The texas initiative in disproportionate representation in special education

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The Texas Initiative in Disproportionate Representation in Special Education

The Texas Initiative in Disproportionate Representation in Special Education Statewide leadership in addressing identified areas of need in special education services is provided through eleven functions and five projects directed by various ESCs. Their primary responsibility is to provide leadership, training, technical assistance, and the dissemination of information throughout the state. The ESCs coordinating these statewide leadership functions and projects are responsible for the implementation of many of the state’s continuous improvement activities.

Though both functions and projects provide statewide leadership, ESC function leads establish and coordinate a 20-region network. This ensures ongoing communication among ESCs about state-level needs assessment processes and planning, as well as implementing and evaluating statewide activities. Project leadership focuses on a specific activity.

The Texas Initiative in Disproportionate Representation in Special Education located at ESC Region 1 is a resource for schools, school districts, and charter schools in addressing the issues related to disproportionate representation in special education. The role of the ESC is to review research and information and maintain a web page of resources that Local Education Agencies may use for assessment to identify policies, procedures, and practices that lead to disproportionate representation and for improvement planning. Included in the web site are self-assessment tools, links to current research and best practices, strategies, and trainings related to the needs of struggling students in order to lead to improvement of educational services.

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Contents Kids’ Books Chocolate Milk, Por Favor: Celebrating Diversity with Empathy (Maria Dismondy)………….…………...…… Page 4 Whoever You Are (Mem Fox) …………………………………………………………………………..…..……. Page 5 La Llorona The Weeping Woman (Joe Hayes)…………………………………………………………..….….… Page 6 It’s OK to Be Different (Todd Parr) ……………………………………………………………………..……….. Page 7 The Colors of Us (Karen Katz) …………………………………………………………………………..……….. Page 8 I am Mixed (Garcelle Beauvais & Sebastian A. Jones) …………..…………………………………..…………... Page 9 El Cucuy! A Bogeyman Cuento in English and Spanish (Joe Hayes) ………………………………..………….. Page 10 A Ticket Around the World (Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens) ………………………………………...………. Page 11 ELLs Advocating for English Language Learners: A Guide for Educators (Diane Staehr Fenner) ………………...….. Page 12 Evaluating ALL Teachers of English Learners and Students With Disabilities (Fenner, Kozik, & Cooper) ….... Page 13 Latinos Latinos Facing Racism: Discrimination, Resistance, and Endurance (Joe R. Feagin and Jose A. Cobas)………. Page 14 Black and Latino Boys Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys (Victor M. Rios) ………………………………....……. Page 15 Writing the Playbook: A Practitioner’s Guide to Creating Boy-Friendly Schools (Kelly King) ………...…….... Page 16 On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City (Alice Goffman) ………………………………………...….….. Page 17 Schooling for Resilience Improving the Life Trajectory of Black and Latino Boys (Fergus, Noguera, & Martin) Page 18 LGBT Students Dignity for All: Safeguarding LGBT Students (Peter Dewitt) ……………………………………………...……. Page 19 Understanding Homosexuality, Changing Schools (Arthur Lipkin) …………………………………...……...…. Page 20 Diversity What If? Short Stories to Spark Diversity Dialogue (Steve L. Robbins) …………………………………...……. Page 21 35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say: Things We Say That Widen the Achievement Gap (Cullen) …….. Page 22 Diversity Explosion How New Racial Demographics are Remaking America (William H. Frey) ……………… Page 23 Taking On Diversity How We Can Move from Anxiety to Respect (Rupert W. Nacoste) ……………………… Page 24 Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Creating Culturally Considerate Schools: Educating Without Bias (Kim L. Anderson & Bonnie M. Davis)...….. Page 25 Finding Joy in Teaching Students of Diverse Backgrounds (Sonia Nieto) ………………………………..……... Page 26 Creating the Opportunity to Learn (A. Wade Boykin & Pedro Noguera) ………………………………………... Page 27 Reach Before You Teach Ignite Passion and Purpose in Your Classroom (Paula Prentis & Chris Parrott) ….….. Page 28 Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor (Zaretta Hammond) Page 29 Don’t Teach the Canaries Not to Sing Creating a School Culture that Boosts Achievement (Robert D. Ramsey) Page 30 Ability Equity & Culture Sustaining Inclusive Urban Education Reform (Kozleski & Thorius) …………….…. Page 31 Raising Race Questions: Whiteness & Inquiry in Education (Ali Michael) ……………………………………... Page 32 Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap (Paul C. Gorski) ……. Page 33 Developing Cross-Cultural Competence … Working With Children and their Families (Lynch & Hanson) …… Page 34 Is everyone really equal? An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education (Sensoy & DiAngelo) ... Page 35 Resisting Discrimination: Affirmation Strategies for Principals and Teachers (Louis F. MIron) ……………….. Page 36 Quality School Practices High-Impact Instruction: A Framework for Great Teaching (Jim Knight) ………………………………...……. Page 37 Putting FACES on the Data: What Great Leaders Do! (Lyn Sharratt & Michael Fullan) ……………………….. Page 38 Helping in the Hallways: Expanding Your Influence Potential (Richard J. Hazler) ……………...……………… Page 39 The Moral Imperative Realized (Michael Fullan) ………………………………………………………………... Page 40 Eight Myths of Student Disengagement: Creating Classrooms of Deep Learning (Jennifer A. Fredricks) ……… Page 41 Now What? Confronting and Resolving Ethical Questions (Sarah H. Mackenzie & G. Calvin Mackenzie) ……. Page 42 What Great Teachers Do Differently: 17 Things That Matter Most (Todd Whitaker) …………………………... Page 43 The Answer Is in the Room: How Effective Schools Scale Up Student Success (Alan M. Blankstein) ………… Page 44 50 Ways to Close the Achievement Gap (Multi-Media Kit; Downey, Steffy, Poston, & English) ……………… Page 45

