The National Association of School Psychologists
In the article that the school psychologists put out about the causes of disproportionalitiy of minorities in special education they discussed the need for culturally competent professionals. This means that people in the school are not simply aware of the different cultures present at the school but being versed in all of them. They have a link on their website with all sorts off different resources for developing culturally competency in your school.
Visit the link and explore all the different resources they provide on diversity and cultural competency. http://www.nasponline.org/resources/culturalcompetence/index.aspx
Also check out he link on the home page the book The Psychology of Multiculturalism in the Schools: A Primer for Practice, Training, and Research, by, Janine Jones.
Here is a link to an interview with the Author as well.
International Reading Association
Summary
IRA is concerned that lack of appropriate reading instruction and early interventions among low-performing minority children contributes to their over-representation in special education programs. We advocate for effective early reading instruction for all children and for intervention before children are referred to special education. Attention to such issues as ineffective classroom instruction, lack of coordination across programs and teachers, and the frequent overlooking of children’s culturally relevant language skills will help to reduce the number of unnecessary special education referrals for minority students.
National Education Association
The Truth in Labeling: Disproportionality in Special Education
The Truth in Labeling: Disproportionality 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.
National Education Association (NEA)
Hispanics - Special Education and English Language Learners
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.
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP): Help to track the statistical disproportionality of minorities in Special Education.
This gain in statistical figures can allow the government to address schools that have a disproportionate number of minorities in special education and come up with plans change this problem.
School Counselors and School Psychologists: Collaborating to Ensure Minority Students Receive Appropriate Consideration for Special Educational Programs
Remedial and Special Education
A Journal on the Hammill Institute on Disabilities
Mariage and Garmon demand that education professionals be vigilant in advocating for the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students emphasizing the role of school counselors and psychologists—especially when referring for special education. Students' academic functioning must be interpreted with an awareness of social and cultural factors that may affect academic performance and test results and school professionals must continually evaluate and challenge their own cultural competency and that of other school personnel.
Mariage, T.V.,& Garmon, M.A. (2003). School Counselors and School Psychologists: Collaborating to Ensure Minority Students Receive Appropriate Consideration for Special Education Programs: Remedial and Special Education, July/August 2003; vol. 24, 4: pp. 215-234
Impact of Instructional Consultation Teams on the Disproportionate Referral and Placement of Minority Students in Special Education
Remedial and Special Education
A Journal on the Hammill Institute on Disabilities
To purchase the full article:
http://rse.sagepub.com/content/27/1/42.short
US Commission on Civil Rights: Minorities in Special Education
The US Commission on civil Rights—an organization aimed to study and collect information relating to discrimination or a denial of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice—calls several panelists to analyze data and share their views on what the federal government, schools, and parents could do to address the issue of dis-proportionality of minority students in special education.
Office for Civil Rights
Mission: to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights.
We serve student populations facing discrimination and the advocates and institutions promoting systemic solutions to civil rights problems.
