A view of the status of Southeast Asian language programs in American schools leads the author to comment on five interrelated issues. They include: (1) the importance of Southeast Asian language and culture teaching and learning, (2) integrating culture in Southeast Asian language classes, (3) teaching techniques, (4) staffing, and (5)…

Principal findings of a two-year study of alumni and officials of the program are summarized. Policy recommendations deal with: the use of former grantees in preparing new grantees; clarification of the roles and expectations of various program components; program flexibility; travel policy; use of academic consultants; and use of senior grantees…

The 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and its aftermath have brought to light a number of crucial economic lessons. This curriculum unit focuses on some of the purported causes of the crisis, the workings of the International Monetary Fund, and the general nature of economies affected by financial turmoil. Lesson 1, "A Story of Boom and Bust in…

Examines the effects of gender differences in educational expansion on national economic growth. Using cross-national data from 96 countries, the authors found that in less-developed countries, educational expansion among primary school-age girls had a stronger impact on long-term economic prosperity than did educational expansion among primary…

Whether by incorporating the study of other nations and cultures into the school curriculum, requiring students to learn foreign languages, or encouraging cross-cultural exchanges, countries around the world are preparing their students for life in the global era. Vivien Stewart describes efforts in Europe, Australia, and Asia and assesses how the…

This article discusses student pressure as a subject of debate. The latest debate about schoolwork is being fueled by three recent books: "The Homework Myth" by Alfie Kohn, "The Case Against Homework" by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, and "The Overachievers", by Alexandra Robbins, which depicts overextended high…

Examines learner attitudes toward classroom learning of English, with particular focus on collectivism versus individualism, attitudes towards authority, and types of achievement motivation. Data are collected from eight Asian and three European countries. Although many attitudinal differences occur between individual countries, striking…

This anthology brings together art educators from 21 countries to provide information about the past record of art education along with recent developments and future prospects. In "Part I: Historical Perspectives," the role of cross cultural influences is reported in essays: (1) "Quality Criteria Shifts in One Century of Art…

The global status of comparative education from the 1960s to the present is presented in three parts. Part 1 comprises a general review of the background to seven regional studies. The review provides a picture of the overall historical development; the modifications in the concept of comparative education that have occurred; the general…

For people living in the 20th century, Russia has been associated with images of communism, the Bolshevik Revolution, totalitarian regimes and leaders, and the fears and stereotypes of the Cold War era. The dissolution of the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War, and the liberal revolutions of the 1980s-1990s have provided an opportunity to…

This article examines East Asian societies' response to students who are gifted academically or talented in the arts, music, or sports, focusing on educational practices in China, Taiwan, and Japan. The study concludes that establishment of gifted education programs is not determined by economic development level or school quality but by the…

This issue of the Coordinator's Notebook focuses on the quality of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) programs. The bulk of the issue is devoted to an article "Quality in ECCD: Everyone's Concern" (Judith Evans), which reviews the need for a definition of high quality in ECCD programs and discusses how diverse stakeholders…

A basic framework for undertaking a study of elementary curricula in Pacific and Asian countries is presented. The material, which emerged from a regional workshop, is divided into two sections. A chart in section 1 summarizes major features of elementary school curricula in Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand,…

This outline of East-West Center professional development and research projects planned for 1973-74 and 1974-75 is published to provide as much information as possible to cooperating organizations and to potential cosponsors of the center's projects. The projects provide a forum in which women and men from Asia, the Pacific area, and the United…

For more than 50 years, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has been conducting comparative studies of educational achievement in a number of curriculum areas, including mathematics and science. TIMSS 2011 represents the fifth cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),…