The Education of Culturally Diverse Students: In Search of Improvement - Essay Example

The paper analyses the issue of culturally diverse with disabilities, the educational services that are made available to them and the role of the school personnel and the educators towards improving the quality of education. The nation takes pride in the fact that it is known as the melting pot of cultures, however it also faces the challenges of providing quality education to culturally diverse students. The rate of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students has risen rapidly over the decades. From about 21% of diverse students in the public school enrolment in 1972, the number has gone up to 42% in 2005 (US Dept of Education, 2007). Thus with the numbers steadily rising, it is the endeavour of the public school system to ensure that students have equal rights to public education devoid of any discrimination. However, imparting education to the culturally diverse students is a complex issue since research shows that the achievement of CLD students’ performance has been lower than that of their white peers. Moreover, many students identified as disabled come from culturally diverse backgrounds. This has lead to many cases and national debates on disproportionality of students, pointing towards discrimination. Many remedial programmes have been planned and implemented since then and many research studies have been conducted but there is still a lot of debate on what is the right pattern for assessment to identify students suffering from disabilities. Teachers often are not aware of the cultural background of their students and interpret their inability to cope with the curriculum as a disability or label their behaviour as abnormal instead of connecting it to their culture. (McGee, 2008). Unable to find a solution to resolve the problem, school professionals often refer them to the special education services, classifying them as disabled or as students suffering from serious emotional and behavioural problems. Research studies to find out that these linguistically and culturally diverse children bring with them, various cultural influences; they were being taught in a language different from their native language; and they were taught to behave as per the school culture, contrary to their own culture. For example, the Asian culture teaches children to be submissive but this could not be appropriate classroom behaviour where the students are taught to be more assertive. Similarly, the African American students came from a culture, which did not see aggression as a negative form of behaviour. The students had to understand that such behaviour was not considered appropriate in schools. (Middleton, Cartledge, 1995) There is a lot of debate about addressing the educational needs of CLD students and studies and research conducted over the years have shown that an understanding of the cultural background of the students, bilingual programs, relevant curriculum and proper assessment methods before referring the students for special education services are important aspects of providing educational services to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. By developing a student-centric curriculum, the student has more chances of learning faster and more effectively (Garcia, 1991). Moreover instruction strategies need to be formulated in a manner that would suit culturally diverse students. Trained teachers need to have an understanding of the cultural background of their students in order to implement better strategies during classroom instruction. Thus by creating a classroom environment that addresses the specific linguistic and cultural needs of the students, the teachers can help students learn oral skills (Case R, Taylor S, 2005). Research has also shown that the assessment methods for CLD students need to be carefully interpreted (Rinaldi, Samson, 2008). There must be a variety of tests, which provide an all-round perspective regarding the child’s ability before the researchers make an assessment. Conducting tests that highlight verbal skills but also health, vision, motor, social skills can be useful in diagnosing the kind of disability in the student. Schools must also involve families regarding the implementation of teaching methods. By involving the families, the teachers can obtain functional, developmental and linguistic information regarding the child, which in turn will help in the student’s academic performance (Rinaldi, Samson, 2008). Poor academic performance – Cultural or disability factor Determining the cause of a child’s poor academic performance plays a crucial role in deciding the kind of help that needs to be provided to overcome the problem. In case of cultural difference proving to be an impediment to the child’s progress, the school can help by making creating a more conducive atmosphere. The teacher can help the student by providing linguistic support through functional communication and by structuring the lesson plan to accommodate the student’s ethnicity and relevance to the course curriculum. But if the child is genuinely suffering from a disability then a proper diagnosis regarding the disorder, will help the team to refer the child to the special education. Cultural factors marring the child’s academic development can have a detrimental effect on the student’s career and psyche (Valenzuela, Copeland, Qi, Park, 2006). By classifying students as disabled when they are not, may result in improper lead to the wrong channelling of services and resources. Moreover such students will be taught in restrictive environment under controlled conditions, which may not facilitate intellectual development. Studies reveal that CLD