Faculty discussions, staff-development meetings, parent workshops, and direct classroom instruction are places to raise awareness about needs of nonmainstream students and parents, to support students belonging to diverse religious and cultural groups, and to enhance sensitivity to cultural differences in the curriculum. Sample scenarios and…

The use of physical violence on students affronts democratic values and infringes on individual rights; furthermore, a study of school violence found a high correlation between physical punishment and violent behavior of students. (Author/MLF)

Describes the Minority Student Achievement Network, a consortium of 15 school districts with significant achievement gaps between white students and their African-American and Latino counterparts. Network includes school districts from Massachusetts, Michigan, Virginia, California, North Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and New…

Gifted students come from all socioeconomic backgrounds. A broader definition of giftedness and improved assessment methods will help remove barriers that keep poor and minority students out of programs for the gifted. (TE)

Detracking proponents should carefully examine research suggesting that tracking reform has potential dangers. One study shows that high- and average-track students of all racial and economic backgrounds lose out under heterogenous grouping. Detracked classrooms may encourage "bright flight" and erode low achievers' self-confidence. (MLH)

Black and Latino students are still underepresented in upper-level math classes in the United States, a fact which has serious implications for their academic achievement and futures. Walker provides six suggestions for how educators can encourage more black and Latino students to successfully take higher level math courses: (1) Expand our…

Article presented criteria for evaluating the treatment of minority groups and women in textbooks and other learning materials. (Author/RK)

Many gay and lesbian students are victimized by others' silence and bigotry. The author discusses her decision to accept her son's gayness, help other parents, and advise educators on creating a welcoming school environment. Educators should use appropriate terms, provide classroom speakers, challenge homophobic remarks, provide positive role…

As the student body grows more heterogeneous, white women continue to dominate the teaching profession. Disparity between teacher/student demographic profiles is of growing concern. Although not all studies find clear connections among teacher and student racial/ethnic backgrounds and student achievement, minority role models are needed. (MLH)

A study examined ACT and SAT scores of candidates taking a test from the Educational Testing Service's Praxis II series for teachers in 1995-1997. People who pass teacher-licensure tests have academic skills comparable to those of the overall population of SAT takers. Whites have higher pass rates than do minorities. (MLH)

The large achievement gap between white and minority children cannot be bridged by only improving schools. The factors which need to be looked into are health need of the children, providing stable housing to low-income families and increasing the number of professional caregivers during the out-of- school hours.

Currently 40 percent of those classified as poor are children. The social implications for the educational reform movement require that educators develop programs to confront poverty, health, and family problems. Within the next two decades the majority of students will be ethnically and linguistically diverse, poorer, and more handicapped. (MD)

Presents the results from a 1984 national survey of high school community service programs. Findings include: 27 percent of high schools offer some kind of community service programs, enrollments vary greatly, females outnumber males, more than half of the programs have no hispanics, and 36 percent have no black students. Includes tables,…

Every educator in our country is part of the racist society; we are part of the problem and must do something. Each person has to decide what he can and should do. (Author)

Besides linguistic and cultural components, bilingual education should include the "psychoinstructional dimension," that is, the dimension that includes a child's intellectual and personality traits derived from cultural and social class uniqueness. (Author/JM)