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Kids’ Books

Book Summary: Johnny is a big fan of school but that all changes when the new kid, Gabe arrives. Gabe doesn't speak any English, and that doesn't stop Johnny from going out of his way to be unkind. What will Johnny do when Gabe starts to make new friends? Will he join in the fun of making a new friend or turn the other way? Johnny realizes a powerful message in this story where empathy and inclusion teach us that actions speak louder than words.

Read to find out how chocolate milk plays a major role in the discovery of the real universal language.

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Kids’ Books

Book Summary “Little one, / whoever you are, / wherever you are, / there are little ones / just like you / all over the world.” So begins the Australian author Mem Fox’s joyful picture book Whoever You Are, a celebration of the world’s diverse cultures, both our similarities and differences.

Leslie Straub’s innovative, colorful, folk art–style oil paintings of children from all corners of the globe are bordered with photographs of handcarved, bejeweled frames—and they all reflect Fox’s message that no matter where we come from, within our hearts “Joys are the same, / and love is the same. / Pain is the same, / and blood is the same.” A gem!

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Kids’ Books

Book Summary La Llorona (yoh-RROH-nah), now available for the first time in a full-color paperback, is the ghost story to end all ghost stories and truly the most popular cuento of Hispanic America. This story of the weeping woman appears at first to be only a frightening tale filled with mysterious events which cause children to sit wide-eyed.

Yet it’s the simple, universal wisdom at the core of the story that finally works its magic into their hearts.

Joe Hayes is best known for his bilingual tellings of stories from the American Southwest. La Llorona is one of his favorite stories.

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Kids’ Books

Book Summary It's okay to need some help.

It's okay to be a different color.

It's okay to talk about your feelings.

It's okay to make a wish...

It's Okay to Be Different cleverly delivers the important messages of acceptance, understanding, and confidence in an accessible, child-friendly format featuring Todd Parr's trademark bold, bright colors and silly scenes. Targeted to young children first beginning to read, this book will inspire kids to celebrate their individuality through acceptance of others and self-confidence.

Along with the four other bestselling Todd Parr picture books debuting in paperback this season, It's Okay to be Different is designed to encourage early literacy, enhance emotional development, celebrate multiculturalism, and promote character growth.

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Kids’ Books

Book Summary A positive and affirming look at skin color, from an artist's perspective.

Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.

Through the eyes of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way, this book celebrates the differences and similarities that connect all people.

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Kids’ Books

Book Summary Jay and Nia are the children of two worlds, and as they will discover, they can enjoy the best of both. From Mommy's jazz beats to Daddy's classical piano, we will dance with the twins through a book that explores what it is to be of mixed ancestry, proving that a child is more than the sum of their parents.

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Kids’ Books

Story Summary So, you’ve been in trouble. Your -parents tell you they’re calling the bogeyman. You laugh. There’s no such thing!

Then—you hear a sharp knock. Standing at the door is the oldest man you have ever seen. It’s el Cucuy (coo-COO-ee)! With that big red ear, he hears everything!

In this cautionary tale, storyteller Joe Hayes tells about two girls who didn’t believe in el Cucuy until he snatched them up. Of course, the story has a happy ending.

