Presents five brief articles related to middle-level learning. The articles are, "Using Children's Diaries to Teach the Oregon Trail"; "Living the Geography of Joseph and Temperance Brown"; "The ABCs of Small Grant Acquisition for Social Studies"; "Isomo Loruko: The Yoruba Naming Ceremony"; and "Child…

Describes the problems of education in Southern and South Africa. Maintains that, although the need to incorporate the four traditions of geography into the curriculum is widely recognized, much teaching is still traditional and unimaginative, leaving students unaware of the possibilities for geography. Also offers Five suggestions for solving the…

Presents a wealth of statistical, geographic, and economic information on Sub-Saharan Africa arranged and displayed for easy and immediate access. Lists all of the countries of the region along with pertinent information including religious affiliation, capital, Gross National Product, main exports, population growth, education, and literacy. (MJP)

While students from many non-Western contexts continue to stream to Europe and North America to pursue theological doctoral degrees, new theological doctoral programs are springing up around the world. Many of these new programs appear to be adopting (more or less uncritically) one or another of the Western models of doctoral program design.…

What do Washington, DC, Fredericksburg, VA, and Charleston, SC, have in common?--Each city will, in the next three to five years, become home to a major African American museum site. This article evaluates the pros and cons of this plan, providing insight from those working most closely on the project. It is divided into the following sections:…

We present an overview of research on African American families and emphasize in this discussion limitations of approaches used in the past to study African American families. We also discuss and identify challenges for designing and implementing community, family-based programs targeting competence-promoting behaviors in African American…

This study investigated how predictive the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS; B. J. Vandiver, W. E. Cross, F. C. Worrell, & P. Fhagen-Smith, 2002), a measure of Black racial identity, was of African American cultural practices, beliefs, and attitudes (i.e., enculturation) as measured by the African American Acculturation Scale-33 (H. Landrine & E.…

Reveals a preponderance of stereotypical beliefs about the African continent among preservice social studies teachers. Many social studies teachers possess little, and often inaccurate information concerning Africa. Includes guidelines for correcting these misconceptions and teaching about Africa from a global perspective. (MJP)

Discusses the educational philosophy of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and its impact upon the women of Nigeria and Ghana. This religious instruction allowed them to attain a liberated means of self-expression and leadership faithful to their cultural heritage as African women and their formation as Christians. (MJP)

Examines the various reasons for the rise of Botswana, from one of the poorest countries in the world circa 1966, to its current position of relative prosperity. A prime ingredient in this progress was the incorporation of external aid into a stable system defined by a cohesive ethnic identity. (MJP)

African-American students may experience cultural disequilibrium in American schools due to conflict between components of school culture and student racial identity. The therapeutic instructional process of cultural clarification is proposed to encourage positive self-image among Black students through peer learning, television, memorizing,…

Profiles the process of South Africa's transformation into a democracy. Outlines the many characteristics of the transition from white to majority rule, such as the attempt to achieve catharsis and bury the apartheid past through a process of amnesty and reconciliation. Describes the remaining obstacles to that transition. (MJP)

Critiques six current history textbooks concerning their representation of African history. Identifies strengths and weaknesses in the texts and establishes criteria of judgement. Includes the use of primary sources, consideration of African perspectives, and a balanced portrait of contemporary problems. (MJP)

Thomas Sayers Ellis, assistant professor of creative writing at New York's Sarah Lawrence College, is one of many scholars fighting for the soul of Black poetry, a struggle that takes place largely off-campus. Unless one is accepted into a top-level graduate poetry program, such as Boston University's program or the Iowa Writing Workshop, a poet's…

In this chapter response, the author revisits young men and women whose voluntary writing and visual literacy practices helped teachers, teacher educators, and literacy researchers rethink the "funds of knowledge" urban youth bring to classroom communities. She examines transformations of everyday spaces into teaching and learning…