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Abstract

230 pp., $37.95 paperback; $50.95 hardcover (Available from Charles C. Thomas, Children with and without disabilities experience very different educational experiences as a result of their financial status, ethnic heritage, native language, and neighborhood location. Prejudice in schools is not just a phenomenon in the United States, but a worldwide problem that impedes the school and life success of many children who are viewed as different by peers and educational professionals. Grossman details the problems of cultural and educational prejudice, the implications for children's futures, and his experiences as an educator in trying to combat this extensive global deficiency.Both books detail existing research on inequities in schools and society with regard to special education practices, including problems with nonbiased assessment, appropriate programming, and delivery of services in the least restrictive environment. Grossman relies on his vast experiences in the United States and other countries to punctuate and illustrate how educators' perceptions of students and their innate value, as defined by their personal and cultural characteristics, affect the educational experience offered to those children.From the author's perspective, teacher education programs have a long way to go not only to teach future educators about differences in people, particularly young learners, but also to facilitate opportunities for those prospective teachers to recognize and address their own prejudices toward others who are different from themselves. These prejudices, whether blatant or hidden, are potential detractors from the ability of an educator to establish and maintain a positive, supportive, and successful instructional environment for all children.Both Achieving Educational Equality and Ending Discrimination are well-written books, with supporting information and arguments clearly identified for the reader. They would serve as excellent texts for graduate students who are considering the issues of multiculturalism in education and particularly in addressing the prob-lems of overrepresentation of children and youth who are of African American, Hispanic, and Native American descent. Additionally, both texts are easily accessible for any future teacher who needs to consider carefully the impact of his or her instructional decisions on the learning of students.-Ch . rts K . 0 rms b ee The following Book Review was prepared by Janice Rutledge Janz. Teaching Effective Classroom RoutinesThe prevention of behavior problems and the better utilization of instructional time are goals for all classroom teachers. Teaching Effective Classroom Routines is a practical tool that can assist in the attainment of these goals. It does this by introducing specific classroom routines or basic school skills, with explicit directives that indicate how these routines are systematically taught.1èaching Effective Classroom Routines includes an introduction, recommended procedures for a &dquo;Behavior Class,&dquo; & d q u o ; and four classificati...