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Kids’ Books

Book Summary Join a young boy as he hops around the globe, visiting friends in 13 different countries spanning all six populated continents. Along the way, he introduces us to each friend’s environment and customs, and shares interesting facts about each country’s culture, language, food, geography, wildlife, landmarks and more. Each country has a dedicated spread with a small map that shows geography and landmarks, letting readers imagine they are traveling, too. The format makes it easy to spot similarities and differences between countries.

This informational picture book brings engaging nonfiction content to younger readers by showing them how other children just like them live around the world. Playful, realistic illustrations done with stylized realism lend warmth and whimsy to the book, making each locale feel welcoming. A Ticket Around the World will leave readers feeling like they’ve toured the globe without ever having left home.

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ELLs

Book Summary Embrace the future by ensuring English Learners have a voice in school.

English Learners (ELs) are the fastest-growing segment of the K–12 population.

Therefore, educators must provide a voice for their needs. This book demystifies the techniques of advocacy for ELs, including: 

A shared sense of responsibility for EL success–Providing tools that every educator can use to ensure that ELs are effectively served

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An overview for administrators–Influencing policy and fostering a culture that meets EL needs

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Advocacy for ELs’ success beyond Grade 12–Equipping ELs for life after graduation, from higher education to career decisions [12]

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ELLs

Book Summary Unique Student Strengths and Needs Require Unique Teacher Evaluation Methods.

Teacher evaluation should never be used in a “one-size-fits-all” manner, especially when evaluating all teachers who work with English Learners (ELs) and students with disabilities.

Evaluations of all teachers who work with diverse learners require unique considerations. Such considerations are precisely what you’ll learn in this comprehensive, action-oriented book. Backed by research and case studies, the authors detail:   

Four Principles for Inclusive Teacher Evaluation of diverse learners compatible with the Danielson and Marzano frameworks Specialized “look-fors” evaluators can use and adapt to recognize effective teaching of diverse learners Strategies for coaching teachers who need more support reaching diverse learners

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Latinos

Book Summary Feagin and Cobas provide the first in-depth examination of the everyday racism faced by middleclass Latinos. Based on a national survey, we learn how a diverse group of talented Latinos Mexican Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Cuban Americans, and others respond to and cope with the commonplace white racial framing and discriminatory practices. Drawing on extensive interviewing, the authors address the recurring discrimination of ordinary whites directed against Spanish speakers and individuals with presumed Latino phenotypes.

These incidents occur in everyday encounters, such as when male and female Latinos travel or shop. The book also chronicles the mistreatment that Latinos face from immigration officials when they cross US borders and from the police when they are racially profiled outside Latino areas.

Critical and conforming Latino responses to recurring white discrimination are also extensively examined, as well as the diverse Latino reactions to remedial programs like affirmative action and to the ideal of assimilation into the proverbial US melting pot."

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Black and Latino Boys

Book Summary Victor Rios grew up in the ghetto of Oakland, California in the 1980s and 90s. A former gang member and juvenile delinquent, Rios managed to escape the bleak outcome of many of his friends and earned a PhD at Berkeley and returned to his hometown to study how inner city young Latino and African American boys develop their sense of self in the midst of crime and intense policing. Punished examines the difficult lives of these young men, who now face punitive policies in their schools, communities, and a world where they are constantly policed and stigmatized.

Rios followed a group of forty delinquent Black and Latino boys for three years.

These boys found themselves in a vicious cycle, caught in a spiral of punishment and incarceration as they were harassed, profiled, watched, and disciplined at young ages, even before they had committed any crimes, eventually leading many of them to fulfill the destiny expected of them. But beyond a fatalistic account of these marginalized young men, Rios finds that the very system that criminalizes them and limits their opportunities, sparks resistance and a raised consciousness that motivates some to transform their lives and become productive citizens. Ultimately, he argues that by understanding the lives of the young men who are criminalized and pipelined through the criminal justice system, we can begin to develop empathic solutions which support these young men in their development and to eliminate the culture of punishment that has become an overbearing part of their everyday lives.

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Black and Latino Boys

Book Summary Your game plan for getting boys on the path to higher achievement As a school leader, Kelley King has walked the talk: she successfully led her own staff to close the achievement gap between boys and girls in reading and writing in just one year. In this book, readers get King’s step-by-step, research-based leadership plan for jump-starting boys’ achievement. King shares:   

Critical insight into the brain-based differences between boys and girls First-hand leadership and classroom experiences to provide educators with a blueprint for creating schools where boys (and girls!) thrive Ready-to-use activities and resources for leading a successful gap-closing initiative [16]

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Black and Latino Boys

Book Summary Forty years in, the War on Drugs has done almost nothing to prevent drugs from being sold or used, but it has nonetheless created a little-known surveillance state in America’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Arrest quotas and high-tech surveillance techniques criminalize entire blocks, and transform the very associations that should stabilize young lives—family, relationships, jobs—into liabilities, as the police use such relationships to track down suspects, demand information, and threaten consequences.

