Discover the key strategies to empowering African American students with exceptionalities! Central to the teaching and learning of African American students is an understanding of their cultures, background experiences, and perspectives, while applying this understanding to the design, implementation, and assessment of educational programs. This comprehensive, culturally responsive approach is supported by straightforward and in-depth contributions from more than 25 leading scholars and practitioners featured in this book. The guide focuses on specific, innovative methods for maximizing the learning opportunities and outcomes of African American students—from dealing with foundational issues such as accountability, categorization, and legal implications, to managing learning environments and enhancing school practices through teacher preparation and early childhood programs. By providing concrete rationales and solutions for maximizing the intellectual, academic, and social achievement of African American learners, this groundbreaking text presents the tools necessary for meeting the needs of these students, including: Assessment and instructional techniques for general and special education programs, including discussions on specific learning disabilities Intervention tactics for behavioral issues Tips for utilizing family and community resources to complement the classroom Strategies for enhancing students′ communication skills and maximizing the potential of gifted and talented learners

Multicultural Education for Learners with Special Needs in the Twenty-First Century provides general and special educators innovative information that address the road blocks to effective practice such that diverse learners will be appropriately; identified, assessed, categorized, placed and instructed. The book provides those who instruct diverse learners comprehensive, creative and best practice chapters by scholars in the area of multicultural education. Chapter One presents a system to reduce traditional education road blocks that confront diverse learners called Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching (CLRT). The CLTR system is designed to accomplish three objectives, namely, to increase student achievement, to help students develop skills to achieve economic sufficiency and to allow students to acquire citizenship skills based on a realistic and thorough understanding of the political system. Chapter Two discusses the pervasive problem of disproportionate representation of students from diverse backgrounds in special education by examining what it is, who is impacted by it, why it is occurring, and how it can be addressed using promising strategies. Chapter Three examines the use of authentic assessment to provide feedback for teachers and students, and guide the instructional process by differentiating teaching to meet the educational needs of diverse learners. Chapters Four, Five, Six and Seven address issues related to educating Latina/o Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans learners with special needs. Chapter Eight is a unique chapter that addresses the growing need to educate foreign-born immigrants who are now being referred to as “Today’s Special Learners in Schools”. This chapter delineates the use of the Comprehensive Support Model (CSM) to educate foreign-born learners who are identified by the authors as foreign-born English Language Learners. The CSM is recommended as a culturally sensitive intervention that integrates efforts of the self, (i.e., learner), families, school, community, and government in responding to the needs of diverse learners. Chapter Nine provides a comprehensive discussion of how Culturally Relevant Leadership (CRL) can impact educational theory and practice. The authors delineate how CRL leads to reflective practices which position teachers and administrators to become leaders in school change that can increase student success for diverse learners. Chapter Ten provides the reader with illustrative content regarding the use of technology to educate multicultural learners with special needs. Chapter Eleven delineates the culturally responsive infusion of effective behavior modification strategies that are designed to strengthen and facilitate positive behaviors for culturally and linguistically diverse learners with special needs. The book is an important addition to the education of multicultural learners with special needs as it provides much needed direction for the effective instructional practices for today’s diverse students. The book can be used as current best practices for special and general educators as well as school administrators.

Improving Schools for African American Students is designed to provide educational leaders with a better understanding of how to recognize the diversity of strengths that Black students bring with them to school and how to use these strengths to improve achievement. The articles contained in this book discuss generic education issues such as policy reform, the importance of high quality teaching, and the improvement of schools from the perspective of the academic achievement of African American students. Part I explores institutional racism in the context of America's public schools and provides suggestions for educational leaders to eliminate harmful policies and practices within educational institutions and settings. Part II discusses the kinds of institutional and instructional changes that are needed to support successful schooling of African American children and youth. Part III focuses on the challenges presented to African American students by the current high stakes testing environment that surrounds standards, assessment, and accountability. A review of the literature on schools that have succeeded in improving achievement for African American students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels with districts moving towards narrowing the achievement gap is included. This text examines a wide variety of policies, programs, practices, and research that will provide valuable insight. The emphasis throughout the book is on the ability of educators to successfully restructure their schools, offer high quality teaching and learning standards for African American students and to make the kinds of changes that will result in high achievement for all students.

The history of the education of African American children in one Alabama town is reconstructed over a period of 100 years, from the First Reconstruction period to the Second Reconstruction period (Governor George Wallace's stand in the schoolhouse door). Lessons learned from this case study, in addition to 15 years of desegregated education in the community, provides a perspective for educational policymakers to consider, as they attempt to plan effective schools in the 21st century for all children in America. Many have viewed segregated schools for African American students as dens of educational pathology with poor teachers and administrators, poorly operated academic programs and activities, dilapidated school buildings, and scarce resources. Until the last two decades, little had been written about the internal functioning of these schools or the positive impact of their efforts from the perspective of their students, families, teachers, or administrators. Despite being underfunded, understaffed, and issued second-hand books and equipment, this school and community worked together, as did many other African American schools and communities, to create effective schooling for children. This study addresses four major questions: (1) What kinds of educational experiences did teachers and principals view as important for the successful education of African American children? (2) How did the school interact with parents and the community? (3) How did the educational environment change when African American children began attending desegregated schools? (4) What can we learn from this successful school for African American children as well as their experiences in the desegregated setting that will provide a perspective for educational policymakers as we plan effective schools for all children in this country? The findings from this case study present a perspective on which educational policymakers can build as we plan caring, nurturing, and equitable learning environments for children in schools in all communities.