Kelly Roberts, Ph.D. Karen Applequist, Ph.D. Addressing the Needs of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students Transitioning from High School

Overrepresentation of CLD Students in Special Education Minority Groups are overrepresented in special education African Americans Latino and Native Americans in some parts of the country Native Hawaiians

Factors related to overrepresentation…. Colonization Biased testing (IQ and achievement) SES Language Mismatch between home and school culture Lack of teachers who are CLD

Building Upon the Strengths of CLD Students Respecting the unique cultural resources of students Engaging the family and community in meaningful ways Recognizing the mismatch between special education and CLD students and families.

Putting the “I” in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) A curriculum to empower youth to increase their voice in the IEP process.

Purpose of the Curriculum Strengthening the student’s cultural foundation Using that foundation to pursue his or her goals Encouraging self determination Promoting self advocacy and person- centered planning

Lesson 1: Overview & Family History Lesson 2: Personal History Lesson 3: Sense of Place Lesson 4: Strengths, needs, and learning- preferences Unit 1: Self-Awareness

Unit 2: Social Conscience Lesson 1: Respect as a very important value Lesson 2: Other values of importance Lesson 3: Connections of Support Lesson 4: Problem – Solving Lesson 5: Decision-making

Unit 3: Social Justice Lesson 1: Overview of social justice Lesson 2: Students rights & responsibilities Lesson 3: Apply problem-solving skills Lesson 4: Managing time and stress

Unit 4: Self-Determination Lesson 1: Setting Goals Lesson 2: Educational Options Lesson 3: Resources in and out of school

Unit 5: Social Action Lesson 1: What is social action? Lesson 2: Putting resources into action to accomplish goals Lesson 3: Taking action to find college/work to accomplish goals

Unit 6: Advocacy Lesson 1: What is advocacy? Lesson 2: Understanding what it means to have a disability Lesson 3: Understanding legal terms related to disability

Unit 7: Self-advocacy Lesson 1: What is self-advocacy? Lesson 2: Self-advocacy in providing input to IEP Lesson 3: Self-advocacy in planning an IEP meeting Lesson 4: Self-advocacy in practicing an IEP meeting

Modifying the Curriculum Where: Hawaii, Arizona, and Alaska How: Collaborative relationships between research teams and local communities

Examples of Curricular Modifications Geographic references Historical context Inclusion of culturally appropriate examples that are consistent with beliefs and behavioral norms

Cultural Brokering: An intervention with families Support families to be knowledgeable and motivated partners in the IEP process through culturally-appropriate training.