The failure of our current transition planning for culturally and ethnically diverse students with disabilities has been documented throughout the literature. Despite transition mandates, students with disabilities, particularly those from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds, continue to be unemployed or underemployed. The purpose of…

Schools face an array of recommendations for reforming educational practices. If these recommendations are to be implemented on a large scale, reformers will need to embed clear strategies to make educational innovations and implementation procedures culturally responsive. Schoolwide positive behavior support, as an approach to whole-school…

Contemporary schools are faced daily with the challenge of identifying the instructional needs of migrant learners who are having notable difficulty learning. Given this reality, it is important to consider contemporary questions of special and general education practices. To explore these questions, this article draws from observation in a…

This article provides an overview of the major factors and interventions affecting migrant students' academic performance/outcomes. Factors outside the school, such as poverty, family, and English language proficiency, are discussed. Next, factors inside the school, such as student records, credit accrual, and school curriculum, will be reviewed.…

This pilot study reports on data drawn from migrant Hispanic families enrolled in a 4-year Migrant Education Even Start project and a comparison group of nonmigrant Hispanic families. The study was designed to examine child- and family-based risk factors known to imperil literacy outcomes. Four notable findings emerged from this study. First,…

Migrant children are considered one of the most at-risk populations in the United States. They face multiple obstacles of poverty, poor health, mobility, and limited English proficiency, which contributes to the difficulties that migrant children may encounter in the educational system. Limited research has been conducted regarding migrant…

A major barrier in the provision of special education services to migrant students is the lack of trained personnel who understand the unique strengths and challenges of migrant students. Using the experiences of the Migrant Special Education Training Program, this article presents a teacher education curriculum and pedagogical model for preparing…

The authors examined the perspectives of African American boys on topics related to culturally responsive teaching, cultural discontinuity, and differential treatment. Participants in focus group interviews were 19 elementary and middle school students identified as having emotional and behavioral disorders or chronic behavior problems.…

Responses to the School Factors Questionnaire (SFQ) administered to 222 students were used to ascertain student perceptions of alienating factors within secondary school environments. Descriptive statistics (i.e., frequency of responses to SFQ items) were used to report the data. The results indicated that although secondary students liked coming…

This article is about children in foster care and their educational problems. We define those children and present statistics as to their numbers, ages, and types of placements. We then make a case that too few individuals have listened to the voices of children in foster care or are aware of the many barriers they face. Next, we present…

In this qualitative study the author used case study methods to examine perceptions of gender, race, and disability through the viewpoints and experiences of Latina students. The participants were secondary school girls with mild to moderate disabilities attending single-gender and coeducational special education classes on an urban school site in…

The authors review 11 studies published from 1971 through the 1990s on learning and behavioral difficulties among Chinese American children. The focus of the review is on (a) quantity and quality of the studies, (b) topics examined, and (c) research findings. Results showed that limited English proficiency, delinquency and gangs, and emotional and…

Screening and prereferral are not required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; however, many educators recognize that implementation of prereferral interventions is a measure of best practices. The authors address the need to establish a family-centered approach within the prereferral process in order to promote early and…

This ethnographic study examined Chinese-speaking parents of children with disabilities: awareness of their legal rights, their perceived barriers to being joint decision makers, and the type of supports and services they would like to receive from schools. Results suggested that Chinese-speaking parents were knowledgeable about their legal…

The authors of this study discuss past research, litigation, and legislation pertaining to the topic of parental involvement in special education. In particular, the study examined parental perceptions of their roles as communicators and decision makers in the special education process in terms of ethnicity and child's educational level. Very few…