One of the critical issues in education today is how to help all students to maximize their fullest potential. Achieving this goal seems to be difficult for many people who come from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. At all levels, they endure direct and indirect disenfranchisements, disadvantages, and disillusionments,…

Hate has always been a part of our lives and world. We have rationalized about it and pretended that it is a personality difference that is not very harmful and hurtful. However, hate continues to be devastating and visible in the forms of discrimination, racism, xenophobia, linguistic superiority, religious bigotry, Messiah Complex, White…

The historian, Arthur M. Schlesinger (1999), once wrote that "a basic theme of American history has been the movement, uneven but steady, from exclusion to inclusion" -- a movement "fueled by ideals" (p. 173). He might well have been talking about the United States' public education system where it has become evident that…

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students often are not overtly aware of their cultures until they find themselves in a different one. The cultural capital students may have accumulated, at times, does not necessarily contextually match the culture of the classroom or school, possibly resulting in diminished returns academically and…

The purpose of the authors in this qualitative research is to explore cultural connections and disconnections between non-Hmong principals and Hmong parents. The results show that cultural disconnections occur because of the lack of culturally sensitive professional development for teachers and principals, and the lack of understanding of Hmong…

The whole village must take responsibility for the education of its children and youth. This is particularly critical for children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds with learning disabilities (LD). Since the establishment of the LD category, there have been different and conflicting rationalizations for the extremely…

This article discusses culturally responsive frameworks, principles, pedagogy, and curriculum for general and special educators who work with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with learning disabilities (LD). Culturally responsive teaching has critical features that could benefit CLD students with LD. For example, culturally…

The changing demographics in public schools have called for strategic changes in how students in general and special education are educated. While this trend is increasingly becoming apparent, many educators and leaders are still entrenched in traditional methods of learning and teaching. As a result, culturally diverse exceptional students…

"Good" schools are typically defined as environments in which good students attend, good teachers teach, good parents participate, and good communities exist. This definition suggests that students maintain high test scores with the focus on going to college. In other words, good schools are typically exclusive in maintaining high…

There exists a significant yet unique level and magnitude of problems that immigrants of African descent have to grapple with in their efforts to settle down into their new American lives. This fact makes the continuity of the natal culture very difficult. However, in spite of their many problems, African immigrants never lose touch with their…

The Brown v. Board of Education case of 1954 set the stage for addressing problems of educational and social inequities. It challenged prejudicial exclusion and supported nondiscriminatory exclusionary policies in general and special education programs. However, about 50 years later, culturally diverse learners are still excluded in educational…

Individuals with disabilities tend to experience fewer successful outcomes in postsecondary transition than do youth without disabilities. Ethnically diverse learners have added challenges, such as worldviews, values, language, family involvement, level of acculturation, expectations, decision-making style, meaning of work, importance of money and…

The paper describes the present state of education in Nigeria with emphasis on the cultural, socio-economic, and political influences affecting special education. After a brief summary of education in Nigeria since independence (1960), the paper looks at problems identified in special education and at Section 8, that portion of the National Policy…

An operational model of self-concept of African-American students is presented. The model defines self-descriptive behavior and permits identification of styles, strengths, and weaknesses. The paper explores methods for enhancing self-concepts of African-American students and accommodating multicultural perspectives. (Author/JDD)

Examines the plight of urban students within general and special education programs, discussing traditional identification, assessment, and intervention issues that consistently magnify their plight and suggesting ways to ameliorate these problems. Describes the role of general and special educators in helping urban students succeed. (Contains…