Alice Goffman spent six years living in one such neighborhood in Philadelphia, and her close observations and often harrowing stories reveal the pernicious effects of this pervasive policing. Goffman introduces us to an unforgettable cast of young African American men who are caught up in this web of warrants and surveillance—some of them small-time drug dealers, others just ordinary guys dealing with limited choices.

All find the web of presumed criminality, built as it is on the very associations and friendships that make up a life, nearly impossible to escape. We watch as the pleasures of summer-evening stoop-sitting are shattered by the arrival of a carful of cops looking to serve a warrant; we watch—and can’t help but be shocked—as teenagers teach their younger siblings and cousins how to run from the police (and, crucially, to keep away from friends and family so they can stay hidden); and we see, over and over, the relentless toll that the presumption of criminality takes on families—and futures.

While not denying the problems of the drug trade, and the violence that often accompanies it, through her gripping accounts of daily life in the forgotten neighborhoods of America's cities, Goffman makes it impossible for us to ignore the very real human costs of our failed response—the blighting of entire neighborhoods, and the needless sacrifice of whole generations.

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Black and Latino Boys

Book Summary As a group, Black and Latino boys face persistent and devastating disparities in achievement when compared to their White counterparts: they are more likely to obtain low test scores and grades, be categorized as learning disabled, be absent from honors and gifted programs, and be overrepresented among students who are suspended and expelled from school. They are also less likely to enroll in college and more likely to drop out. Put simply, they are among the most vulnerable populations in our schools.

Schooling for Resilience investigates how seven newly formed schools, created specifically to serve boys of color, set out to address the broad array of academic and social problems faced by Black and Latino boys. Drawing on student and teacher surveys, focus groups, interviews, and classroom observations, the authors investigate how these schools were developed, what practices they employed, and how their students responded academically and socially. In particular, they focus on the theory of action that informed each school’s approach to educating Black and Latino boys and explore how choices about school structure and culture shaped students’ development and achievement. In doing so, the authors identify educational strategies that all schools can learn from.

This thoughtful, passionately argued volume promises to influence efforts to improve the achievement and life outcomes of Black and Latino boys for years to come.

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LGBT Students

Book Summary All students deserve a safe, respectful school environment Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgendered are susceptible to dropping out of school. This book provides professional development ideas and real-life vignettes that will help educational leaders foster a more caring school culture not only for LGBT students, but for all students. Peter DeWitt provides specific strategies for school leaders that include:    

Implementing a student code of conduct and school board policies to safeguard students Helping staff members recognize and respond to overt and covert LGBT issues Ways to include appropriate LGBT topics in the curriculum Supporting Gay-Straight Alliances (GSA) in middle and high school settings

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LGBT Students

Book Summary Scholarship on homosexuality, gay and lesbian identities, history, and culture came to universities too late for most elementary and secondary school educators, leaving them unprepared to deal with these subjects. Moreover, some teacher education faculty still neglect these topics out of moral scruple, fear, or inattention to new research and practice. Yet teacher education and training must incorporate these issues, if only because the plight of homosexual adolescents has become increasingly apparent.

Understanding Homosexuality, Changing Schools, written by veteran teacher and university instructor Arthur Lipkin, provides a foundation in gay/lesbian studies and offers models for equity, inclusion, and school reform. It is designed to help teachers, administrators, counselors, and policymakers understand the significance of gay and lesbian issues in education; to aid communication between gay and lesbian students and their families and schools; to facilitate the integration of gay and lesbian families into the school community; and to promote the inclusion of gay and lesbian curricula in a range of disciplines. This book is also designed to promote the healthy development of all students through reducing bigotry, self-hatred, and violence. Bringing together thirteen topics related to homosexuality and education, Understanding Homosexuality, Changing Schools makes the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience part of a democratic multicultural vision.

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Diversity

Book Summary What If? delivers a highly creative and innovative new way to explore the issues that dominate today's multicultural, multiethnic workplace. To the twenty-five witty yet inspiring stories in this collection, Steve Long-Nguyen Robbins has added tips and suggestions for putting these key learnings into action.

Combined, What If? offers a powerful lens into the human experience.

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Diversity

Book Summary Even well-intended people can cause harm!

Have you ever heard yourself or someone else say: "Some of my best friends are… (Black, White, Asian, etc.)”? or “I don't think of you as… (Gay, Disabled, Jewish, etc.)"? or “I don't see color, I'm colorblind"? These statements and dozens like them can build a divide between us and the people we interact with. Though well-intended, they often widen the diversity gap sometimes causing irreparable harm personally and professionally.

