This report provides Canadian Aboriginal communities with information and resources for carrying out participatory action research and applying the results to community development. Presented in English and French, the report is based on a literature review and a 2-day focus group involving 14 community development experts, Aboriginal community…

This proceedings contains edited transcripts of speeches and workshops given at a conference on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), held at UCLA in January 1992. Workshop titles were: fetal alcohol syndrome; responding to the family in Indian child welfare; joint in-service training for management of Indian Child Welfare Act cases; domestic…

This paper focuses on the challenges of helping children after abuse and neglect has occurred by strengthening the web of supports for children and families in foster care. It examines the current state of the foster care system and finds that it is really not a cohesive system but a combination of many overlapping and interacting agencies, all…

This article discusses the adjustment of ten Asian-born university students to the academic culture of an English-speaking university in the United States. Findings from a case study reveal an instrumental role played by compatriot networks in the students' adjustment process. Spindler's cultural therapy model provides the lens for an…

This article examines the diversity of practices utilized by working-class and poor black and Latina/o families to support their children's college-going processes. We employ the work of feminists, scholars of color, and critical ethnographers to critique the power undergirding the monolithic model establishing one entry point of parental…

For many remote northern communities, especially Native American communities, school design, construction, and heating would be more culturally and technologically appropriate if local materials and expertise were utilized. Following World War II, the period of the most rapid "de-localization" of northern communities, the allegedly…

Researchers have theorized that programs to promote positive citizenship should begin with an opportunity for adolescents to participate in civic activities, such as community service or political volunteering. In this report, the authors expand this theoretical perspective by arguing that programs to promote positive citizenship may need to begin…

The Bienestar Health Program is a diabetes risk-factor prevention program targeting Mexican American fourth graders. Program goals are to decrease overweight and dietary fats. The program is based on social cognitive theory and uses culturally relevant material. Preliminary evaluation indicates the program significantly decreases dietary fat,…

This ethnographic study's intent was to understand and interpret elementary teachers' evolving attitudes, perceptions and practices towards non-violence curriculum, the "Second Step" violence-prevention program, and a project model utilizing consultants to implement instruction. Findings included that the curriculum was not implemented as intended…

The notion of excellence in early childhood education is increasingly recognised as both subjective and problematic. The search for excellence can be, however, a motivating force for those committed to providing experiences that enrich and enhance the lives of young children within diverse Australian communities. This commitment is shared by the…

The goal theory of achievement argues that the goals stressed by schools have dramatic consequences for whether children develop a sense of self-efficacy, or whether they avoid challenging tasks, giving up when faced with failure. It is commonly believed that the goals stressed by Western-oriented schools are inappropriate to indigenous minority…

Over 100 participants from Micronesia, Australia, Japan, Hawaii, and other United States convened to hear presenters speaking on various topics of interest to librarians, archivists, and educators in the Pacific islands. The proceedings include a welcoming speech, remarks acknowledging conference exhibitors, and a keynote address by Dr. John…

Beginning in 1994, various national and First Nations initiatives in Canada have increased the availability of child care for Aboriginal children. However, the speed of these initiatives has not allowed time for First Nations communities to define their wishes for the care of their children. This report documents the opinions of First Nations…

This report describes a three-year faculty development program that successfully transculturated approximately one-third of the faculty and professional staff at Texas A&I University, a state institution in which over 50 percent of the student body is Mexican American. Transculturation entails a change process that focuses on changing the…

Cultural sensitivity is a goal for effective educators in Canada. They must make a clear differentiation between multicultural adults for whom English is a second language, who are pursuing linguistic needs for functioning in the Canadian workplace, and culturally unique First Nation (Native American) students, who have always lived in Canada and…