Chapter 3

Special
Education:
Contemporary
Perspectives for
School
Professionals
Fourth Edition
By
Marilyn Friend
Kerri Martin,
Contributor
Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 4 th ed., Marilyn Friend
0 ISBN 0132836742 © 2014, 2011, 2008, 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Multicultural Perspectives
Chapter 3
Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 4th ed., Marilyn Friend
Objectives
• Explain the concept of culture.
• Describe how culture affects the learning process.
• Analyze the disproportionate representation of
students, explaining factors that contribute to this
situation and the role of response to intervention in
improving it.
• Identify recommended educational practices for diverse
students in special and gifted education.
• Discuss challenges to and opportunities for developing
collaborative relationships with racially and ethnically
diverse families.
• Summarize issues and trends influencing the education
of diverse students in special and gifted education.
2
ISBN 0132836742 © 2014, 2011, 2008, 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Understanding Culture
 Culture: A complex system of underlying

beliefs, attitudes, and actions that shapes
the thoughts and behaviors of a group of
people, distinguishing them from other
groups (Nieto & Bode, 2012).
 Values: cultural elements deemed most
important by a society
 Dominant culture: the culture of those in
power in the US
Book title, #Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 4th ed., Marilyn Friend
Elements of Culture
 Values
 Individualism vs. interdependence
 Language
 Importance of concepts is reflected in
language
 Perspective and worldviews
Book titleSpecial Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, 4th ed., Marilyn Friend
Macroculture and Microculture
 Macroculture
 Overarching cultural aspects of a
society (i.e., “American”)
 Microculture
 Subgroups having distinguishing
characteristics within a society (e.g.,
socioeconomic status, language,
dialect, values)
Culture and Race
 Racial isolation is still common

 Complex relationship between culture
and race
 Influenced by many factors
 Don’t make assumptions about a
family’s culture based on their race
The Content of Instruction
 American schools largely shaped by a

white male perspective
 Knowledge construction process (the
way in which a particular framework is
used to develop, approve, and disseminate
new information) is not generally studied
in school
Cognitive Styles
 Field independence
 Analytical
 Focus on specifics, less on context
 Learn best in discrete, incremental steps
 Field sensitivity
 Holistic approach
 Focus on broader concepts before details
 Learn best through hands-on, authentic
tasks
Effects of Cultural Dissonance
A significant discrepancy between two or more

cultural frames of reference.
 Academic challenges
 Field-sensitive students may perform poorly on
lessons that focus on step-by-step analytical
thinking
 Behavior Challenges
 Students may be punished for behaviors that
are culturally based
 Students may feel alienated and isolated
Representation in Special Education
 African American students are identified as

intellectually disabled nearly three times more
than their non-African American peers
 They are over twice as likely to be identified as
having emotional or behavioral disabilities
 Students in the Asian/Pacific Islander group are
identified for LD, EBD, or ID far less than any
other group of students
 Non-Caucasian student groups, especially African
American, tend to be served in placements that
separate them from their nondisabled peers more
often than students who are Caucasian
Why Disproportionality Matters
 Stigmatization associated with labeling

 Educators have lower expectations for the
labeled students
 Leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy
 Reduced opportunities to interact with
typical students
Representation in Gifted Education
 African American and Hispanic students, in

particular, are represented in smaller
percentages in gifted education than would
be expected
 Caucasian students comprise 71.2 percent
of all students and 81.4 percent of
students in gifted programs
Factors Contributing to Disproportionate
Representation
 Poverty
 Increased exposure to lead
 Increased exposure to toxins
 Lack of prenatal care
 Poor nutrition
 Systemic bias: favoritism that occurs at

multiple levels within a society or institution
 Curriculum and instruction
 Teacher attitude
 Special education referral process
Recommendations for Addressing
Disproportionate Representation
 Better teacher preparation

 Improved behavior management strategies
 Prevention and early intervention
 Increased attention to possible bias in
assessment
 Increased family involvement
Promising Practices in Referral and
Identification
1. Redesigning the prereferral process

• Can teacher work effectively with students from
diverse populations?
• Is teacher knowledgeable with respect to the student’s
culture?
• Does curriculum incorporate aspects of cultures?
• Does instruction address the student’s language
characteristics?
• Does instruction reflect the student’s cognitive style?
• The overall quality of instruction and opportunity to
learn?
Promising Practices in Referral and
Identification, cont.
2. Alternative assessment strategies

• Portfolio assessment
• Performance assessment
• Curriculum-based assessment
3. Universal screening and early intervention
Promising Practices in Instruction
 Differentiated instruction
 Learning contracts
 Tiered lessons
 Universal design for learning
 Multiple modes of presentation and response
 Multicultural education
 Content integration
 knowledge construction
 Prejudice reduction
 Equity pedagogy
 empowering school culture
Instruction for English Language Learners
In 2010, 21% of school-age students spoke a language other

than English at home, up from 10% in 1980.
 Bilingual education
 Transitional approach
 Maintenance approach
 English as a second language (ESL)
 Sheltered English
M2ECCA Framework
 Methods of instruction
 Materials of instruction
 Environment of the classroom
 Content of instruction
 Collaboration in instruction
 Assessment process
Participation of Parents and Families who have
Diverse Learners
 Factors educators directly influence

 Inaccurate beliefs about family concern
 Use of “one-size-fits-all” approach
 Different cultural conception of disability
 Factors beyond the influence of educators

 Family preconceived ideas about schools
 Socio-economic realities that interfere
 Stress of having a child with a disability
5 Steps to Developing Collaborative
Relationships with Parents
1. Intake and assessment (determine needs)

2. Selection of goals
3. Planning and implementing activities
4. Evaluation of activities
5. Review the process
Issues Affecting the Education of Diverse
Exceptional Learners
 Geography as an element of diversity
 Urban education
• Equity issues
• School choice programs
• Teacher preparation
 Rural education
• Disability identification and access to services
• Teaching conditions
 Sexual Orientation

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Special

 Culture: A complex system of underlying

 Perspective and worldviews

 Racial isolation is still common

 American schools largely shaped by a

A significant discrepancy between two or more

 African American students are identified as

 Stigmatization associated with labeling

 African American and Hispanic students, in

 Systemic bias: favoritism that occurs at

 Special education referral process

 Better teacher preparation

1. Redesigning the prereferral process

2. Alternative assessment strategies

3. Universal screening and early intervention

In 2010, 21% of school-age students spoke a language other

 English as a second language (ESL)

 Factors educators directly influence

 Factors beyond the influence of educators

1. Intake and assessment (determine needs)

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