Multicultural Inclusion of Lesbian and Gay Literature Themes in Elementary Classrooms

This article provides a rationale for and methods to assist elementary educators in creating spaces where the enhancement of awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ)-themed literature could be explored in elementary schools and classrooms. The authors assert that an approach to providing gender and sexuality diversity in the elementary grades is part of multicultural practice in elementary classrooms. Through document analysis, the authors discovered the existing theories, practices, and evidence available in the literature that would provide elementary educators support to use LGBTQ-themed children's literature in academic spaces. The authors then provide a set of guidelines for educators to modify their existing instructional practices in order to empower young learners with the critical literacy attributes necessary in order to gain access to knowledge, power, and opportunities.     

Adult higher education opportunities: An evaluation of sources of information

How do adults learn about higher education opportunities that are available to them? Few studies have investigated this question. The Institute for Communication Research study of the promotion of adult learning programs in the United States and the Center for Research and Development in Higher Education study of higher education opportunities for adults focused on the channels chosen by educational institutions for communicating information. This study investigates adult audiences' attentiveness and evaluation of various sources of information about opportunities for higher education. Generally, it was found that personal sources of information were evaluated more highly by adults interested in pursuing higher education than by those who were not interested. The evaluation of mass media information sources were not significantly different, however, between interested adults and not-interested adults.     

Prisoner Reentry Resources: An Annotated Guide

ABSTRACT

Prisoner reentry is an important and timely topic which can be challenging to research because it is so wide-reaching and includes so many subtopics. The aim of this guide is to outline the basic sources and necessary strategies to begin study in this area. The main part of this guide is a list of materials limited to those that have appeared since 2000. The second part of the guide gives direction to those who want to learn more, by recommending strategies including keywords and phrases which have been found to be of use. The issues related to prisoner reentry affect all of us. Public policy, legislative changes, and community survival require a knowledgeable citizenry. This guide can direct users to the information necessary to make meaningful decisions about these sometimes controversial issues.     

The Future of the Library As a Place of Learning: A Personal Perspective

As the twenty-first century unfolds and we move to a new economy based not on knowledge but on ideas will the Library as a place disappear? In a connected world where users have extensive access to vast amounts of information why would they go to libraries and, more importantly, are there reasons for us to construct new library buildings in the twenty-first century? While the power of technology makes libraries more able to deliver improved services, digitization and remote access may conspire to make them irrelevant as places. However the real impact of technology is how it affects the practice of teaching and learning. The importance of creating a national learning infrastructure that benefits as many people as possible is more important than ever before for global competitiveness. Libraries focused on their contribution to learning will not merely be important places as the learning society develops but will be essential to its success. To be part of that picture, Libraries need to consider how they can support the ideas economy and provide facilities that become essential to the lives of twenty-first century learners.     

Cultural problems in minority education: Their interpretations and consequences—Part two: Case studies

Culture has featured prominently in minority educational research, policies, and intervention since the early 1960s. It is receiving even more attention today in minority education discourse due to the emergence of cultural diversity and multicultural education as popular national issues. A careful analysis of the new discourse suggests, however, that the issue has shifted from how cultural differences enhance or deter the school adjustment and academic performance of minority children to the problem of cultural hegemony and representation in school curriculum and other domains of education. In my two-part essay I argue for a reconsideration of the earlier question about how culture affects minority school adjustment and academic performance. In the first part of this essay l (1) argued that there are real cultural differences which confront minority children in school and (2) proposed thecultural frame of reference as a conceptual tool to understand minorities' interpretations of and responses to the cultural problems they encounter. More specifically, I suggested that voluntary minorities who interpret the cultural differences as barriers to be overcome are more successful in crossing cultural boundaries. Involuntary minorities with an oppositional cultural frame of reference are ambivalent in their interpretation of cultural differences as barriers and markers of group identity. They are less successful-in crossing cultural boundaries. In this second part, I will demonstrate my explanations with two case studies: blacks, an involuntary minority group and Chinese Americans, a voluntary minority group. Part One of this paper appeared in Volume 27, Number 3, September 1995.