For most students, summer means "break." It's a chance to put down the books, rest and recharge, attend camp as a participant or a counselor, earn some extra spending money with a summer job, perhaps travel with the family--in general, get away from all things academic. For teachers, the summer can stand for the same thing: vacation, in one form…

Research has demonstrated persistent, disproportionally negative educational outcomes for students of color, causing national concern in this area. School personnel increasingly understand the need to engage with parents as educational partners, but parents of color may feel marginalized in these efforts. This paper presents findings from a series…

If the young people are to become effective participants in a democratic society, then social studies must be an essential part of the curriculum in the early childhood/elementary years. In a world that demands independent and cooperative problem solving to address complex social, economic, ethical, and personal concerns, the social studies are as…

As we have seen throughout this paper, the education of Latino/a students is in crisis. At the same time, based on our review of promising practices and creative projects, we also believe that this is a time of great opportunity. There are a number of areas that are especially crucial in improving the education of Latinos/as. Based on our critical…

Immigrants find themselves in a liminal state of limbo between two societies. In this zone, competing cultural ideas coexist. This essay examines how Latino immigrant family childcare providers in the United States questioned US norms of childrearing and how they engaged in liminal cultural work to produce a bicultural childrearing. They are…

Many rural school districts face declining enrollments. A few districts have taken the unusual path of recruiting international students in order to boost their enrollments. This study examines a community using this strategy and the resulting financial, academic, and social situations for the school, community, and students, both local and…

This study investigated students' motives for participating in a short-term study abroad program in Germany, their expectations about learning progress at the beginning of the program, and their perceived progress in various language skills at the end of the program. Findings indicated that students' expectations were higher than their perceived…

The number of farmers in China has been more than 900 million since the mid 1990s. According to the China Villages Statistical Yearbook 2006, by the end of 2005 the number of farmers in China had reached 949.075 million, or 72.6 per cent of China's total population. The "three-dimensional rural issues" concerning agriculture, the…

There is increasing pressure for university researchers to secure "end-user" support for their research projects. Yet the ways in which this imperative affects humanities researchers, operating in a science-centric funding environment, have not yet been fully explored. This paper presents the findings of an empirical study into the…

When the nearest metropolis is hundreds of miles away, cultural enrichment is not always easy to come by. Arts programs have evolved to reflect the needs of such regions, providing a rich diet for culture-starved residents. Some colleges have created choirs or theater groups that welcome local participation, while others have developed elaborate…

Professional bureaucracies of the Finnish municipal services are challenged by many modernization pressures manifested currently in the form of New Public Management. Along with efficiency demands the new emphasis is on the provision of client-oriented services by the means of multi-professional teamwork crossing the traditional sector boundaries.…

This comprehensive article explores children's films, film companies, and film festivals. (MF)

This philosophical essay maps conceptually five logically defensible aims for music education around the world. These are: to develop musical communities; to transform musical traditions; to enrich culture; to benefit society; to ennoble people. Clarifying these aims opens an array of questions for subsequent examination. It also provides…

Languages education, or what has been called the study of languages other than English (LOTE), seems to involve a paradox in Australia. It is supposed to promote cultural enrichment and intercultural understanding, and yet the process of becoming a qualified language teacher tends to be intolerant of the cultural differences of overseas born and…

Describes an exhibit which identified a community based aesthetic and the presentation of that aesthetic in a gallery setting (Bowling Green, Ohio). A questionnaire was used to help report the exhibition's objective. Findings suggest many approaches to both content and methodologies can be effectively used in the field of art education.…