Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education

Goodlad (John I.) - A Place called school : prospects for the future

This article explores the potential uses and extensions of sociocultural theoretical perspectives for integrating and further developing research on race, culture, and learning. Two bodies of literature are discussed and synthesized: (1) sociocultural theory and (2) studies on race, culture, and learning. The article proposes how a sociocultural lens might provide insight and suggests new lines of research on issues of race, culture, and learning. The authors argue for the extension of each of four lines of research in the sociocultural tradition: a concern with multiple levels of analysis, cultural practices as a unit of analysis, tools and artifacts as mediating action, and learning as shifts in social relations. In doing so, the authors raise critical questions for the field of education to consider.

Exploring Sociocultural Perspectives on Race, Culture, and Learning:

This article places the problem of disproportionate representation of African American students in special education in the context of the White privilege and racism that exist in American society as a whole. The author discusses how educational resource allocation, inappropriate curriculum and pedagogy, and inadequate teacher preparation have contributed to the problem of disproportionate representation. More important, she argues that remedies designed to address the disproportionality challenge must place the aforementioned structural forces at the center of education research, policy, and practice.

Disproportionate Representation of African American Students in Special Education: Acknowledging the Role of White Privilege and Racism

School discipline addresses schoolwide, classroom, and individual student needs through broad prevention, targeted intervention, and development of self-discipline. Schools often respond to disruptive students with exclusionary and punitive approaches that have limited value. This article surveys three approaches to improving school discipline practices and student behavior: ecological approaches to classroom management; schoolwide positive behavioral supports; and social and emotional learning. The article examines their epistemological and empirical roots and supporting research, suggesting ways to combine approaches.

How Can We Improve School Discipline

Barely three-quarters of all high school students are graduating from high school in the United States. This has summoned a call for culturally re sponsive teaching! Included in an examination of t he development of cultural awareness into state driven curriculums is the look at how leaders in educatio n can foster success for a culture that often goes unnoti ced: the culture of the learning disabled! The lea rning disabled student often goes undetected after years of struggling to learn, including frustration with state adapted curriculum geared for students with average capabilities. Leaders in education MUST understand the process that allows learning disabled students to qualify for special education and develop strate gies and techniques to address those students that often dro p out of school because of a lack of culturally res ponsive

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Culturally Responsive Teaching

This paper will enable the reader to 1) understand characteristics of highly effective leaders, 2) review the importance of an Institution of Higher L earning (IHE) to take a position of distinction internationally and 3) establish motivation to beco me an effective leader. Leadership skills include: trust, a guiding vision for the institutio n, integrity, candor and the maturity to lead by example. Also, leadership skills include: curiosity and daring and above all, passion! For excellence in global leadership, an IHE is wise to follow a globally effective mission statement. An effective mission statement should include a pur pose, a description of the audience one is addressing and key elements how the institution wil l address the purpose. Establishing individual motivation contributes to the IHE’s dist inction in a global venue. When one believes in one’s constituents, it is more likely the “job” will be completed efficiently and on time! Motivation comes from an internal locus of control rather fostered by trust rather than micro management. Those Institutions of Higher Learning that exhibit excellence in global leadership also exhibit collaboration with other IHE’s. Netwo rking is essential to the contribution of new ideas, new schemas and innovative methods to teaching and learning. The answer to excellence in global leadership for Institutions of Higher Lea rning lies with an effective mission statement, carried out by skilled leaders who are willing to c ommunicate and collaborate on a global level.

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Excellence in Global Leadership at Institutions of Higher Learning

Teaching Action Research is rewarding, but when the instructor can simply the tools for the students in formulating the backgroun d and statement of the problem, the specific purpose of the research, the research question, and in turn, design the action research plan or design that can answer the research question that aligns with the specific purpose, the instructor will rece ive a “thank you” from many gratified students. The rationale and statement of the problem behind doing this paper is that in the author’s department, many Master Degree candidates were not completing their Action Research projects. The percentage of completion hovered around 33%. This was alarming to the department chair and full time faculty who felt the reputation of National University was suff ering. There is a basic premise of National University that it is a “University of Val ues” that just received glowing reviews from the WASC Accreditation Team. The theory to be explored will be the constructivist method of instruction and the illust ration of a cohesive alignment of specific components of Action Research will be expl ained in order for candidates to successfully complete an Action Research project in a timely manner. Outcomes of the presentation include: 1) participants awareness that Action Research is a method that can benefit an entire community, 2) points for successful instruction to candidates who wish to complete an Action Research project and 3) why it is so important to see students through to completion of the project.

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Penelope D. Keough

Papers

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Excellence in Global Leadership at Institutions of Higher Learning

Celebrating success with action research