1. What I Have Learned Immigrant parenting - meeting the needs of diverse students - the classroom, the cornerstone of society – hegemony - critical pedagogy for social change - immigrant parenting - cultural differences among us - parent+community partnership – racism - twice exceptional learners – segregation - culture clash - teaching techniques and strategies that incorporate respect for all cultures - contemporary context of racism – role of the teacher – culture – funding - defeating poverty’s influence - family+community project based learning - educational practices of school systems as they relate to different student groups - contemporary contexts of prejudice

2.  “The process by which the dominant culture takes over and shifts the perspective from that of a minority group to the biased perspective of the majority group”, (Warble, 2013). Teachers can combat hegemony by creating a classroom with comprehensive integration, establishing strong home-school connections, and exploring student’ life experiences as the basis for learning. Hegemony

3.  Both racism and segregation persist in our schools today. Racism can be seen in the underfunded, lacking basic books and supplies, decrepit school facilities, and high teacher turnover that characterize our inner-city schools. Students in these schools are predominantly poor and of non-caucasian ethnicity. Segregation, or resegregation is a dominant theme in our education system these days. This type of resegregation could be called real estate segregation- meaning ethnic populations become separated based on where they live, thus the schools are segregated. Segregation and Racism Where it exists in our schools today

4.  Twice exceptional learners are those students with high IQ’s and/or high academic achievement diagnosed with a comorbid condition that impacts their education. The three most common diagnoses are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and a specific learning disability (SLD). There are several difficulties associated with these learners. These students remain undiagnosed because their grades are on par with peers. There is very little, communication between the Gifted and Talented Program and the Special Education Department. Thus, while these students have superior IQ’s, they are burdened with undiagnosed learning challenges because they are rarely given the opportunity for additional testing. Twice-Exceptional Learners: Funding, Testing, Challenges

5.  We are familiar with the difficulties facing immigrant parents during their entry and assimilation into the U.S. Frequently the parenting cultures associated with a given immigrant population are contrary to what the US, or Canada or Australia, espouses as appropriate. In these circumstances, community discussions need to take place. These conversations will familiarize the immigrant populations with the laws of their new country and hopefully explain their cultural heritage to the new homeland. Education and conversations are essential in this case. Further, the parent- teacher-community partnerships are critical to enveloping a new culture into an extant community. When parents are able to participate in school events, and express their ideas and beliefs, they are significantly more understood and involved in the school. Finally, as Kozol so eloquently points out, we need to find a way to mitigate the effects of poverty on educational opportunity. Immigrant Parenting, Cultural Clash, Parent-Community Partnerships, Defeating Poverty’s Influence

6.  Paulo Freire and Myles Horton offered wildly new and exciting views on education. Freire focused on the capacity to love along with a commitment to social justice. He suggested to his followers that change is possible but very hard. Freire viewed educators as community scholars and political insurgents.  Myles Horton hailed from a poor Appalachian community. He suggested that people are the only course to a real, significant change. He founder the Highlander Folk School for poor, working class people who could not take charge of of themselves and their lives. Horton was one of the first schools to implement desegregation and suffered the consequences. Further, Horton lead folks to realize that working people, everyday people could assert their rights and attain empowerment. Critical Pedagogy and Social Change