The article reviews J. Garbarino's ecological model as it pertains to the interaction of cultural milieu, social environment, and familial and individual factors in child abuse and neglect. Prevention at all levels of the model is emphasized. (CL)

Discusses cultural and family factors to consider when evaluating a student with disability for assistive technology devices, and the need to involve families in decisions about the uses of the devices. The need to be sensitive to family needs for acceptance and to be aware of cultural differences is discussed. (CR)

Describes the convergence of literacy instruction with the Internet and other networked technologies for information and communication. Explores consequences including the fundamental changes taking place in the nature of literacy and literacy instruction. Argues that the literacy community must begin to explore these new contexts for literacy and…

Recommendations for how personnel preparation programs can encourage individuals to become culturally inclusive are presented, including: encourage individuals to understand the values and beliefs behind acculturated practices and research; engage the cultural self in learning; align instruction with relevant experiences; and work on developing…

The paper suggests informal and formal procedures for evaluating students whose primary language is not English. The importance of detailing the student's educational history and of understanding the community setting is noted. The native language should be used to gather this and other informal data, and translators should be trained in cultural…

The paper presents guidelines for presenting a workshop on Ebonics (Black English) to regular and special education teachers. The author maintains that Ebonic speakers must be able to use both the language of their community as well as standard English. Workshop participants are assigned two Ebonic speaking children to apply Ebonic theory. Six…

The articles in this collection offer rich and provocative views, backed by research and intensive classroom experience, of science and mathematics and teaching and learning. In particular, they explore some combination of the following: (1) science and mathematics as discourses; (2) students' home- and culturally-based ways of knowing, talking,…

This paper describes the cultural influences on the process of interviewing families to develop intervention goals for young children with disabilities. It describes an approach to ethnographic interviewing that involves developing rapport, using descriptive questions, and carefully wording questions, to assist families in discovering answers to…

Presents five articles on the interactions of play and culture in early childhood education. The workshop titles are: "Play and Cultural Differences" (Cronin and Jones); "Play in a Classroom of Iu-Mien Children: (Evans); "The Culture of Play: A Personal Perspective" (Jarman); "'But They're Only Playing': Interpreting…

Explores how issues of power and identity are embedded within the cultures of a first-grade writing classroom. Explores the ways in which children's instructional stances--their responses to the ways they are positioned as writers in the classroom--affect their literacy learning. Presents the theoretical and research contexts in which educator's…

In this enlightening volume, expert educator Robert Sylvester explains how adults can better understand teenagers through an engaging discussion of the adolescent brain. Readers will learn how to: (1) Mentor adolescents rather than attempt to manage and control them; (2) Nurture creativity, imagination, and individuality; and (3) Understand such…

This report documents the personal views and experiences gained while conducting training courses for caregivers of persons with mental handicap in many countries of Asia. The experiences are presented as an example of what can be done in a situation of limited material resources to improve the lives of people with mental handicap in developing…

Current research suggests that culture strongly influences students' learning patterns, communication styles, perceptions, and behavior. This research summary details ways that teachers can improve student learning by becoming aware of cultural differences and employing culturally sensitive instructional methods. Concentrating on how students…

Environmental planning requires more than finding the right technology and a source of funds. Planning involves consideration of the social, cultural, economic, and natural environments in which the project occurs. The challenge is to develop sustainable food systems that have reasonable production but do not degrade the resource base and upset…

The author discusses his observations from administering such tests as the Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) to young disabled children in Costa Rica. Cultural influences and nuances of translations are seen to affect performance. Factors involved in remediation programing are also noted. A final consideration is the "barrio…