If you've ever wanted to be more effective in your communication with others, or have been afraid of saying the wrong thing, then this concise guide is essential to becoming more inclusive and diversity-smart.

A powerful diversity training tool from one of the most respected diversity trainers.

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Diversity

Book Summary At its optimistic best, America has embraced its identity as the world's melting pot. Today it is on the cusp of becoming a country with no racial majority, and new minorities are poised to exert a profound impact on U.S. society, economy, and politics. The concept of a "minority white" may instill fear among some Americans, but William H. Frey, the man behind the demographic research, points out that demography is destiny, and the fear of a more racially diverse nation will almost certainly dissipate over time.

Through a compelling narrative and eye-catching charts and maps, eminent demographer Frey interprets and expounds on the dramatic growth of minority populations in the United States. He finds that without these expanding groups, America could face a bleak future: this new generation of young minorities, who are having children at a faster rate than whites, is infusing our aging labor force with vitality and innovation. In contrast with the labor force-age population of Japan, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, the U.S. labor force-age population is set to grow 5 percent by 2030.

Diversity Explosion shares the good news about diversity in the coming decades, and the more globalized, multiracial country that the U.S. is becoming.

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Diversity

Book Summary In this enlightening book, a campus “diversity doctor” relates stories that individuals have shared with him about their anxieties in situations involving people who are in some way different than themselves. Dr. Rupert W. Nacoste regularly counsels students at North Carolina State University about their problems dealing with diversity of all kinds, including of gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual-orientation. Here, he shares his most effective techniques for handling the unavoidable realities of being in a neo-diverse community, whether that means in college or America as a nation. The author’s proven “safe space” strategy can be applied to the campus, community groups, churches, and workplaces as a means to facilitate positive dialogue about diversity.

In this time of current tensions, students, or “young travelers” as Nacoste fondly refers to them, still have much work ahead of them to achieve mutual respect and understanding. From everyday encounters, parties, and email and social media exchanges, they provide examples of ongoing bigotry: racial slurs and stereotypes are still used; young men continue to project demeaning attitudes toward women; and the heterosexual majority sometimes shows little understanding of the LBGT minority.

Dr. Nacoste considers it his role to usher students off the “Wrong-Line train,” and he has noticed that as they “leave the station,” adults begin to follow their lead. The author demonstrates how we can maintain fairness and respect while still acknowledging our differences. By doing so, we can all learn to meet these challenges using sensitivity to different perspectives, open-minded attitudes, and the recognition that diversity in America is here to stay.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary Are you seeing your students clearly?

This unique collaboration between a veteran educator and a psychotherapist shows that the educators who are most effective in teaching diverse student populations are the ones who can "see students clearly and respond to their needs without hesitation or bias." Framed around an original, eight-stage model of diversity development, this book provides readers with essential tools for building a sturdy foundation of mutual respect upon which schools without bias can be constructed. Included are specific strategies for creating a school environment that    

Gives voice and consideration to all students Shows interest, empathy, and respect for all staff members Advocates respect and reverence of individuality Adapts innovative policies—despite resistance—that best serve the total school community

In addition to vignettes, anecdotes, and case examples, the authors provide worksheets for problem-solving, conflict resolution, clear communication, rules of engagement, reflection, and scenario study. This book will help educators boost student achievement by giving them how-to strategies that work across content areas to create a culturally considerate claom and school climate that supports student success and reinforces the strength of individual teachers, administrators, and auxiliary personnel.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary "While no check-list of attitudes, dispositions, behaviors, or actions can define what thriving teachers look like, the teachers interviewed here give us powerful examples of what it takes to face their profession with courage, their content with enthusiasm, and their students with love."

-Sonia Nieto One in four public school students in the U.S. now speaks a language other than English at home, and the number of emergent bilingual and immigrant children in our schools continues to grow daily. What does it mean to be a teacher today, when students are more diverse in language, culture, race, and social class than ever before? What does it take to thrive, when the demands of teaching have never been greater? Sonia Nieto found and interviewed 22 teachers of varying backgrounds and school settings who help answer the question of what effective, culturally responsive teaching looks like in the real world. Their stories of success, failure, frustration and hope will resonate with everyone who has struggled to meet the needs of diverse students in our current sociopolitical context.

Nieto explores the common themes that arose throughout the interviews, of teaching with a social justice perspective, the moral dimensions of teaching, advocating for students, and challenging the status quo. She raises a persuasive argument that teaching is an ethical endeavor, that we must honor students' identities and believe in their futures, and that ultimately teaching is an act of love.

