Urges social studies teachers to help students understand and identify sociocentric, national bias in the news media. Illustrates how the media fosters "us versus them" thinking and how word choice often reflects bias. Outlines activities to help students recognize bias. Provides weak and strong examples of students' analyses of bias in news…

Racial bias and inadequate financial supports place the children of the urban poor at risk. Implications of urban conditions for research, policy, and practice are discussed, with emphasis on delivery of social welfare services. (SLD)

Critiques industrial, economic, and educational policies and trends of the United States in light of their impact on the access of African Americans and other minorities to the benefits of economic and social success. Covers low-wage industrial policy, high immigration, free-trade agreements, and emphasis on graduate education. (JB)

D. M. Stewart does not adequately portray the problems, or sufficiently assess socioeconomic and political realities with respect to African Americans today. The lack of neutrality and objectivity in standardized tests must be recognized, and alternative forms of assessment are imperative to provide equal access to education for African Americans.…

This paper discusses how to determine whether a test was developed in a legally defensible manner, reviewing general issues, specific cases bearing on different types of test use, some evaluative dimensions, and evidence of test quality. Tests constructed and used according to existing standards will generally stand legal scrutiny. (SLD)

Summarizes consensus points reached by three university professors and three elementary school teachers who examined the Silver Burdett Ginn elementary textbook series. Explains the study's methodology. Finds textbooks constrained by the expanding environments framework, limited in multicultural coverage, and inadequate in developing themes around…

Asserts that societal trends make it essential that educators succeed in developing effective multicultural education. Maintains that a curriculum based on students' experiences and an interdisciplinary approach can help achieve the goals of multicultural education. (CFR)

Summarizes the history of education in a rural, primarily African-American town in North Carolina as one of denial used as a coping mechanism for disappointment. Denial of real problems by blacks and whites has contributed to the town's weakened sense of community and its lack of a local school. (SLD)

Describes and discusses three explanations of academic achievement: (1) cultural deprivation theory; (2) cultural difference theory; and (3) postmodern discourse-practice. Applies these theories to multicultural education. Argues that social studies teachers must transform their thinking and create classrooms that promote democratic ideals. (CFR)

Examined the effects of implementing the criterion-referenced assessment system on the views of year 10 students and teachers in 2 schools. Students and teachers were generally positive toward these methods of assessment. There was some sex bias in aspects of the system with females performing better on skill assessments than males. (MDH)

Offers a comparative case study that deals with the impact of party politics on the representation of women. Specifically examines political parties and their legislative agendas developed in Great Britain and West Germany during the 1980s. Demonstrates how a careful teacher can synthesize feminist and non-feminist approaches to material. (MJP)

Criticizes most history textbooks for presenting a single perspective with few conflicting ideas. Characterizes literature-based instruction as a resource rich in multiple viewpoints that invites the reader to enter into moral discussions about historical events. Presents several examples of trade books illustrating specific historical periods…

Continues an article that began in the summer 1995 "Interdisciplinary Humanities." Examines ethical concerns about nuclear power, societal control, and prejudice articulated in science fiction literature. Authors studied include Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and Damon Knight. The earlier article covered literature concerned with ecology…

Outlines and describes a fifth-grade unit of study examining issues of freedom and oppression. Students began with a biography and a presentation on an individual who had experienced discrimination. They then interviewed local people who had experienced significant freedom or oppression. Culminating activities included writing one-act plays. (MJP)

Explores issues that encourage or discourage women from pursuing studies in science--matters that may affect confidence in themselves and in science as a possible career. Focuses on how young women approached career decisions, discerned from over 100 hours of interviews with 40 female college science students. Concludes that mixed societal…