Transition planning with students with learning disabilities (LD) from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds presents unique challenges to the implementation of recommended practices and mandates such as individualization, incorporation of student preferences; encouragement of self-determination; collaboration with parents and…

The authors examine positive behavioral support (PBS) as a behavior management intervention that facilitates the development of appropriate and positive behaviors in culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children who are at risk for failure in urban schools. One of the major problems facing urban schools today is the abuse and misuse of…

The National Research Council (NRC) report on the disproportionate representation of minority students in special and gifted education represents an opportunity to draw national attention to the challenges faced by educators as they attempt to provide high-quality educational opportunities for students from culturally and linguistically diverse…

This article is intended to dispel the myth that Latinas and Latinos and other urban high school youths of color are not capable of performing at high academic levels. Much research shows that youths of color are underrepresented and underserved in gifted education programs. The authors describe the four success factors to which 10 working-class…

Educational reform presents a number of challenges for elders, tribal educational leaders, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) teachers and administrators, and families across the United States, including the pressing need to address parent or caregiver and community involvement in education. This study was conducted to (a) summarize major…

Culturally and linguistically diverse students with learning disorders (LD) and emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD) have higher school dropout rates than their peers with and without disabilities. The primary purpose of this study was to determine how early potential dropouts could be identified. Research questions included the following: (a)…

To support educators' knowledge and understanding of child-rearing traditions and beliefs that potentially influence the manner in which Latino parents discipline their children, the author reviewed the professional literature on demographic variables, socioeconomic status, family structure, social supports, and acculturation. Her investigation…

The authors present findings from an initial information gathering and analysis of a larger Office of Special Education Programs model demonstration project, "Connections to Success." The article is based on an analysis of a teacher survey conducted at four schools in the project's partner district focused on perceived problems, sources of stress,…

The authors investigated the status of uncertified (waivered) teachers working in special education classrooms in the state of New Mexico. A survey was developed to gather information about (a) the cultural diversity of teachers and their students, (b) their educational background, (c) the relationship between teacher ethnicity and multicultural…

Research indicates that high numbers of African American children receive special education services. To address the overrepresentation of African Americans in special education, this study examined the source of referral and the behaviors that precipitate the referral of African Americans for evaluation due to behavioral or emotional concerns.…

This qualitative research was designed to give voice to Latina students in single-gender and co-educational secondary-level special education placements for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. Classroom observations and interviews were conducted with Latina special education students and classroom teachers in both single-gender…

Racial disparities in special and gifted education cannot be understood independently of a broad legacy of racial inequity woven into American public education. The results of a qualitative study illustrate the context within which minority disproportionality occurs. School respondents agreed with the NRC panel's conclusion that poverty makes an…

By considering the overrepresentation problem in special education from an organizational perspective, the author argues that it is part of a broader problem associated with the political function of special education within public education. From this perspective, special education is an unintended consequence of bureaucratic schooling, an…

Social skills training (SST) is increasingly being recommended for students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), who often experience social difficulties. Given that sociocultural contexts influence social behavior in ways that may vary the impact SST programs have on minority students with ADHD, there is a need to advance…

Individual teacher excellence can only become collective tradition when the contexts in which teachers practice and learn are able to support, sustain, and expect culturally competent practice. Culturally responsive systems require the development of individual and collective discourse and practice focused on exploring how cultural perspectives,…