students with disabilities are taught in restrictive environment in comparison to their white counterparts. For instance, there are more possibilities of African-American, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, and ELL students with disabilities being taught in separate classrooms or schools as compared with students who are white or Asian and Pacific Islander (Valenzuela, Copeland, Qi, Park, 2006). Besides, CLD students will not have access to the rigorous curriculum since their potential would be considered below par of an average student. Secondly, the students will not be expected to perform to high expectations and hence they may never be able to utilise their potential or be granted opportunities where they can prove themselves. They may also be kept away from their peers who are undergoing normal education and this may have an impact on their mental development. The social effects of such an education are that, the students may feel segregated and may suffer social stigma, which can affect their self-esteem and sense of well-being. Ultimately, many of such cases can result in students dropping out or not doing well in academics. Hence it is extremely important to carry out an appropriate diagnosis of CLD students for disabilities and confirm if it is the lack of the linguistic ability or a learning disorder that mars their academic performance. Bilingual special education Bilingual education program is primarily designed for students with limited proficiency in English. Under the programme, the students are taught in their home language in addition to English as the medium of instruction. Many a time, children who speak a different language are unable to do well in their class because of their inability to understand English. Hence these students fall under the category of English language learners (ELL). Statistics show that the number of ELL students in schools is going up each year. From 1990-91 to 2000-2001, ELL enrolment has gone up by more than 105% in the United States. (NEA, 2005). These students now comprise 5.5% of the school age population. The numbers continue to grow since these students join the school at different ages and at different times, bringing with them a diversity of cultures, languages, social economic power and so on. Over 400 languages are spoken by the English Language learners nationwide. However, Spanish and Asian languages are most common as per the ELL student data reported for the states in 2000-01. Thus when these students attempt to learn English, they associate with the grammatical structure of their native language, which can be an impediment in learning the English language. The primary issue that is faced by ELL students is pronunciation (Case and Taylor, 2005). Students may have trouble for years, pronouncing certain features of the English language without being able to form a clear pattern for pronunciation. Also, ELL students experience trouble in reading and comprehension since they find it difficult to understand grammatical components like compounding subjects, modelling auxiliaries etc. Figurative language is yet another area where the students end up taking the sentences literally instead of understanding the allusion. (Case and Taylor, 2005) Hence, instead of teaching students in English alone, a bilingual education program helps them make the transition by using the student’s native language as a form of instruction initially before moving over to English as the medium of instruction. There are various models that serve bilingual students (Rennie, 1993). The early exit bilingual program where children are taught to pick up skills required in classrooms teaching only in English. These programs impart education in their home language but mainly as introduction or for clarification. It is for a short duration and students are put in mainstream by the end of first or second grade. The reason for this programme is mainly due to parental or community preference. Late-exit bilingual programmes are different from early exit since the students are taught in their home language for a longer duration. They often remain in this programme throughout elementary schools and continue to receive instruction in their home language up to 40% even after they have been classified as proficient in English. Two-way bilingual programmes are those where students are taught in their home language and English in classes, which have English speaking and non-English students in a ratio of 50-50. Under this programme English-speaking students also have a chance to learn another language while developing their native skills. In case of two-way bilingual programme, the class is taught by a teacher who is conversant in both the languages or by two teachers, one of whom is bilingual. There are also programmes where both the languages are used on alternate days. Thus, through bi-lingual education program, the students may remain within the comfort zone of their language and learn new which make it easier for them to understand and progress in schools. Disproportionality – a national debate The immigrant population has steadily gone up in the US over the decades and this is reflected in the increasing number of immigrant children in the schools. However there continues to be an overrepresentation of culturally diverse students in disability categories and an under representation in gifted education as evident from a number of cases that have been filed on disproportional representation (Coutinho, Oswald, 2006). As a means of countering the problem, a resolution was passed to monitor the ethnic representation at the state and local education level as a means of checking overrepresentation. The Individuals and Disability (IDEA) act passed in 1975 contained conditions, which were designed to serve the interests of the immigrant population, providing with individuals with disabilities, a right to free public education and seek non-discriminatory assessment and placement of children with disabilities (NICHCY). The act was later amended in 1991 and 1997 and also in 2004 whereby new clauses were added to serve the educational requirements of culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities. However, the problem still persists and has grown more complex over the years. As per the 2001 education data, one in three children enrolled in public schools are African American, Hispanic or Asian American or American Indian. Children of colour now comprised 75% of the enrolment in city schools. Hence it was important to ensure that all children under the US constitution had equal access to appropriate public education without any discrimination. Though the Act made provisions for children to not be labelled as disabled on the basis of their economic background, ethnic, linguistic or racial differences. However it has been noted students from certain ethnic groups are the ones referred to as disabled or suffered from emotional behavioural disorder (EBD). Despite national interest in the matter, not much has been achieved because of lack of proper consensus on the issue of overrepresentation of students in disability. The reason why it is a matter of concern is that making decisions on the basis of a child’s race and ethnicity can have harmful effects in the long run. Results based on the research on the district data (Oswald, Coutinho, Singh, Best, 1998) shows that certain ethnic groups such as African American and Hispanic students were identified as having learning disabilities and EBD more often in school located in districts considered low social economic status and identified as MR in low poverty districts. State policies also contribute to the disproportionality factor (NEA policy brief) where the differences in definition of special education categories such as learning disabilities and emotional disturbance and the state education eligibility criteria can influence the way the procedures are carried out. Also rigid discipline levels on the part of the school can be another reason why there are maximum referrals against culturally diverse students in school (NEA policy brief). Culturally responsive teaching, curriculum Teachers must be skilled in teaching and dealing with low-performing students. They must not have any biased view regarding any culture and must look at problem behaviours as learning opportunities instead of occasions for punishment. (Cartledge, Singh, Gibson, 2008). Research has shown that antisocial behaviour in schools is linked to poor academic performance. Therefore if the schools work on children and help them academically then this will bring about a decline in their antisocial behaviour tendencies. Thus by helping them improve their academic skills in first grade, the school can establish a rapport with the students and they can be helped towards developing a more responsive attitude to schools once they realise the benefits of schooling. Providing specialised instruction such as phonological skill awareness will help them pick up the language better and overcome their linguistic handicap. This will in turn improve their comprehension levels and enable them to understand and enjoy their lessons. Such specialised instruction can also help in their academic performance and reduce their antisocial behaviour. It is also extremely important to maintain discipline since orderliness in class has an impact on the behaviour of children (Kellam et all, 1994). Hence teachers need to be efficient in maintaining classroom discipline as this is known to have a direct impact on the child’s behaviour. Besides the teacher must be clear, firm and direct when issuing instructions. The teacher must also have an effective system in place in order to inculcate and reinforce disciplinary behaviour. Rigid discipline policies can have an adverse effect on students and hence the teacher must be tolerant of her student’s errant behaviour instead of targeting the child for his or her actions. She must have the insight to recognise and understand that cultural differences also play an important in a child’s behaviour and hence the child must not be unnecessarily reprimanded. It is important for the teacher to be understanding and be effective in her ways to help the students adapt to classroom behaviour and pick up academic skills. The student must also be taught social skills in a manner that they can relate to. Hence efforts must be made to make the curriculum and teaching methods culturally relevant. When teaching a skill that is contrary to the culture of the child, the teacher must be aware of the child’s cultural background and strive for parental involvement (Middleton and Cartledge, 1995) to reinforce social skills. Moreover culturally specific materials can be brought in to reinforce social skills and behaviour among children for example, books, videos, CDs that bear cultural relevance to the student’s ethnicity (Cartledge, Singh, Gibson 2008). Also having a role model from their race or ethnic background will be useful instilling appropriate social behaviour among students. The students can also be taught about the importance of cooperative behaviour through modelling and role-playing. Thus by reading out books that illustrate the importance of co-operation and also by helping them prompt to each other whenever they receive an instruction positive cooperative behaviour can be reinforced (Cartledge, Singh, Gibson 2008). Teachers often tend to have a low opinion