Katie Dillon DOMAIN 8: DIVERSITY IN DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING

Domain 8: Diversity in Development and Learning School psychologists have knowledge of individual differences, abilities, disabilities, and other diverse student characteristics; principles and research related to diversity factors for children, families, and schools, including factors related to culture, context, and individual and role difference; and evidence-based strategies to enhance services and address potential influences related to diversity DOMAIN 8

“ The greatest distance between people is not space. The greatest distance between people is culture” –Jamake Highwater Culture is: “An organized framework of thoughts, beliefs, and norms for interaction and communication patterns” (Ingraham, 2000) CULTURE

 95% of school psychologists in the U.S. identify as Caucasian  75% are women  By 2040, no one group will be the majority in the school-aged population  High achievement gap & higher rates of special education placement for minority students  Studies show that race does not effect ratings of the consultant (Blake, Groleau, Guzder, Jarvis, & Kirmayer 2003) DIVERSITY IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY

 School psychologists can take a leadership role  Consider acculturation and its effects on the student & family  Consider preconceived notions & assumptions (Gross, Meyers, & Meyers, 2004) FAMILY-SCHOOL COLLABORATION

 Understanding one’s own culture  Bridge different perspectives  View each step through a cultural lens  Consider the culture of the organization (Zins & Erchul, 2002) MULTICULTURAL CONSULTATION

 Things to consider:  Personal histories and local cultural issues  Increasing personal knowledge of social, cultural, & religious aspects  Nonverbal cues  Cultural contrast may lead to a wrong diagnosis and treatment  Don’t get stuck on pursuing one course of action  Interpreters (Blake, Groleau, Guzder, Jarvis, & Kirmayer 2003) MULTICULTURAL CONSULTATION

 Focus is on identifying and addressing the culture-specific needs of individuals and systems  Phases  Existing Theory, Research, & Practice  Learning the Culture  Forming Partnerships  Problem/Goal Identification  Data Collection & Problem/Goal Definition  Generate Culture-Specific Hypotheses  Design & Implement Culture-Specific Intervention  Evaluate Intervention & Consultation  Institutionalization (Bernstein, Jayasena, Nastasi, & Varjas, 2000) PARTICIPATORY CULTURE-SPECIFIC CONSULTATION (PCSC)

 Define the school & community’s cultural and linguistic diversity  Be proactive  Identify people in the school who may be of help  Culturally diverse curriculum  Student clubs  Professional development about different cultures  Minority parent committee (Bazron, Cross, Dennis, & Isaacs, 1989) CREATING A CULTURALLY RESPONSIBLE SETTING

 RTI frameworks should be based on how culture mediates learning processes  “All practice needs to be culturally responsive to be best practice” CULTURALLY RESPONSIBLE RTI

 More likely to be targeted for harassment & discrimination  More frequently isolated  Increased risk for emotional and physical rejection  Concealing their identity can increase their risk for anxiety, depression, hostility, demoralization, guilt, shame, social avoidance, isolation & impaired relationships (Bethesda, 2011) LGBTQ YOUTH

 Establish and enforce comprehensive nondiscrimination and antibullying policies that include LGBTQ issues  Educate students and staff  Provide intervention and support  Promote attitudes and behaviors that affirm dignity and rights  Recognize strengths and resilience (Bethesda, 2011) CREATING A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR LGBTQ YOUTH

 Resources  NASP Professional Standards for Training:  National Center for Cultural Competence:  National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt):  PsychINFO RESOURCES

 Bazron, B. J., Cross, T. L., Dennis, K. W., Isaacs, M. R. (1989). Towards a culturally competent system of care. National Technological Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health at Georgetown University.  Best Practices in School Consultation. J.E. Zins, & W.P. Erchul In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best Practices in School Psychology (4 th ed., pp ). Bethesda, MD., National Association of School Psychologists.  Behring, S. T., Ingraham, C. L. (1998). Culture as a central component to consultation: A call to the field. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 9(1),  Bernstein, R., Jayasena, A., Nastasi, B., Varjas, K. (2000). Conducting participatory culture-specific consultation: A global perspective on multicultural consultation. School Psychology Review, 29(3),  Blake, K., Groleau, D., Guzder, I., Jarvis, E., Kirmayer, L. J. (2003). Cultural consultation: A model of mental health services for multicultural societies. Can J Psychiatry, 48(3).  Gross, K., Meyers, A. B., Meyers, J. (2004). Prevention through consultation: A model to guide future developments in the field of school psychology. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 15 (3&4),  National Association of School Psychologists. (2011). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth (Position Statement). Bethesda, MD: Author.  National Center for Educationally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt) REFERENCES