Voices From Around the IEP Table: Perspectives on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families

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Description

When a group meets to discuss a students Individualized Education Program (IEP), they are called a team, but they rarely understand the perspectives of the people with whom they are sitting at the table. This is especially true when cultural and linguistic diversity is part of the equation. This unique book explores the individual perspectives of IEP meeting participants who work with students who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD). Authors interviewed a principal, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), an educational advocate, a disability rights attorney, a parent, a translator, a school psychologist, a specialist, a transition services specialist, and a guidance counselor. Their experiences provide critical insight for those seeking to realize the potential of these sometimes marginalized students. Interviews examined the dynamics of home-school communication, IEP meetings, and cross-cultural interactions. The perspectives shared in this book relate to known best practices and also provide practical suggestions for improving the experiences of teams serving the CLD population.

Reviews

This book serves as a critical resource in highlighting the invisible cultural barriers that often shape IEP meetings with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families. The book uses interviews with CLD parents and a range of educational stakeholders to excavate the conflicts and challenges inherent in these situations. The books chapters are organized around portraits of twelve educational professionals involved in this process. The themes and dilemmas presented in these chapters make this book essential reading for all those interested in better serving the needs of CLD parents and their children. -- Margaret Smith Crocco, Professor and Chair, Department of Teacher Education
Special educators, teachers, administrators and parents who read this book will learn what it takes to make special education work for culturally and linguistically diverse students, and they will learn it through carefully presented perspectives of 12 different people who might be involved in the special education process. This unique volume bridges the gaps between families and schools, classroom teachers and advocates, and administration and faculty. It rings true to my experience as a high school administrator striving to help special education students. I wish I had this book at the point in my career when I most needed it. -- S. David Brazer, associate professor and academic program coordinator, College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University
This bookprovides a much needed perspective on the challenging issue of dually identified students, i.e. those students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who also have diagnosed and undiagnosed special needs. I found their focus on individual points of view and their use of extensive interviews with parents and school personnel to be especially refreshing and enlightening. Lukacs and Steeley provide practical, experience based suggestions and clear guidelines for school improvement in this critical area. -- Catherine Collier, director, CrossCultural Developmental Education Services
The authors have successfully and uniquely met their goal to raise awareness and inform meaningful dialogue about serving CLD students who are receiving special education services.Using the metaphor of the IEP meeting table and the multivocal voices of the IEP team, the authors uncover the big picture of the systemic, structural,cultural, and interpersonal dynamics of making decisions about the education journey and success of CLD students with disabilities.This is a timely and much needed book that I encourage all those who share the responsibility of developing appropriate and responsive IEPs to read. -- Audrey Sorrells, associate dean of students, associate professor, equity and diversity in special education, co-author of "Critical Issues in Special Education" and "Exceptional Learners in Diverse Society: An Introduction to Special Education"

Author Bio

Karrin Lukacs is an award-winning Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. Her research interests include teacher change agency, online learning, and stay-at-home mothers who want to become teachers. Sherry L. Steeley is an Associate Teaching Professor at Georgetown University who works in ESL/EFL teacher education and international teacher education programs. Her research interests focus on teacher agency and identity, cultural transitions and school climate, and other issues related to equity and effectiveness in education.