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