The stories of Nieto's passionate teachers will inspire and motivate you to find joy in teaching students of diverse backgrounds.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary Unless we believe that those who have more are inherently superior to those who have less, we should be troubled by the fact that patterns of achievement are often fairly predictable, particularly with respect to students race and class.

In Creating the Opportunity to Learn, Wade Boykin and Pedro Noguera help navigate the turbid waters of evidence-based methodologies and chart a course toward closing (and eliminating) the academic achievement gap. Turning a critical eye to current and recent research, the authors present a comprehensive view of the achievement gap and advocate for strategies that contribute to the success of all children.

Boykin and Noguera maintain that it is possible to close the achievement gap by abandoning failed strategies, learning from successful schools, and simply doing more of what the research shows is most effective. Success is founded on equity, but equity involves more than simply ensuring students have equal access to education; equity also entails a focus on outcomes and results.

If we want to bring about significant improvements in those outcomes, we have to do more to address the context in which learning takes place. In short, we must create schools where a child s race or class is no longer a predictor for how well he or she might perform.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary Direct connection with students’ unique identities is the key to teaching them.

Every student possesses a distinct combination of strengths and insecurities that will not respond to a one-size-fits-all teaching method. Reach Before You Teach shows educators how to form the nurturing, individualized connections that make students feel worthy, fulfilled, and ready to flourish as learners.

The book details:   

Practical, empowering information about how a sense of self comes to be, and what threatens it.

Interventions that soften the myriad defenses students develop to protect themselves.

How to address the often-overlooked connections between physical, social, and emotional health and classroom performance.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now.

In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction.

The book includes:   

Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary This how-to handbook defines what school culture is, how it works, and why it is critically important, and helps you assess how your school measures up.

About the Author Robert D. Ramsey is a lifelong educator who has served as a "leader of leaders" in three award-winning school districts in two different states. His frontline experience includes positions a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, curriculum director, assistant superintendent, acting superintendent, and adjunct professor. Most recently, he has served as associate superintendent in the St. Louis Park (MN) schools, where every school has been designated by the federal government as a National School of Excellence. Ramsey is now working full-time as a freelance writer in Minneapolis.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary ''If you truly care about the serious, research-based pursuit of equity and inclusivity in urban schools, you must read this book. Using researcher-practitioner co-author teams and a case study of national urban reform, Kozleski, King Thorius, and their chapter team authors show how to go successfully to scale with systemic reform. ''-- James Joseph Scheurich, professor, Indiana University School of Education, Indianapolis This comprehensive book is grounded in the authentic experiences of educators who have done, and continue to do, the messy everyday work of transformative school reform. The work of these contributors, in conjunction with research done under the aegis of the National Institute of Urban School Improvement (NIUSI), demonstrates how schools and classrooms can move from a deficit model to a culturally responsive model that works for all learners. To strengthen relationships between research and practice, chapters are coauthored by a practitioner/researcher team and include a case study of an authentic urban reform situation. This volume will help practitioners, reformers, and researchers make use of emerging knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy to implement reforms that are more congruent with the strengths and needs of urban education contexts.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary Raising Race Questions explores the opportunities and challenges that arise when White teachers are willing to deal directly with race and the role it plays in their classrooms. Based on lessons gleaned from experienced White teachers in a variety of settings, it lays out a path for using inquiry to develop sustained, productive engagement with challenging--and common--questions about race. It suggests that guilt and conflict need not be the end point of raising race questions and offers alternative destinations: antiracist classrooms, positive racial identities, and a restoration of the wholeness that racism undermines.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary The author draws from decades of research to deconstruct popular myths, misconceptions, and educational practices that undercut the achievement of low-income students.

He carefully describes the challenges that students in poverty face and the resiliencies they and their families draw upon. Most importantly, this book provides specific, evidence-based strategies for teaching youth by creating equitable, bias-free learning environments. Written in an appealing conversational tone, this resource will help teachers and school leaders to better reach and teach students in poverty.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary As the U.S. population grows more and more diverse, how can professionals who work with young children and families deliver the best services while honoring different customs, beliefs, and values? The answers are in the fourth edition of this bestselling textbook, fully revised to reflect nearly a decade of population changes and best practices in culturally competent service delivery.

The gold-standard text on cross-cultural competence, this book has been widely adopted by college faculty and trusted as a reference by in-service practitioners for almost 20 years. For this timely NEW edition, the highly regarded authors have carefully updated and expanded every chapter while retaining the basic approach and structure that made the previous editions so popular. Professionals will 

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Get a primer on cultural competence. Readers will examine how their own cultural values and beliefs shape their professional practice, how the worldviews of diverse families may affect their perceptions of programs and services, and how providers can communicate more effectively with families from different cultural backgrounds.

