Children (n=28) who were given books as babies and followed up at age 3 were compared to 29 who received no books. The treatment group had substantially greater participation in eight early literacy activities. Controls were more passive, less interested, and less able to sustain concentration. (SK)

Examines the effects of classroom acoustical problems on children, including those at risk for underachievement. Suggests ways to optimize classroom listening, especially through sound-field classroom amplification. (SK)

Interviews exploring the work experience of 11 boys and 13 girls in British high schools showed that they exhibited different levels of mature judgment and endowed their experience with different meanings. Most believed the placements' primary function was to prepare them for transition to work. The educative potential of work experience remained…

Interviews with 160 children aged 6-9 from varied backgrounds showed that they acknowledge the importance of parents in their lives but have a pragmatic view of the relationship. What parents do seems to be more important than what they say. Children appeared to understand more than adults may want to acknowledge. (SK)

The National Curriculum in Australia is based on outcomes in eight key areas: English, math, social studies, science, technology, languages, arts, and health. In a study of four New South Wales primary schools, teachers linked the benefits of outcome-based education to facilitated assessment and reporting, although it did increase demands in other…

At a girls' secondary school with high numbers of speakers of English as a Second Language, Years 10-11 students tutored those in Years 7-8 who needed help, using the shared reading process. The plan benefitted both tutors and tutees within a school policy emphasizing language development, although it required a high degree of staff commitment and…

Interviews with 600 youth aged 10-18, many from immigrant families, explored how they learn about citizenship and define themselves and their communities. They identify strongly with their city or neighborhood but also have multiple identities, a cosmopolitan citizenship that bridges several worlds. Education for cosmopolitan citizenship should…

Discusses developments in global education and its core elements or dimensions (issues, spatial, temporal, process). Outlines a global education curriculum in terms of skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes. (Contains 33 references.) (SK)

Three historians have recently questioned the moral and social significance of Holocaust education. However, it is unrealistic to demand that education result in complete cessation of atrocities. Holocaust education has lessons to impart in the areas of commemoration, antiracism, moral development, and socialization. (Contains 37 references.) (SK)

Discusses William Galston's view that Isaiah Berlin's moral and political philosophy is foundational for diversity liberalism. Argues that a more balanced view of Berlin is less helpful than Galston proposes, because Berlin's work is permeated by a tension between the importance of belonging to a community and the importance of individual liberty.…

A framework for analyzing the educational attainment of culturally and linguistically diverse students highlights ways in which power relations influence the negotiation of identity. Teacher-student interactions either reinforce coercive relations or promote collaborative ones. Ignoring the intersections of power and pedagogy reinforces coercive…

The ideology of a monolingual and monoracial Japan is being challenged by increasing language diversity in communities where Ainu, Ryukyuan, Chinese, English, Japanese Sign Language, Korean, and other languages are spoken. Government policies and school textbooks still resist the notion of a multilingual Japan. (SK)

South Africa's new language policy recognizes 11 official languages. For a multilingual policy to succeed in education requires flexibility for provinces, schools, and classrooms to implement it to meet the needs of specific populations. (SK)

The Basque Country in Spain has seen a resurgence in the Basque language (Euskara) and support for bilingualism and bilingual education. Two-thirds of students choose to learn in Euskara and fewer than one-third in Spanish. Schools using Euskara as the language of instruction are achieving better results. (SK)

Explores commonalities between deaf children and children with English as an additional language in terms of discrimination, communication environments, and effects of mainstreaming. Examines the special needs of deaf children who are also ethnic and linguistic minorities. (SK)