Understanding Theoretical Models in Education

Theory plays an important role in education. It is the baseline premise that evokes further investigation, and through valid study, the status of a proposed explanation can be changed from conjecture to research-based fact. This chapter poses three theoretical frameworks. The Bio-Ecological Theory/Human on Human Development posits that a child's physiological development combines with consistent exposure to his/her environment throughout the early stages of life to play a significant role in a child's overall development. The Social Model Theory on Disability suggests that society's understanding of what is considered a “disability” along with certain perceptions and biases about immigrants can inhibit effective fulfillment of learning needs on behalf of children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) background.

Defining Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CLD) and Its Challenges

The demographic profile in the United States continues to change dramatically. The Migration Policy Institute (2016) reports that the number of CLD students increased by more than 50% in the past decade and the increase will continue. Key issues that surround the CLD population are the role of language and the conflict between their culture of origin and the new and complex culture they experience in the United States, thereby serving as challenges to adaptation and understanding. Authors and researchers confirm that CLD populations experience stigmatization and stereotyping, exacerbating these language and cultural barriers. This study reveals that Latinx and Arab American families are met with ethnic profiling, census labeling, and traumatic experiences. It is important for educational leaders to face these challenges to push past the barriers and assist CLD in achieving academic success and acceptance.

Results of a Mixed-Methods Study on One CLD Group

The chapters in this book interpret results in light of the study's research questions, literature review, and conceptual framework. Each section of this chapter analyzes the five constructs related to this study; understanding the term “disability, the significance of home/school partnerships, the school's cultural competency, challenges facing MENASWA parents of CLD children, and the improvement of the American school system to address these students' learning needs. Included in the chapter under each of these constructs are numerous studies yielding data from parent responses, extensive discussion related to these data, methodologies applied to the analysis of research findings, and the role effective leadership plays in an effort to achieve the final objective of this work: meeting the learning needs of CLD children of MENASWA families in the American school setting.

Researching a Unique CLD Population

Chapter 6 informs the reader of the process of conducting valid, unbiased research. This process begins with a research question or theoretical construct related to the study's purpose and moves the researcher, step by step, through a sequence of activities beginning with the identification of a target population, drawing from that population a representative sample, selecting and applying a research methodology from which relevant data can be drawn, and analyzing those data to arrive at research-based conclusions commensurate with the study's initial question. The chapter connects this process to the central purpose of this work, as presented in foregoing and subsequent chapters.

Students With Disabilities From CLD Families

This chapter focuses on a specific group, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) families and their children from the Middle East, North Africa, and Southwest Asian (MENASWA) regions. The chapter articulates reasons behind the absence of information and data on these populations throughout the U.S. educational system, and more specifically, among SPED students. The uniqueness of this population is profiled, along with tips, guidance, and related activities for the readers and school leaders relating to this population.

Creating Partnerships Between Schools and CLD Families

Teamwork and partnerships are inextricably related. They are the critical elements necessary for any institution pursuing its vision, achieving its goals, and accomplishing its objectives. For schools, this is especially true, and the makeup of a school's team must include those members of the educational community who are impacted by outcomes resulting from decisions made by the team. While conventional wisdom has the school's principal playing the role of the school team's leader, in fact, the leadership of a school's team is shared by the principal and distributed throughout the educational community, which includes parents. This chapter focuses on the concept of family/school partnerships and the inclusion of parents who are essential members of the leadership team. And, while this applies to parent representatives throughout the school's general population of families, it is critical to ensure that the parents of CLD children are included among the leadership team.

Implications for Policy and Practice for Educational Leaders

This chapter provides insight into the complex nature of a study that serves as the foundation upon which this book is based. The chapter's conclusion articulates years of study yielding data, analyses, and conclusions reached by the primary investigator that offer the potential for bringing much needed changes to school policy, thereby confirming the critical nature of this work. The chapter emphasizes the need for the involvement of all stakeholders in becoming a part of the solution in bringing about such change and the role of the school's leadership in guiding the process of such collaboration, which requires the need for the school community to strengthen its cultural competency, including its motivation and willingness to embrace and respect the diversity among the populations it serves.

Themes and Recommendations From One CLD Group

This chapter weaves together the five major emergent themes presented earlier into a tapestry of imperatives that then guide the reader toward an understanding of, and solutions for addressing the special needs for MENASWA children in American schools. Those five themes—racial identity, resiliency and grit, triple threat, family engagement/involvement, and changes to school structures and policies—are presented in detail. The research related to these themes serves as a reference for school leaders to fully understand and appreciate the challenges facing CLD children and their MENASWA families as they experience life and learning in American schools. Based on that understanding, the chapter presents ways to meet these challenges with positive results, placing those CLD children in a learning environment that allows them to enjoy the same successes as their American counterparts.

What Does It Mean to Have a Disability When Culturally and Linguistically Diverse?

Statistics dating back several years in American culture show a rapid growth in the diversity of people throughout the country. Social issues, famine, changing climate conditions, and economics are driving an exodus from other countries, causing people from all over the world to seek a better life in the United States. While the potential for such a positive transition appears to be within their grasp, a vast majority of these families find their reach blocked due to certain domestic attitudes which can preempt their American dream. Their status can place them at an extreme disadvantage, economically and socially, which further exacerbates attainment of their personal goals and can profoundly affect the education of their children. The fact that 1 in 5 children have a disability is another hurdle.