Deepen their understanding of cultural groups. Learn from in-depth chapters with nuanced, multifaceted explorations of nine different cultural backgrounds: Anglo-European, American Indian, African American, Latino, Asian, Filipino, Native Hawaiian and Samoan, Middle Eastern, and South Asian. Readers will get upto-date insights on history, demographics, traditions, values, and family structure, and they'll examine the diverse ways each culture approaches child rearing, medical care, education, and disability.

Discover better ways to serve families. Readers will get concrete recommendations for providing more effective, sensitive, and culturally competent services to children and families. They'll find practical guidance for every step in the service delivery process, from initiating contact with families to implementing and evaluating services. Vivid case stories and photos bring the principles of cultural competence to life, and the helpful appendixes give professionals quick access to cultural courtesies and customs, key vocabulary words, significant cultural events and holidays, and more. Plus an expanded list of resources points readers to books, films, theater, and other media that will enhance their understanding of other cultures.

New to this edition is a revised chapter on African American roots; thoroughly updated and expanded chapters; expanded coverage of disabilities; more on spiritual and religious diversity; and strategies for helping families make decisions about language use (English-only vs. preservation of native language).

Equally valuable as a textbook and a reference for practicing professionals, this comprehensive book will prepare early interventionists and other professionals to work effectively with families whose customs, beliefs, and values may differ from their own.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary This practical handbook will introduce readers to social justice education, providing tools for developing ''critical social justice literacy'' and for taking action towards a more just society. Accessible to students from high school through graduate school, this book offers a collection of detailed and engaging explanations of key concepts in social justice education, including critical thinking, socialization, group identity, prejudice, discrimination, oppression, power, privilege, and White supremacy.

Based on extensive experience in a range of settings in the United States and Canada, the authors address the most common stumbling blocks to understanding social justice. They provide recognizable examples, scenarios, and vignettes illustrating these concepts. This unique resource has many user-friendly features, including ''definition boxes'' for key terms, ''stop boxes'' to remind readers of previously explained ideas, ''perspective check boxes'' to draw attention to alternative standpoints, a glossary, and a chapter responding to the most common rebuttals encountered when leading discussions on concepts in critical social justice. There are discussion questions and extension activities at the end of each chapter, and an appendix designed to lend pedagogical support to those newer to teaching social justice education.

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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Book Summary The social reality of discrimination in schools is examined in this volume. Through extensive interviews conducted in four inner-city schools in the United States, Louis F Mir[ac]on identifies two forms of discrimination - racial and academic. He then presents positive strategies designed for administrative leaders to eradicate the problem of discrimination from their schools.

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Quality School Practices

Book Summary Small changes can lead to big results!

Best-selling author Jim Knight presents the high-leverage strategies that make the biggest difference in student learning. Featuring checklists, numerous observation tools, and online videos of teachers implementing the practices, this revolutionary book focuses on the three areas of highimpact instruction:   

Content planning, including using guiding questions, learning maps, and formative assessment Instructional practices such as the use of thinking prompts, effective questions, challenging assignments, and experiential learning Community building, in which you shape a classroom culture that promotes well-being, creativity, learning, and high expectations

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Quality School Practices

Book Summary Build the bridge from data collection to improved instruction Students are people—not data. How can you use assessment data to focus on reaching every student? This book shows how to develop a common language for sharing all students’ progress with all teachers and leaders, and how to use ongoing assessment to inform instruction. Based on worldwide research of more than 500 educators, the book presents solutions organized by:    

Assessment Instruction Leadership Ownership

The many benefits of personalizing data include increased student engagement and a positive impact on school culture. This reader-friendly guide helps you set goals, adjust lessons, identify students’ strengths and weaknesses, and implement interventions.

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Quality School Practices

Book Summary This reader-friendly resource helps optimize the potential of brief, informal interactions with students to improve students' academic performance, increase learning opportunities, and foster a positive school culture.

About the Author Richard J. Hazler is professor of counselor education and coordinator of the Elementary School Counseling program at Penn State University. He has conducted research on a variety of topics and authored professional materials on bullying and victimization in schools. Hazler has worked as a school counselor and also as a counselor in the military, universities, prisons, and private practice and is noted for his work on humanistic approaches to counseling and counselor training. He has served as an elementary school teacher, writer, and director of programs for young people.

His research and writing of numerous articles and books includes The Emerging Professional Counselor: Student Dreams to Professional Realities and Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Interventions for Bullying and Victimization.

