This newsletter theme issue includes six articles on improving math and science education, particularly for poor, Limited-English-Proficient (LEP), and female students. "Effective Math and Science Instruction--The Project Approach for LEP Students" (Joseph Vigil) describes how hands-on science projects can increase student motivation,…

The new foundations related to the schooling initiatives targeting Mexican Americans in the United States are the focus of this paper. The issues that bring together research, theory and educational policy and practice are outlined. Within the last few decades, research and practice in culture and education have shifted from a focus on…

This book portrays what works in creating better educational opportunities and effective school reform for Hispanic Americans, offering a reflection on the bicultural experience of minority groups in U.S. schools and showing how and why educational reforms must seek to build upon rather than downplay the native culture and language of minority…

The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

The impact of the international donor-supported District Primary Education Programme on the thinking and actions of 234 primary school teachers in South India was influenced by four cultural constructs: "openness to regulation,""sense of duty," and views on social hierarchy and knowledge acquisition. Teachers were receptive to…

Equity pedagogy involves teaching strategies and environments that help diverse students attain necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes for functioning effectively within a just, democratic society. The article examines how equity pedagogy interacts with other dimensions of multicultural education (content integration, knowledge construction…

Teachers must acknowledge and validate minority students' home language without using it to limit their potential. Educators who are committed to teaching all students can help such students transcend their home language, acquire a secondary discourse, and succeed in mainstream schools without losing respect for their home culture. (SM)

Examines current theory and research about educating teachers concerning diversity, cultural pluralism, and equity. Explores how teacher educators attempt to transfer multicultural skills, beliefs, and knowledge in ways that help every child learn. Every teacher needs to incorporate cultural diversity to acknowledge the different needs and goals…

One of the most enduring concerns of government and educational planners in developing countries is how to reduce rural-urban inequalities in educational provision. The aim is to ensure that all children have equal access to education of good quality irrespective of region, ethnicity and social class. This paper critically examines the provision…

In a four-year, longitudinal study conducted between 2000 and 2004, the author followed 700 students as they progressed through three high schools: a diverse, urban school as well as two suburban schools. Although incoming freshmen at the urban school scored significantly lower in mathematics than incoming students at the two suburban schools, by…

There is concern that the nation's schools are not preparing students to excel in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. At both precollege and postsecondary levels, much effort is needed to create and implement powerful STEM curricula, prepare and support highly qualified teachers, deliver effective instruction, and give…

This book presents affirmative strategies to rid schools of discrimination. Many of these strategies were developed as a result of research in four public high schools with large percentages of ethnic and language minority students in the deep south. The study, which consisted of 48 30-90 minute interviews, suggested that there is wide student…

The use of classroom assessments in the context of the new assessment system for California schools, the California Learning Assessment System, is discussed by describing the California Learning Record (CLR). The CLR emphasizes the central role of teachers in equitable assessment of student learning for students of diverse cultural and ethnic…

This report examines several important trends and issues in urban education and minority education. It reviews major principles for rethinking urban schooling so that students from diverse racial, ethnic, linguistic, and gender groups will be able to receive a more equal education, and it considers specific issues in their education. The focus is…

An abstract introduces this collection of three papers and two abstracts of papers from a symposium at which experts presented their viewpoints about the social, political, and economic issues surrounding the use of computers in schools. Each of the following five investigations provides an important perspective on such issues: (1) "Educational…