Describes the author's reactions to Denny Taylor and Catherine Dorsey-Gaines' book "Growing Up Literate: Learning from Inner-City Families" which attempts to alter the popular perception that poor, inner-city children grow up in homes bereft of any sense of family and devoid of significant models of literate behavior. (RS)

Urges educators and citizens to ignore the hype surrounding "The Bell Curve" and to grasp the ethnocentrism (or racism) that underlies eugenicist arguments. Both Carnoy and Ladson-Billings offer hope to those supporting educational equity and the appreciation of diversity. (SLD)

Contends that computers and television have contributed to a sense of global connectedness. Presents reviews of a computer software program and two videotape series that focus on global issues and children in other cultures. Asserts that instructional materials such as these can help reduce ethnocentrism among students. (CFR)