A 5-year study of one-teacher schools was conducted by a single researcher in the remote North West Region of New South Wales, Australia. A personal narrative discusses problems of longitudinal research, peculiarities of gathering data in the chosen region, the close relationship of these isolated schools and their communities, and problems and…

A teacher of preschool and kindergarten students with hearing impairments recounts her increasing use of whole language, process-oriented teaching methods. Considers the teacher's new role, the classroom environment, use of thematic units, emergent reading, emergent writing, and evaluation. (DB)

Maintains that historical fiction provides children with the opportunity to vicariously live the events of the past, learn about their heritage, and develop a sense of the sweep of history. Recommends several books covering different historical periods and includes related instructional activities. (MJP)

Examines the ways in which African Americans link personal stories with biblical and heritage stories to decide future life directions. Maintains that these activities help people develop a spirituality of hope and restore relational contexts for storytelling and story listening in an age where these contexts have disappeared. (MJP)

Presents brief excerpts from the presidential papers of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. The excerpts address such matters as voting rights, limited government, political appointments, national security, and the balance of power. (MJP)

Two college courses, one in literary analysis and one designed to help students apply prior learning, were redesigned to incorporate time for students to tell the class about their own learning experiences. It was found that the narratives enriched faculty and students' understanding and awareness. (MSE)

Staff at a small elementary school in Quebec collaborated to develop a three-year improvement plan that outlined specific goals in implementing change and focused on the introduction of cooperative-learning strategies. Cooperative learning increased student self-esteem and positively influenced teachers' attitudes toward their careers. (LP)

Describes the everyday working life of a lesbian teacher working in a secondary school in England. Compares her experiences and the problems she faces with those of other lesbian and gay teachers. Discusses school climate, the necessity for silence about her personal life, and school power structures. (JB)

Explores the impact of gender diversity on school achievement, using data from an ethnographic study of academic success among 33 eleventh-grade students in a Washington (DC) high school. The normalized definition of femaleness juxtaposed with a dominating patriarchy propels African-American females to resist images that assert their nothingness.…

Examines cultural dynamics resulting from the interactions of minority Latino high school students and their "majority" teachers in an inner-city Los Angeles (California) high school. School represents an arena in which the boundary between Latino and Anglo culture and the cultural identity of the educational system are being negotiated.…

Argues that one of the richest vehicles for enhancing students' classroom learning is the diversity of the student body itself. Integrating diversity into the classroom process also increases motivation and facilitates development of social, cognitive, and communication skills necessary for today's multicultural workforce. Classroom experiences,…

Profiles a high school technology teacher and creator of CyberSchool, a distance learning program of the Eugene (Oregon) School District. Discusses Tom Layton's education, early work experience, establishment of a high school English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program, integration of computers into the classroom, reputation as a technology leader,…

Describes the use of autobiographical storytelling, personal myths, and visual imagery in preparing elementary and special educators for activist roles in creating effective, inclusive schools. Graduate students were presented with a social-constructivist perspective toward the content and process of schooling. Examples of materials produced by…

This article examines the experiences of three African-American female educators and their families in responding to their own children with special needs. The authors draw upon the narratives provided by these three families to document their personal experiences in parenting children with disabilities. Using fictitious names to protect…

This paper uses Black Feminist Thought to explain the lived experiences of three Black female graduate students at a White Research I institution. Through mentoring from Black female professors, the students received instrumental and psychosocial support that helped them to navigate through their graduate level work. Common themes of identity,…