of students with CLD problems and tend to evaluate them on the basis of their classroom conduct and not on their scores. (Tauber R 1998). Consequently the students imbibe such behaviour and it reflects in their performance as well. On the other hand teachers who have high expectations from their students do well. Thus teachers must be careful in maintaining a neutral attitude and must look for new strategies and medium of techniques to help students cope with their curriculum and overcome any hurdles. Thus cultural perceptions can cloud the teacher’s manner of handling children and hence teachers must have a good understanding of ethnic diversity in order to help students adapt to the school and the curriculum. Creating opportunities for CLD students Creating a culturally responsive environment will go a long way in helping the students make the transition from a familiar culture to the seemingly “foreign” classroom culture. Adequately trained teachers can be very effective in helping the students with their students and improve their academic performance. They must ensure that the students have a variety of educational experiences. This can done by inculcating culturally responsive practices, which can be a means of instilling classroom values in students (CEE, 2005) Communication plays a crucial role in classrooms. Emphasising on functional communication between the teacher and students can be an effective part of the instructional strategy. Having a student-integrated unit of curriculum and using social interaction between peers, as a means of imparting instruction is also resourceful. These strategies can be very useful in helping the ELL take to English (Garcia, 1991). Moreover, highly committed teachers can plan their lessons that incorporate the child’s need to have a holistic educational experience and at the same time conform to the district curriculum. Parents can play a crucial role in the child’s educational process by participating in the formal parent support activities of the schools. Bringing in a multicultural perspective in the curriculum will enable children to accept all cultures without harbouring any distinction. Knowledge of diverse cultures will not only widen their horizons of knowledge but will also help them practice tolerance and instil acceptance of other cultures. This will allow the native speakers to have a better attitude towards their culturally diverse peers and the CLD students on the other hand, will get the opportunity to learn more about their own culture. Children’s attitude to race and ethnic groups forms at an early stage and this makes them susceptible to negative stereotypes. (Gomez, 2000) They understand the differences from the time they are infants and are easily influenced by the opinions, cultures and attitudes projected by their elders. Hence there is a need to emphasis on the similarity of all individual and break stereotypes. Teachers can help by including activities and materials in class which will help in abolishing stereotypes and myths about minority groups the teacher can help the children gain a multicultural perspective. Moreover by using collaborative peer techniques wherein the children learn through interaction with other students goes a long way in helping the students bond with each other at the same time ensure that they have understood the instructions. Effective training programmes for teachers It is very important to provide appropriate training to teachers since with the growing immigrant population they are bound to be dealing with culturally diverse students. With the number of CLD students on the rise in public schools, it is only natural that teachers are taught this aspect as a part of basic training course which will help them in their teaching methods in the classrooms. Many a time, teachers are unable to avail the various resources that are available on teaching guidelines. Regular access to Internet resources and a policy of weekly check-in can help teachers acquaint themselves with the regulations, which they can then incorporate in their lesson plans. (Minow, 2001) Moreover, there is a lack of special education training to students majoring in education in colleges. By including strict certificate requirements or by testing them on the general curriculum can be useful in ensuring that these teachers can handle culturally diverse students in their classrooms. (Minow, 2001) From a linguistic point of view, such culturally diverse students need more attention regarding the development of English language. The teacher needs to be very fluent in English be able to teach them phonetics and create awareness with a view to developing their decoding skills. They must also be capable of developing strategies to build student’s vocabulary knowledge. Also teachers must be able to make connections with the texts before during and after the reading. They must also be able to develop strategies to improve reading fluency and comprehension through oral reading activities, vocabulary development (Tartier, Schnieder, Emilio, Ryan, 2007) Apart from knowledge about the culturally diversity of students teachers must also be taught an additional language during the training program to enable them take a bilingual approach in their classrooms. Teachers who can speak an additional language have better chances of being able to deal with culturally diverse students. Teachers must also be well versed with intervention models in order to help culturally diverse students with disabilities. Including activities that will help students work on reading and verbal skills in a stimulating environment, which will enable them to learn concepts faster. The role of school districts towards helping Culturally