Hazler did graduate work at The College of New Jersey and earned a doctorate at the University of Idaho.

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Quality School Practices

Book Summary Award-winning author and educational reform expert Michael Fullan shows how to achieve successful local and systemic school reform through the strength of shared leadership.

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Quality School Practices

Book Summary Your expert resource to activate, manage, and maintain lasting student success!

Education expert Jennifer Fredricks empowers teachers to reengage students at all levels with cleareyed implementation strategies that build essential 21st century learning skills. Teachers learn to confidently:    

Identify students most at risk for disengagement Implement student-centered, project-based learning practices for maximum educational outcomes Work effectively with diverse groups of disengaged youth Build positive peer cultures and high-quality student-teacher relationships

Straightforward how-to’s from practicing classroom teachers, print and web-based resources, and assessment tips help educators cultivate lasting student engagement and transform educational outcomes with this must-have resource!

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Quality School Practices

Book Summary Written by an educator and a national authority on ethics and featuring detailed real-life case studies, this volume outlines the relationship between ethical practices and school success.

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Quality School Practices

Book Summary In the second edition of this renowned book, you will find pearls of wisdom, heartfelt advice, and inspiration from one of the nation’s leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness. With wit and understanding, Todd Whitaker describes the beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, and interactions of great teachers and explains what they do differently. New features include:   

Meaning what you say Focusing on students first Putting yourself in their position

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Quality School Practices

Book Summary Learn the secrets of successful schools Citing wisdom from top educational experts and building on what is already working, awardwinning author Alan M. Blankstein offers tools for finding excellence in schools, scaling these practices across learning communities, and transforming low-performing schools into highperforming schools. His five-step process includes:     

Identifying and assessing excellence Creating an action plan Assigning resources such as time, materials, etc.

Transferring excellence in the form of knowledge and skills throughout the school and district Sustaining the excellence

Also included are effective strategies for sustaining student gains, closing gaps within and between schools, building leader capacity, and increasing community commitment.

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Quality School Practices

Overview This multimedia kit provides staff developers with discussion questions and focused activities for leading a book study seminar on 50 researched-based strategies for developing equitable schools.

Includes: DVD (191 min.), Facilitator's Guide, CD-ROM, Companion Book

Clear, updated guidelines for increasing academic performance and providing educational equity for all students!

This revised guide outlines 50 strategies for developing high-performing schools. Emphasizing educational parity for all students, the book is organized around six standards:      

Teach a well-crafted, focused, valid, and clear curriculum Align assessments, programs, and instructional resources with curriculum Promote student equality and equity Focus on mastery learning and effective teaching strategies Provide resources for establishing curriculum expectations, monitoring, and accountability Institute effective district and school planning, staff development, and resource allocation to create a quality learning environment

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“To pursue a personal best in the classroom, teachers need a clear understanding of how well their students are learning. This isn’t always easy. To see the classroom exactly as it is, teachers must have the courage to venture outside their comfort zone” (Jim Knight, High Impact Instruction, page 9).

“Effective teachers take advantage of teachable moments” (Todd Whitaker, What Great Teachers Do Differently, page 71).

“I’ve figured out that you have to meet the students where they’re at. When I first met them I was so focused on my expectations, which were very high. …I’m beginning to know how to assess them and their learning needs; now that I know that, I know how to revamp my instruction to meet them at their level” (Fergus, Noguera, & Martin, Schooling for Resilience: Improving the Trajectory of Black and Latino Boys, page 75).

“The ‘diversity explosion’ the country is now experiencing will bring significant changes in the attitudes of individuals, the practices of institutions, and the nature of American politics. Racial change has never been easy, and more often than not, it has been fraught with fear and conflict” (William H. Frey, Diversity Explosion How New Racial Demographics Are Remaking America, page 5).

“When talking about culture, people often represent the three levels of culture as an iceberg, with the surface culture as the tip of the iceberg, shallow culture located just below the water line, and deep culture the largest part hidden deep in the water. Rather than use the metaphor of an ice berg, I like to compare culture to a tree. A tree is a part of a bigger ecosystem that shapes and impacts its growth and development” (Zaretta Hammond, Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students, page 25).

“Constructive school cultures are magnets for top-notch people, including bright students, highly motivated and involved parents, and gifted teachers who are so good they can teach anywhere.

Attracting winners is one way the best school cultures renew and perpetuate themselves” (Robert D. Ramsey, Don’t Teach the Canaries Not to Sing: Creating a School Culture That Boosts Achievement, page 27).

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Items prepared and distributed by Region One ESC, Edinburg Dr. Jannette Reyes 956-984-6175 (This document not intended for distribution to schools. For ESC use only.)

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