Assessment of Basic…

Argues for a reconsideration of how culture affects minority school adjustment and academic performance, suggesting that minorities who recognize cultural differences as barriers are more successful at crossing cultural boundaries. The author demonstrates this point through two case studies, one of a minority group that does not recognize cultural…

This article presents the Triune Assessment-Intervention Model (TAIM), which uses the constructs of sensemaking and dynamic literacy as its conceptual framework. The model assesses use of semantics/syntax, phonology/orthography, organization, and scripts/schemas rule systems though analysis of oral and literate discourse events, communication, and…

Identifies the unwritten Spanish language policy in the United States by historically analyzing the different roles that Spanish has had throughout U.S. history. The paper shows how Spanish has been used for the benefit of the Spanish- and English-speaking elite but restricted (or forbidden) as a socioeconomic tool and symbol of identity for less…

This article comments on two studies (EC 629 875) that investigated the validity of a set of 15 general growth outcomes (GGOs) for identifying young children with disabilities. It argues that without additional efforts focusing on the nature of GGOs, the ultimate utility of the outcome measures will be limited. (Contains references.) (CR)

This article describes critical events that have shaped gifted education, including: Renzulli's definition of giftedness, Sputnik, the Marland Report of 1971, and the development of the National Association for Gifted Children, the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, and the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children. (CR)

The Miami Indian Village Schoolhouse was the center of tribal life, 1860s-1920s. The old building was repatriated to its original site in 1998 in an ongoing process of community revitalization. Tribal historian and leader Lora Siders played an important role in the repatriation, which reinforces Miami collective memory and political legitimacy as…

In the last ten years, many colleges, universities, boards, and agencies have jumped on the diverse faculty/staff hiring bandwagon not only by issuing resolutions, policies, and mandates but also by inventing programs, initiatives, and strategies all intended to increase the number of faculty and staff of color in predominantly White institutions.…

This study examined how, in some instances, participation in the cultural practices of high school science classrooms created intrapersonal conflict for ethnic minority students. Discourse analysis of videotaped science classroom activities, lectures, and laboratories was the primary methodology employed for analyzing students' discursive identity…

Assessments in English that are constructed for native English speakers may not provide valid inferences about the achievement of English language learners (ELLs). The linguistic complexity of the test items that are not related to the content of the assessment may increase the measurement error, thus reducing the reliability of the assessment.…

How can middle school counselors identify bullies? This study compared two methods of identifying bullies in a sample of 386 middle school students. A peer nomination survey identified many more bullies than did student self-report. Moreover, self-reported and peer nominated bullies differed in their types of bullying behaviors, level of general…