Diverse students It is up to the school district to ensure a favourable classroom environment for ELL (English language learner) students. The school districts can adapt the procedures and guidelines set by IDEA to identify if a student struggling with disabilities because of the environment factors or because of a specific disability. Using early intervention and RTI (Response to intervention) models, the district personnel can ensure that the struggling learner has help at hand. Besides if the referral teams are able to identify ELL (English language learners) at an early stage and use intervention models, they have a better chance of providing ample opportunities to the student to improve. Moreover using scientifically based interventions in RTI models can be very useful in improving the reading and writing abilities of ELL students. It is responsibility of the school personnel that the student gets appropriate instruction and all the help required and is referred only after the child is seen as not responding to the pre referral intervention model. The referral stage occurs when the students do not respond to the pre referral intervention (Rinaldi C, Samson J, 2008). In this case, general education teachers determine if the student has had all the evidence based education instruction as per the progress monitoring data and summarise the data for the multidisciplinary team. The team is supported by parents, ELL teachers and special educators who help the team understand if trouble in studies is because of poor English proficiency, a transition period in academic language development or even learning disability in terms of performance rate and the level of performance. Since the IDEA and NO Child left behind act demand children be provided with high quality education and evidence based instruction, the team makes its assessment on the basis of instruction and the language used in each tier and decide if the ELL student has received appropriate instruction and intervention before referring it to the special education assessment. In case they find that the student has not received proper instruction then they decide if the language strategies along with the Curriculum-based Assessment (CBA) should be packaged in a different strategy before deciding on a full referral process for the student. Once the child is referred for special education evaluation, the multi disciplinary team comprising of many school professionals draw an Individualised Assessment Plan (IAP) for the student. Within sixty days, they have to come up with the plan and also hold eligibility meeting, all the time complying with the federal regulations. Once the assessment, eligibility and decision making is done with then begins the IEP i.e. The Individualised Education Program. The programme keeps in mind the disability of the student, its current level of progress and specialised instruction along with targets that need to be achieved to help the student enhance academic performance. It also takes into consideration the methods used in the classroom and state-wide testing before making its decision. Conclusion It is very important to understand the complexities of culturally diverse children since the ethnicity factor plays a very crucial in determining the support they need. As a teacher, I will ensure that these students find a culturally responsive environment in class so that students feel comfortable in the classroom. It will also be my endeavour to help culturally and linguistically disabled children cope with the curriculum and enable them access to special education services after a correct diagnosis of their weak areas. Also, my lesson plan will include activities that will foster learning and stimulate intelligence levels of students. I realise the importance of a harmonious classroom atmosphere so that the CLD student does not feel alienated. My efforts will directed towards cultivating a multicultural perspective where all students will feel comfortable with each other without any cultural or ethnicity divide. The study made me realise that a lot depends on our attitude towards CLD students. I shall strive to project a tolerant attitude towards my students and understand reasons for their behaviour instead of being judgemental. It shall be my endeavour to win the student’s confidence, which will enable me to guide the student better with the student’s cooperation. My efforts will also include ensuring participation of families of the culturally diverse students who I understand can play an important role in the student’s academic progress. Moreover sharing this knowledge with other teachers will be useful for them to handle CLD students in their classes. Thus I shall do my best to create opportunities for culturally diverse children to enable them study well towards an around development References: 1.Case Rod and Taylor Shanon, (2005). Language difference or learning disability: Answers from a linguistic perspective. The Clearing house, Jan/Feb 2005, 78, 3 ProQuest Education Journals 2. Cartledge, Singh, Gibson (2008) Practical Behavior-Management techniques to close the accessibility gap for students who are culturally and linguistically diverse. Preventing school failure, Vol 52, No. 3 Heldref publications. 3. CEE (2005). Supporting Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners in English Education, Conference on English Education, a part of the Conference in English Education. 4.Couttinho Martha J and Oswald Donald P, (2006) Disproportionate Representation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education: Measuring the Problem 5. De Valenzuela, J.S., S.R. Copeland, C. Huaqing Qi, & M. Park (2006). 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