- Q2: Students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and low socioeconomic status households experience poorer educational outcomes than their mainstream peers. Also the teachers’ biases regarding the background of their students impact their expectations in a negative way.

-Q3: Teachers must have greater awareness of the cultural factors that can impact academic performance. Teachers must also develop a greater understanding of the impact of second-language learning on academic achievement. Finally, teachers need more professional development opportunities to increase culturally relevant teaching practices.

 

Q2. Culturally diverse students that come from low socioeconomic families usually experience poor education. They usually live in neighborhoods with low-funded schools that lack the sufficient resources to support their educational needs. These resources include textbooks or even experienced teachers. Teachers in these schools usually have low expectations of these students which causes them to not go above and beyond to help them. Information and content can be watered-down preventing students from learning what is needed to succeed in society.  

Q3. Teacher expectations may lead to students to be referred to special education just because of their background. These students may learn different, but that doesn't mean that they have a deficiency. Teachers just need support their academic achievement and motivate students instead of bringing them down. Instead of automatically referring children to special education, they need to get to know the child and be aware of their learning styles in order to address their academic needs.

Q2- The communities socioeconomic is heavenly connected to the academic achievement for diverse students. A low income school will not have all of the resources students’ need throughout the school and school year. Therefore, a high income school will have all of the recourses they need to better their education and also keep the students engaged in the school. The low income students then will be affected through their education. They might not have the right edition of the book and also be way behind students that go to a high income school. 

Q3-Educaors can avoid disproportionate representation in special education by interacting with different students from different backgrounds. If the teacher knows each student the teacher can find a way to help the student. For example, most non-speaking or minimum knowledge of English students are usually grouped in one class. These students need to evenly put into different classes so the teacher and their peers can allow the student to learn more English and also get a better understanding in what is being taught. 

Q2.  Socioeconomic status is related to academic achievement through several factors. I believe that the first factor is access to resources. Students from low SES households may not have the additional support in their communities that their peers may receive. Another contributing factor is cultural bias. Unfortunately, majority cultures can dominate as the classroom norm through related testing materials, examples, and learning strategies. This can place students from low SES households at a disadvantage because their learning materials are not familiar to them. 

Q3.  Unfortunately, I believe that this issue stems from cultural awareness. There is a famous saying in the scientific community that “correlation does not equal causation”. For example, both a student with a learning disability and a student who speaks English as a second language may have trouble reading. Although both students have the same issue, the reason behind their struggle is not the same.  As a teacher, educating yourself on your students’ ethnic and cultural backgrounds helps to provide them with the tools they need to academically succeed. It is important to strategize solutions based on each student’s background before assuming that a disability may be present. 

     Q2. Socioeconomic status is directly related to diverse students’ academic achievement. Diverse students follow the trend that is represent in that household. If the diverse student differ from the common society and only was brought up with their culture; they do not diverge unless the environment, or individual ambition pushes them to do so. If they are brought up with a well off social class they will resume what has been spurring out since they were babies. 

       Q3.   Educators can differentiate instruction, to make sure no one is left behind.  If they see that certain students do not have a special educational plan, they request for the student to be evaluated. Educators can speak up if there are many students that are not being represented adequately; they can bring it to the attention of the school’s principle and the superintendent 

Q2-Socioeconomic status is related to academic achievement for diverse students in the way that if a child doesn’t have the same resources as a child who may come from a more advantaged socioeconomic background, they won’t have the same chance at success. For example, a child who comes from a household that can’t afford food every day but also makes too much money to qualify for the free lunch program, so he or she is comes to school hungry all the time is not going to be able to focus on a reading assignment whereas a child that has eaten a full meal the night before, and a full breakfast, and has lunch money in their pocket is able to focus on the task at hand. 

Q3-Educators can avoid disproportionate representation by not assuming that because a child speaks in a certain way or can’t understand what the teacher is saying that they must be learning disabled. Too often instructors mistake children whose first language is not English for learning disabled just because they can’t understand. This can be avoided by accessing a translator or even writing things down. 

Educators must be very careful and cautious making sure we are taking into consideration the culture, language differences in admistering assessments or selecting ways of teaching materials and social activities. We do not want to misinterpret, behavior in class or test results and lumping these students who are “different” in special education classes. The book mentions that the result may be academic failure, social isolation, inappropriate referral to special education, or inadequate special education services for students who are culturally or linguistically different.