Multicultural Institute

New for 2010! On Wednesday, April 21, CEC will host a full-day Multicultural Institute. Alba Ortiz of the University of Texas, Austin, and Donna Ford of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, will serve as co-chairs of the institute. This institute will focus on evidence-based instructional strategies for students from culturally and linguistically diverse populations and will also address successful strategies for addressing disproportionate representation in our schools.

At the end of the Multicultural Institute, participants will be able to:

• Become familiar with successful strategies for addressing disproportionate representation.
• Understand attitudinal and policy barriers that may hinder effective interventions for disproportionate representation, and how to address them.
• Identify recommendations for meeting the needs of English Language Learners who are struggling academically.
• Explain key concepts related to behavior development and intervention for students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
• Describe key aspects of communication to facilitate collaborative communication with culturally and linguistically diverse families.
• Discuss and understand key components necessary to improve the quality of preparation programs for teachers who currently work or will work with culturally different students. 
• Understand the underlying factors associated with underrepresentation of Blacks and Hispanics in gifted and AP classes.

Click here for a more detailed description and an overview of the institute agenda.

Find out how you can earn free CEUs for attending!

2010 Multicultural Institute Registration Rates

You may register for the Multicultural Institute for an additional fee when you register for the Convention & Expo. Please see the Registration and Rates page for more information. 

Multicultural Institute – Agenda

The Multicultural Institute at the CEC 2010 Convention & Expo will focus on evidence-based interventions for students with exceptionalities from culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Presenters will discuss successful strategies for addressing disproportionate representation (both overrepresentation and underrepresentation) in our schools.

This full-day institute will be held on Wednesday, April 21. Alba Ortiz of the University of Texas, Austin, and Donna Ford of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, will serve as co-chairs.

The Multicultural Institute agenda includes:

Welcome and Introductions

Donna Ford, Vanderbilt University,  Nashville
Alba Ortiz, University of Texas, Austin  

Why Aren’t We Fixing It? Barriers to Addressing Disproportionality

Russ Skiba, Indiana University, Bloomington 

The facts of the racial/ethnic disproportionality are very well established. Evidence-based interventions for addressing and reducing disproportionality are extremely rare, however. This session will focus on attitudinal and policy barriers in the field that may hinder the development of effective interventions for disproportionate representation. Policy and practice recommendations will be offered to address those barriers.

Disproportionate Representation and English Language Learners: Difference or Disability?

Alba Ortiz, University of Texas, Austin

English Language Learners (ELLs) tend to be underrepresented in some categories of exceptionality but overrepresented in others, including speech and language impairments and learning disabilities. Addressing disproportionality for this group of students requires effective prevention and early intervention programs, as well as appropriate practices in referral, assessment, and eligibility determinations. An overview of the Bilingual Exceptional Student: Early Intervention, Referral, and Assessment (BESt ERA) Model will be provided. Recommendations for meeting the needs of ELLs who are struggling academically and for distinguishing language differences from language and learning disabilities will be offered.

Important Steps for Culturally Responsive Behavior Development and Intervention

Gwendolyn Cartledge, The Ohio State University, Columbus 

This session presents some concepts key to the behavior development and intervention for students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Concepts will include practices for cultural competence, discerning behavior differences and deficits, prevention, instruction, and basic interactions. Each concept will be accompanied by an applied example and research documentation. Participants also will receive references for additional information on each proposed concept.

Values, Beliefs, and Strategies: Developing Effective Collaboration With Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families

Elizabeth Harry, University of Miami, Fla. 

Effective collaboration with families remains more of an ideal than a reality for professionals in special education. This is particularly so in regard to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families. Four key aspects of communication represent the main barriers to implementation of ideal practices: deficit views of CLD families, cross-cultural misunderstandings related to the meanings and identification of disabilities, differential values in goal-setting, and culturally based differences in caregivers' views of their roles. This presentation will address effective teacher education and professional development approaches as well as key principles regarding the conduct of research with CLD families.

Linking Student’s Culture and Teacher Preparation: Responsive Practices

Cathy Kea, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro 

Nothing is more important than the preparation of special educators who are culturally responsive for the 21st century. As the PreK-12 student population becomes increasingly diverse, we as teacher educators have a responsibility to rethink culturally responsive practices and pedagogy and how to better prepare teacher candidates to engage culturally different learners and their families in the teaching and learning process. How can teacher candidates be taught to bring the elements of the student’s culture into the classroom and link classroom content to students’ lives and community experiences to demonstrate that culturally different students can learn? It is urgent that teacher education faculty improve the quality of the teacher preparation curriculum, pedagogy, and field experiences of preservice teachers who will work with culturally different students. 

Opening Doors to Gifted and Advanced Placement Classes for Culturally Different Students: Problems and Promises

Donna Ford, Vanderbilt University, Nashville 

Throughout their histories, Black and Hispanic students have been underrepresented in gifted and AP classes. Nationally, underrepresentation is significant for both groups. Although some progress has been made with Hispanic students, this is not the case for Black students. An overview of fundamental family, school, and social barriers is presented, along with research-based and theory-based recommendations and resources.