8. Growing Population Substantial portions of the American population Growing population Immigration Birth rates Increased demands on educational system Students from culturally and linguistic diversity do not complete school in the same proportions as students from the cultural majority.
9. Activity: TRIOS Model for flexible grouping Movement for some Stationary for others Opportunities for engagement with all classmates Fast-paced Freedom to get a little off-topic Topics are “springboards” for related discussions if they occur Our topic: Education for Culturally Diverse Students
10. Poverty Low socioeconomic status (SES) increases likelihood of circumstances resulting in: Disadvantaged prenatal development Birth complications Environmental conditions in impoverished households may place children at risk: Malnutrition Toxic agents 37 million Americans live in poverty. African American women are FOUR TIMES as likely to die during childbirth than White women due to lack of access to prenatal care. African Americans and Latinos are 60% more likely to be turned down for a mortgage loan, AFTER controlling for employment and financial factors. 2009, US Census Bureau
11. Migrancy Often characterized by: Language differences Economic disadvantages Transient lifestyle means, for the child: Moving up to several times a year Reduced continuity of educational programming Average of 17 weeks of work per year. 61% living in poverty. 25% attend school at grade levels lower than their age peers. More than 1/3 drop out Parents’ median grade level completed: 6th From the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS)
12. Parent Involvement View of disability and special education Willingness to take an active role View of “problematic” behaviors Chinese-American parents tend to look for community and familial resources to compensate for what school lacks. Learning behaviors vary among cultures. Harvard Family Research Project, 2006
13. Linguistic Diversity Limited (or no) English proficiency may appear to have speech or language disorders Conversational fluency may “cover up” limited proficiency in academics/assessments Ability not fully represented by assessments Educational psychological
14. Assessments and Overrepresentation Instruments (psychological, educational, achievement tests) Specific language Content and context Tendency to “favor” cultural majority Procedures Measurement bias inaccuracy of test results related to cultural background, gender, or race Appears in construction of the test itself – not assessing a skill directly, tied to a culture a student may not know about Standardized, norm-referenced tests highly criticized for their norm sample Non-discriminatory testing Diana vs. Board of Ed in 1970 Native language Without racial or cultural discrimination Culture-free tests are impossible Create culture-responsive tests Valid assessment tools
15. Examples of cultural bias in assessment "Linda had 3 tamales and 2 tacos before noon.” "Linda ate 3 tamales and 2 tacos for lunch." "Oscar bought a new sweater that cost two hundred dollars. He paid for the sweater with a credit card with a simple interest rate of 1.7 percent per month and a ten dollar fee for late payments. If Oscar's first payment of $50 was late, what would be the balance on his next monthly statement?” Explanation about credit, interest, and late fees vs. a cash economy "One of the most important speeches was given by Lincoln.” "One of the most important speeches in U.S. history was given by President Lincoln."
16. Examples of cultural bias in assessment Pam went to a party with a tall pointed hat,. long black cape, and a broom. She was dressed as a ______. a. witch b. ghost c. cowgirl d. pumpkin The playmates wore costumes to Sandra's Halloween party. Nellie ________ a tall, black, pointed hat. a. walked b. wore c. cared d. hurt In the first colonies in America, making clothing took time. The women first had to spin the yarn. Clothes for the colonial family were usually made in_____. a. factories b. homes c. luxury d. China
Hidalgo’s 3 levels1993Hidalgo, N. 1993. Multicultural teacher introspection. In Perry, T. and Fraser, J. (Eds.) Freedom's Plow: Teaching in the Multicultural Classroom. New York: Routledge.
These are the PURPOSES of each type of educationControversy between multicultural education and special ed: not all kids from diverse backgrounds need specialed, but specialized services and instruction may address important needs for many of them (is this a reason to place a child from a diverse background in special ed?)
Ethnically and culturally diverse groups represent susbtantial portions of the American population
Contributes to referral to special edNot a single influence – accompanied by other factors such as lack of health care, increased health and development risks)Discuss – Personal connections, students you knew, why is this, what could be done, how this affects the student coming in to school
Contribute to special ed referraldicsuss – How, combined with poverty factors, does this impact the child? Again, personal connections, ideas, etc
HOW parents are involved are affected by these 3 thingsView of disability may be different than that of the cultural majorityMay be reluctant to take an active role in the school systemBehaviors “we” see as problematic and in need of special ed are viewed as normal in some cultures. Parents might not see them as problematic.DISCUSS: what types of behavior differences could exist between cultures, how they could be viewed as normal in one culture and abnormal in another, differing views of disability and needing special assistance…
Language diversity contributes to assessment difficulties in these 3 waysthen, be referred for special edMay talk with friends and in class and appear fluent in English, but not enough for academic work or assessmentsLanguage difference may cause assessments to give an inaccurate representation of their abilityDISCUSS: what types of tasks could be most difficult to assess knowledge? How language-based cultural differences can play a role in academics
How assessments contribute to overrepresentation in special edMainstream culture deciding the diagnoses and treatments for nonmainstream childrenAfrican american students show up far more than they should based on their numbers in the school population – in classrooms for students with ED and IDLatino children are also a growing population in special educationBias – standardized tests criticized b/c the norm sample is the cultural majority and we’re comparing children from different culture with this population. Nonmainstream kids appear disadvantaged due to cultural differences, but someone could assume it’s due to intellectual disabilityCulturally responsive tests have content that is first and foremost comprehensible to the learner. The issue of cultural comprehensibility is complex. In an increasingly multicultural world, most students, including English language learners, will encounter content from many different cultures as part of their schooling. This shift towards cultural pluralism and diversity is to be celebrated. However, test items are usually intended to assess a student's comprehension of academic materials, not their understanding of culture. ELLs cannot be assumed to have background knowledge of cultures different from their own.DISCUSS: - how much should we weight the tests of kids from diverse backgrounds?
