Cultural Diversity
Cultural diversity refers to the differences among individuals based on their personal experiences and attributes.
A person's culture may include their race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, nationality, language, religion, political affiliation, and socioeconomic background. Additionally, cultural norms may be influenced by these differences, such as peer and social group interactions and family or community values.
Often, cultural and linguistic diversities are mentioned together (CLD). While cultural diversity may often include linguistic diversity, the two terms are not interchangeable.
Special educators must be culturally responsive to all students, especially those students with disabilities whose culture may influence their educational decisions and outcomes.
To examine whether special education racial risk ratios reported by U.S. school districts are explained by district-level confounds, particularly, racial achievement gaps, we analyzed merged data ( N...
Journal Name:
Exceptional Children
Publish date:
02/02/2020
The Political Dilemmas of Formative Assessment
The literature base on using formative assessment for instructional and intervention decisions is formidable, but the history of the practice of formative assessment is spotty. Even with the pressures...
Journal Name:
Exceptional Children
Publish date:
03/31/2010
Justifying and Explaining Disproportionality, 1968–2008: A Critique of Underlying Views of Culture
Special education has made considerable advances in research, policy, and practice in its short history. However, students from historically underserved groups continue to be disproportionately...
Journal Name:
Exceptional Children
Publish date:
03/31/2010
Measuring Family Outcomes in Early Intervention: Findings from a Large-Scale Assessment
This article reports data from a large-scale assessment using the Family Outcomes Survey with families participating in early intervention. The study was designed to determine how families describe...
Journal Name:
Exceptional Children
Publish date:
06/30/2010
Disproportionality in Special Education Identification and Placement of English Language Learners
This study explored the extent of disproportionality in the identification and placement of culturally and linguistically diverse students identified as English language learners in special education...
Journal Name:
Exceptional Children
Publish date:
03/31/2011
Growth in Reading Achievement of Students with Disabilities, Ages 7 to 17
Using data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SRI International, 2002), this study estimated reading growth trajectories in a nationally representative sample of 3,421 students...
Journal Name:
Exceptional Children
Publish date:
09/30/2011
Culturally Different Students in Special Education: Looking Backward to Move Forward
As the “land of opportunity” and arguably the greatest country in the world, the United States continues to change—culturally, racially, and linguistically. Reports abound regarding the changing...
Journal Name:
Exceptional Children
Publish date:
06/30/2012
The Minority Report: Disproportionate Representation in Australia's Largest Education System
The overrepresentation of students from minority ethnic groups in separate special education settings has been extensively documented in North America, yet little research exists for Australian school...
Journal Name:
Exceptional Children
Publish date:
09/30/2012
A Journey, Not a Destination
Cultural competence is more than a buzzword, it is a best practice for transition educators who work with culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education. Developing cultural...
Journal Name:
TEACHING Exceptional Children
Publish date:
06/07/2015
Disproportionality in Special Education: Effects of Individual and School Variables on Disability Risk
We examined the risk of disability identification associated with individual and school variables. The sample included 18,000 students in 39 schools of an urban K-12 school system. Descriptive...
Journal Name:
Exceptional Children
Publish date:
06/30/2013