The term "digital divide" emerged in the mid-1990s (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004) to describe "the gap between those who have "ever" and those who have "never" used a computer or the Internet" (p. 1). In time, this term has evolved, and become even more relevant, as more school sites, libraries, and public places gain access to the Internet. The…

The Southeast Center for Teaching Quality (SECTQ) has quickly established itself as a national leader on issues related to teaching quality. This report demonstrates the high-quality work that has become the standard for the center. Researchers focused on case studies in four southern states, 12 districts, and 24 high-need schools to determine if…

In this article, an approach to the final assignment for a seminar class in early childhood education is discussed. The goal of the project was to give practicing teachers a sense that they could make changes in their thinking and therefore their practices, in the present time and in the future, and see themselves more clearly as leaders of their…

This article briefly summarizes highlights from the Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (CATUN)-sponsored annual workshop, "A World Out of Balance: Searching for Answers Through Education" in New York City, February 4, 2005. The meeting focused on children worldwide who are struggling to survive child labor, child trafficking, child…

The world-renowned infant-toddler and preprimary programs in the northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia offer teachers in the United States ways to use the resources in their own landscape to break through the boundaries of textbook-driven instruction in the social studies, to go beyond mandated curricula, and to explore learning possibilities…

In this article, the author relates her experiences from the ACEI Conference in Washington, DC she attended. She recalls how the conference was unlike any other conferences she had attended as the sessions were exciting and stimulating. She also narrates how she was warmly treated by the President of ACEI.

In India, technological advances have resulted in greater economic affluence for the people. While embracing modernization, India also struggles to break away from traditions of casteism, classism, and dowry. The Indian government has made providing free primary education to all children a priority, but getting girls to school has been…

In this article, the author discusses educational experiences of indigenous children. The author points out that while there are those who have the luxury of access to formal schooling, many do not. In the Second Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, many indigenous representatives discussed common education issues including poor…

In India, the Constitution now includes special educational safeguards for aboriginals (Mohanty, 2003). Aboriginal communities, commonly denoted as "tribal," constitute roughly 8 percent of the total Indian population. In 1960, the Scheduled Area and Scheduled Tribes Commission was established with the aim of integrating the aboriginal people into…

In the context of contemporary Australian society, the education system is still failing to increase educational outcomes among the majority of Australian Aboriginal (1) learners. This educational dilemma has persisted despite the regular introduction of systemic initiatives and funding aimed at addressing Australian Aboriginal learners' low…

Based on ethnographic research conducted in five schools in Durban, this article addresses three issues that are widely perceived as major problems in the transformation of education in post-apartheid South Africa: 1) the rapid and unplanned integration of state-funded schools that has led to overcrowding of classrooms, 2) the class and domestic…

American Indian students as a population are not achieving high academic standards. Yet school failure appears to be acquired rather than inherent at the onset of schooling. Many researchers have reported that American Indian children function at an average range academically until the 4th grade; but by 10th grade, however, they are, on average,…

Throughout her 10-year teaching career, Charlene Crowe was concerned that the minds, spirits, and physical needs of indigenous children were not being addressed, let alone embraced, through the public school system in Canada. In the fall of 1996, Charlene shared her vision for a better educational approach with two aboriginal Elders. Her vision…

Nearly 20 years ago, the powerful motion picture The Mission, starring Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons, was released, bringing worldwide exposure to the Guarani aboriginal people. Based on historical events from the 1700s and set in Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, the film was simultaneously moving and inspiring, yet also a disturbing…

This article discusses the Atayal aboriginal kindergarten program in Taiwan, known as the Kui-whai kindergarten program. While teaching a course on "Designing Kindergarten Curriculum" at a teacher-training program in Taiwan, the author realized that she had seven aboriginal preservice teachers in her class; previously she had none. Those students…