Steven P. Chamberlain

Recognizing and Responding to Cultural Differences in the Education of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners

Cultural differences between educators and culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students can have negative effects on the education of CLD learners. Much of the special education literature pertaining to the education of CLD learners has focused on biased assessment practices that lead to overrepresentation. It is important to consider that overrepresentation is also a function of inappropriate referrals from general education teachers. Understanding how cultural differences can influence the teaching/learning process is paramount if educators are to provide culturally responsive instruction. This article describes a variety of ways that culture influences teacher— student and teacher—parent interactions and provides recommendations to help educators respond to the educational needs of CLD students with and without disabilities.

Lynne Cook and June Downing The Practicalities of Collaboration in Special Education Service Delivery

VOL. 40, NO. 5, MAY 2005 (PP. 296–300) the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Dr. Cook is also active in professional associations and has served as president of CEC’s Teacher Education Division and as a fellow in the Association for Educational Therapists. An advocate for national standards in program accreditation and standards for professional practice, Dr. Cook was a member of CEC’s subcommittee on accreditation from 1988 to 1993 and was a member of the Board of Examiners for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) from 1993 to 2002. She currently serves on California’s Committee on Accreditation. Dr. Cook has published numerous articles and presented extensively around the country on issues in personnel preparation, particularly in the areas of collaboration among professionals, inclusion, and the support and retention of special education professionals. With Dr. Marilyn Friend, she co-authored Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals (2003). Dr. Cook is also the author of Support Groups for Practicing Special Education Professionals (1992). Dr. June Downing earned her PhD from the University of Arizona. She has been the project director of several federally funded projects to train teachers in the areas of severe and multiple disabilities and deaf–blindness. She is currently the project director of two such training projects and is also a project codirector of a model demonstration project in the area of deaf–blindness. The focus of Dr. Downing’s past 18 years of personnel preparation has been in the area of inclusive education for students with disabilities. Dr. Downing has made numerous presentations at local, state, regional, national, and international workshops, as well as in-services and conferences. She is a member of several national/international organizations that represent people who have developmental and sensory disabilities. She is on the Executive Board Drs. Lynne Cook and June Downing serve together as professors in the Department of Special Education at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Dr. Cook received her PhD in special education from the University of Michigan. She has taught general and special education students in public elementary and secondary schools and has taught in and directed clinical programs. Her professional preparation efforts over the past 20 years have been to train professionals to work collaboratively in inclusive settings. Her accomplishments include the development of school-based programs and curriculum for teaching collaboration, teaming, and co-teaching skills. She has also had professional experience as a legislative associate in the U.S. Congress and as a research analyst at the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. From 1990 to 1993, she directed the National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education, a collaborative effort of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education and A N I N T E R V I E W W I T H . . .