Gwendolyn Cartledge

Culturally Responsive Classrooms for Culturally Diverse Students with and at Risk for Disabilities

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with and at risk for disabilities evidence the greatest need for quality instructional programs of all students in our schools because of disproportionate academic underachievement, special education referrals, and disciplinary actions. Authorities on culturally responsive instruction consistently point to the cultural dissonance between the home and school as a contributor to poor educational outcomes. Other researchers argue that these students are least likely to be taught with the most effective evidence-based instruction. This article discusses culturally responsive classrooms for CLD students with and at risk for disabilities within the context of culturally competent teachers, culturally effective instructional principles, and culturally appropriate behavior development. It discusses implications for educators and suggestions for a future agenda.

Effects of Response Cards on Disruptive Behavior and Academic Responding during Math Lessons by Fourth-Grade Urban Students.

The authors evaluated the effects of response cards on the disruptive behavior and academic responding of students in two urban fourth-grade classrooms. Two conditions, single-student responding and write-on response cards, were alternated in an ABAB design. During single-student responding, the teacher called on one student who had raised his or her hand to answer the question. During the response-card condition, each student was provided with a white laminated board on which he or she could write a response to every question posed by the teacher. Nine students were targeted for data collection because of their history of disciplinary issues in school and frequent disruptive behavior in the classroom. Data revealed substantial reductions in disruptive behavior and increases in academic responding during the response card condition compared to single-student responding. The findings are discussed in terms of the beneficial effects of direct, high-response strategies for urban, low-achieving learners.

Self-Monitoring for Elementary School Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances: Classroom Applications for Increased Academic Responding.

An unobtrusive self-monitoring procedure was used to teach four elementary school students with serious emotional disturbances (SED) to monitor their behavior while working independently on newly taught materials. A withdrawal design was used to assess two dependent variables: percentage of on-task behavior during math seatwork and percentage of math problems completed by each student. A modest positive relationship between self-monitoring and the targeted behaviors was found. Classroom implications are discussed.

Cultural Diversity and Social Skill Instruction.

All behavior is culturally based. Children who come from and identify with culturally diverse groups are likely to engage in behaviors that are at variance with the culture of the school. The success of these students is predicated on their abilities to traverse these environments with minimal dissonance. The purpose of this article is to identify ways in which cultural discontinuities naturally occur in the schools for these students and ways in which school personnel can bring about more satisfactory adjustments by directly teaching requisite skills.

Practical Behavior-Management Techniques to Close the Accessibility Gap for Students Who Are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse

Students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are disproportionately identified for special education in the most restrictive placements. These students tend to have the least access to the general education curriculum and experience the greatest levels of school failure. Educators see an obvious need to change this pattern. These students would benefit most from positive, proactive interventions that enable them to adjust to their schools culture and to master the requisite behaviors leading to their success in school. To achieve these ends, teachers and administrators need to acquire cultural competence and skills related to culturally sensitive behavior management and socialskill development. They also need to realize the importance of effective instruction and academic achievement. Because early intervention is most efficient and promising, applications in this article focus on a young child, but the basic principles are equally applicable to older learners.

Mt. Olivet After-School Program: Peer-Mediated Interventions for At-Risk Students

This article reports the results of peer-mediated instruction and Interventions on the academic performances of urban at-risk students in an after-school program. The students in this project were African-American males who attended an urban elementary school. The after-school program was a partnership between a large predominately African-American church, a public school, and The Ohio State Universitys (OSUs) College of Education. Students from the OSUs elementary education and special education programs worked along with the men of Mt. Olivet Church to provide educational opportunities for urban at-risk students. The improvement in academic performance of urban at-risk students in this study is consistent with the findings of other researchers (Poser & Vandell, 1994).

The Effects of Theory-of-Mind and Social Skill Training on the Social Competence of a Sixth-Grade Student With Autism

The authors investigated the effects of a theory-of-mind (ToM) and social skill training program on the ToM assessments and social interactions of a sixth-grade high-functioning student with autism. A multiple probe design across behaviors and settings was conducted to evaluate the training program on the participants learning outcomes. The results showed a functional relationship between the intervention and the participants skill mastery. Specifically, the participants appropriate social interactions increased substantially across time and settings with similar improvements in the ToM test scores. The participants teachers, mother, and peers responded positively to the intervention, indicating their acceptance of the training procedures and outcomes.

Repeated Reading for Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders: Peer-and Trainer-Mediated Instruction.

This study evaluated the effects of a repeated reading (RR) intervention on the oral reading fluency and comprehension of six urban fourth and fifth-grade students with and at risk for emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to study RR effects according to gains in reading fluency, comprehension, and generalization to unpracticed passages under covert and overt timing conditions. Results indicated that all students improved both reading fluency (i.e., speed and accuracy) and comprehension when participating in RR. Improvements were also observed on the unpracticed generalization passages; the addition of overt timing and charting produced the greatest improvements. These gains were confirmed through administration of standardized tests in reading. Findings are described according to the beneficial effects of RR and the relative advantages of peer-mediated interventions with students with EBD.

Middle School Students with Serious Emotional Disturbances Serve as Social Skills Trainers and Reinforcers for Peers with SED

In two related studies middle school students with serious emotional disturbances (SED) served as student trainers to teach social interaction skills to peers with SED. Researchers in both studies taught middle school boys to use a formal social skills curriculum in order to teach more positive peer interactions. Study results indicate the desired effects of the peer-based social skills instruction, with some evidence of behavior maintenance and transfer. The findings point to beneficial effects for both peer trainers and student trainees.

The Effects of Social Skills Instruction on the Social Behaviors of Students at Risk for Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

The authors examined the effects of pullout small-group and teacher-directed classroom-based social skills instruction on the social behaviors of five third- and fourth-grade students at risk for emotional or behavioral disorders. A multiple-baseline across-subjects design was conducted to determine whether the combination of small-group and classroom-based social skills instruction would reduce the frequency of antisocial behaviors across two settings (i.e., classroom, lunchroom). Results of the study indicated moderate reductions in antisocial behaviors during small-group social skills instruction. The positive changes either further declined or were maintained after classroom social skills instruction commenced. Training variables are discussed.