NPR: Schools Find Achievement Gap Tough To Close

Resource
I included this NPR radio link so that you could hear from a great author on the subject of inequalities in education.

Summary
Despite ongoing research and theorizing, the educational achievement of black boys and young black men continues to lag behind their white peers, nationwide. James Earl Davis of Temple University's College of Education and Pedro Noguera, author of The Trouble With Black Boys discuss.

Link:
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/23/131544567/schools-find-achievement-gap-tough-to-close

Methods for Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners

by, John J. Hoover, Jeanette K. Klingner, Leonard M. Baca & James R. Patton

Solution/Resource
I discovered this book in a course I was taking at Seattle University in Special Education 541. I found it to be a great resource on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students.

Summary

This book provides readers with a wealth of knowledge in instructional methods for culturally and linguistically diverse learners, designed to help differentiate between learning differences and learning disabilities and appropriately meet associated needs. It is written for any educator directly or indirectly involved in the K-12 education of culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional learners. This book may also serve as a valuable resource to professional development staff, school administrators, school psychologists, and other related service providers.

Assessing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

by, Robert L. Rhodes, Salvador Hector Ochoa & Samuel O. Ortiz

Solution/Resource
The reason that I chose to include this book is that it is a great resource for education professionals to use when they are going to be testing or assessing minorities students.

Summary

This is the first book to present a practical, problem-solving approach and hands-on tools and techniques for assessing English-language learners and culturally diverse students in K-12 settings. It meets a crucial need among practitioners and special educators working in today's schools. Provided are research-based, step-by-step procedures for conducting effective interviews with students, parents, and teachers; making the best use of interpreters; addressing special issues in the prereferral process; and conducting accurate, unbiased assessments of academic achievement, intellectual functioning, language proficiency, and acculturation. Among the book's special features are reproducible worksheets, questionnaires, and checklists--including several in both English and Spanish--in a ready-to-use, large-size format.

The Psychology of Multiculturalism in the Schools: A Primer for Practice, Training, and Research

The reason that I chose to include this piece on our blog, besides it being a really great resource, is that having cultural competency is one of the solutions to stopping the over representation of minorities

in special education.

Summary

Understanding the diverse cultural, linguistic, and educational needs of students is essential to creating genuinely inclusive and effective schools where all children can thrive. This is includes embracing individuality in diverse children and their families, as well as understanding the cultural foundations of learning and behavior. Edited by Janine M. Jones, The Psychology of Multiculturalism in the Schools: A Primer for Practice, Training, and Research provides school professionals the tools necessary to become culturally responsive practitioners, enhance student progress, and close the achievement gap.

Do You Know These Children?

• Ethnically and racially diverse students represent 43% of the U.S. student population.
• 20% of U.S. students 17 and younger are Latino.
• Approximately 20% of children ages 5–17 speak a language other than English at home, and 5 percent speak English with difficulty.
• 34% of Indigenous American children, 33% of Black students, 26% of Latino students, and 17% of U.S. students overall, live in poverty.
• In 2007, about 16 million children age 17 and under had at least one immigrant parent.
• 86% of sexual minority youth report being harassed at school

Confronting Inequity in Special Education, Part I: Understanding the Problem of Disproportionality

NASP Communiqué, Vol. 38, #1
September 2009

By Amanda L. Sullivan, Elizabeth A'Vant, John Baker, Daphne Chandler, Scott Graves, Edward McKinney, & Tremaine Sayles

This are article is from the National Association of School Psychologists. They have a newsletter they produce called the Communique'.

Summary
This article is one in a series developed by NASP’s African American Subcommittee for school psychologists and other educators working with culturally and linguistically diverse student populations. In this article, part one of two addressing disproportionality, the subcommittee presents an overview of the problem of disproportionate representation of Black students in special education. In next month’s edition, part two will provide school psychologists with promising practices in addressing disproportionality and supporting equity in schools. The authors acknowledge the support of the African American Subcommittee, under NASP’s Multicultural Affairs Committee, for their insightful discussions on the article topic, as well as for the group’s professional allegiance.

Reference for the article and to see the full article:
http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/mocq381disproportionality.aspx

National Education Association: Hispanics - Special Education and English Language Learners

The National Education Association--the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, related service providers, education support professionals, college faculty, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers--identifies teachers' misconceptions in labeling English Language Learners as having Learning Disabilities. NEA challenges educators, administrators, and families to better understand the differences between academic discrepancy due to Language Acquisition and Learning Disabilities; a call to action encouraging this knowledge and a strong partnerships between special education teams, teachers, and families is the solution to address the over-representation of English Language Learners in Special Education. 

Hispanics - Special Education and English Language Learners (NEA, 2007) (, 390 KB, 6pp)

Misconceptions surrounding language differences vs. learning disabilities.

To read article:

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/HE/mf_hispanicfocus07.pdf

 

National Education Association: Truth in Labeling: Dis-proportionality in Special Education

The National Education Association--the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, related service providers, education support professionals, college faculty, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers--analyzes contributing factors to dis-proportionality of gender, English Language Learners, and minority ethnic groups in special education and gifted programs. It outlines the following strategies for how to make a difference and initiate change:

* Academic language proficiency

* Quality early childhood opportunities  

* Early intervening services

* Response-to-intervention

* Positive behavioral supports

* Classroom management skills

* Culturally responsive teaching

* Culturally responsive assessment

* Parent, family, and community partnerships

Truth in Labeling: Dis-proportionality in Special Education. NEA

Professional Library, 2007, www.nea.org/books.

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/HE/EW-TruthInLabeling.pdf