National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems: Resources and Technical Assistance

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National Center for Culturally Responsive
Educational SystemsResources and Technical
Assistance
Shelley Zion Project Coordinator
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Purpose

• The National Center for Culturally Responsive
  Educational Systems provides technical assistance
  and professional development to
• close the achievement gap between students from
  culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  and their peers, and
• reduce inappropriate referrals to special
  education.

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Mission

• Supporting state education agencies and local
  school systems to assure a quality, culturally
  responsive education for all students

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NCCRESts Work
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Continuous Improvement

• Accessible and Accurate Data
• State level planning for PD, TA Information
  Networks
• Annual Continuous Improvement Cycles of
  Reflection/Planning/Action/Reflection
• Planning and Implementation Coherence

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Technical Assistance

• RFP for level one state activities
• Memorandum of partnerships
• Quarterly teleseminars
• National Conferences

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Partnerships with Regional Resource Centers,
National TA Centers, Presentations at National
Conferences
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Upcoming Activities

• Needs Assessment Survey to State Directors/Team
  Leaders - The purpose of this survey
  is to collect information about state capacity to
  provide technical assistance in the area of
  disproportionality, to identify areas of
  need that NCCRESt can support, and to target
  our resource development and dissemination to
  best assist states in their planning.
• Follow up survey to meeting participants - This
  survey will collect information about the
  benefits of the meeting, the progress the team
  has made toward their identified goals, and
  identify gaps in the services provided by
  NCCRESt.
• Technical Papers - NCCRESt is developing a series
  of technical papers, to be co-authored by
  regional and state participants that will
  directly address state identified needs and
  topics.
• Stories from the Classroom- NCCRESt is developing
  a forum on the website where practitioners can
  submit examples of best practices that are
  culturally responsive and contribute to the
  achievement of all students.

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High Leverage Analysis Questions

• CONTROL To what degree is this something we
  have control to change or address?
• IMPACT How likely are we to make a significant
  difference for students by addressing this
  challenge?
• TREND Based on the data, is this challenge
  likely to get worse, stay the same or get better?
  What is the potential cost of not addressing it
  now?
• SCOPE What is the breadth and depth of benefits
  of addressing this challenge? How many students
  would benefit if you addressed this challenge?
  Which students would benefit?
• URGENCY What relevance does this challenge have
  to your schools current goals or needs?
• PRIORITY How would students/family/community
  members rank this challenge in terms of priority?
• PRACTICALITY What is the likelihood of success?
  Does your team have access to known solutions?
  Is there expertise or support available to
  address this challenge?
• BIG PICTURE To what extent will addressing this
  challenge prepare your state to take on more
  systemic or long-term goals?

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Professional Development

• On-going professional development, with support,
  is key to the promotion of culturally responsive
  practice.
• Professional development must be supported at
  multiple levels, with everyone on the same
  pagewe advocate top down support for bottom up
  reform (Darling-Hammond McLaughlin, 1995).
• Yet change can be difficultpractitioners work in
  complex cultural milieus and, thus, the
  acquisition of new research knowledge requires
  that they change what they think and do and
  transform the contexts in which they work.
• Teacher beliefs, feelings of self-efficacy,
  attitudes, and perceptions all affect the extent
  to which they try new strategies and persist in
  using them even when confronted with challenges
  (Artiles, 1996 Sparks, 1988).

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Professional Development

• Networks of Schools
• Whole School Improvement
• Culturally Responsive
• Focused on Practice
• Based in Inquiry
• Linked to Student learning
• Preservice to Retirement
• Professional Identity and Goals
• Ongoing and job embedded

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PD Modules

• Introduction Leadership Academy Manual
• Systemic Change
• Conceptual Framework for Addressing
  Disproportionality Culturally Responsive
  Educational Systems
• Literacy Practices
• Early Intervention
• PBIS
• Differentiated Instruction    
• Collection and Use of Evidence
• Impact of Urban Culture on Teachers and Students
• Building Capacity Through Family Voice and
  Participation
• The Special Education Referral Process and
  Pre-Referral Strategies
• Students

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PD Content
Coaching
To develop learning communities at multiple
levels, ensure embedded professional development,
and support the system to maintain a rich
repertoire of research-based, inclusive
educational practices.
To provide coaching and support to district staff
and others who are providing technical assistance
to the schools adopting inclusive practices and
partnering with the National Institute.
Networking Dissemination
Information Systems
To actively support inquiry practices, provide
high quality data, support for data analysis and
adjustments, and communication with parents and
the community.
To explore collaborative opportunities, build a
common language, create a collaborative
atmosphere for change.
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Research Development

• Practitioners
• Community Members
• Families
• Researchers
• Policy Makers and Influencers

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R D Products

• Researchers/Policymakers
• Journal Special Issues
• Culturally Responsive (CR) Literacy Practices
  African American Students
• Culturally Responsive (CR) Literacy Practices
  English Language Learners
• Culturally Responsive Practices American Indians
  
• Interdisciplinary Views on Culture in Learning
• Positive Behavioral Support Models
• Culture and Equity in the Special Education
  Process
• Equity Implications of Reforms for SPED Students
• Culturally Responsive Research to Practice

• Practitioners Practitioner
  Briefs
• 1. A Historical Perspective
• 2. Measurement Issues
• 3. SPED Process
• 4. Legal Regulations and Rights
• 5. Guidelines for Parents
• Solutions
• 6. CR Pedagogy
• 7. CR Teacher Education
• 8. Literacy for AA Learners
• 9. Parent Involvement
• 10. Prereferral Interventions
• 11. Governance/Administrative Issues
• 12. Discipline Race

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R D Products
Assessment Tool 1. Assess problem Risk index and
odds ratio 2. Five domains (a) Governance,
Organization, Policy and Climate (b) Family
Involvement (c) Curriculum (d) Organization of
Learning (e) Special Education Processes and
Programs
On Line Meta-Tag Library
Extending the Discourse Series Alternative
Viewpoints Explanations of Racial Minority
Placement in Sped

• Conference, Book, and Journal Issue Struggling
  ELL - Language Acquisition or LD?
• Co-Sponsored by CEC and NABE
• Topics Theoretical methodological issues,
  population, pre-referrals/referral, assessment,
  instruction, future directions
• Confirmed authors J. Abedi, L. Baca, J. Cummins,
  E. Garcia, J. MacSwan, R. Rueda?, N. Ruiz, D.
  Haager, K. Escamilla, S. Vaughn

• Research Studies
• Analysis of state placement Colorado
• 2. The social contexts of the construction of
  competence Opportunity to learn, referral,
  placement processes

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Networking and Dissemination

• Sharing of information across community,
  professional, advocacy and policy organizations
• Information dissemination to our expanding
  network
• Enews and Web Site development
• From the Tipping Point (Gladwell, 2002)
• Mavens (Opinion Leaders)
• Connectors
• Agents
• Stickiness

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www.nccrest.org
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