{"title":"“Mines in the Classroom”: Black student’s safety with general and special educators","authors":"R. Smith","doi":"10.1515/mlt-2022-0018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-0018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract How Black learners are made to feel in the classroom by their general and special education professionals affect how they learn and navigate their world. An historical account of American education for the Black mind can be viewed as dull, dangerous, and deadly. It is imperative that each child feels physical and psychological safety in every educational environment. This is the premise of this article.","PeriodicalId":133504,"journal":{"name":"Multicultural Learning and Teaching","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129475829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Addressing educational inequity of Black students by demolishing the school-to-prison pipeline","authors":"Starr E. Keyes","doi":"10.1515/mlt-2022-0016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-0016","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract There is a plethora of literature regarding disproportionality in special education, school discipline, and the School-to-Prison Pipeline (STPP). The literature also describes the far-reaching ramifications for African American and other historically marginalized students not receiving the quality education to which they are entitled. These ramifications include poor outcomes in school (e.g., problems with retention and lack of reading proficiency), and lower quality of life outside of school (e.g., lack of high-quality jobs and homelessness). This article discusses factors that contribute to disciplinary exclusion of Black students and other historically marginalized and oppressed populations (e.g., students with disabilities). In addition, it provides research-based practices that teachers, schools, districts, and universities can enact to reduce disciplinary disproportionality, foster more inclusive environments, and help put an end to the STPP.","PeriodicalId":133504,"journal":{"name":"Multicultural Learning and Teaching","volume":"128 5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131485599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Educating culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities in inclusive settings: beyond debates","authors":"F. Obiakor, I. J. Aluka, Gina C. Obiakor, S. Obi","doi":"10.1515/mlt-2022-0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-0009","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Inclusive and equitable education is the ultimate tool to develop students, communities, and the general society. And, special education is an added tool to help atypical and vulnerable students to be productive citizens in a thriving society. Ceteris paribus, for many culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with disabilities, being educated in an inclusive environment should be the ideal policy. However, it is not! Inclusion has continued to be debatable, challenged, and controversial, making this ideal goal implausible and unrealistic. Coupled with their disabilities, CLD students experience the loaded problems of discrimination, racism, and xenophobia in the multidimensional forms of misidentification, misassessment, mislabeling/miscategorization, misplacement, and misinstruction. These multiple problems make it easy for general and special education professionals and service providers to (a) view placement as instruction, (b) focus on unidimensional and narrow confines, and (b) intentionally, unintentionally, or inaccurately judge CLD students’ capabilities and willingness to maximize their fullest potential. The question then is, since the goal is to increase “normalcy” in the lives of CLD students with disabilities, is it not important to equitably educate them with their “normal” peers in inclusive settings? This article responds to this question.","PeriodicalId":133504,"journal":{"name":"Multicultural Learning and Teaching","volume":"13 3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122828238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Stories worth sharing: high school students from diverse backgrounds tell their stories","authors":"Vickie Johnston, C. D. Martelli","doi":"10.1515/mlt-2022-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-0002","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This qualitative case study examined the effect of writing sessions, conducted at a university literacy festival, on the construction of college admission essays. Sessions were conducted by authors of multicultural young adult literature and university writing center staff and students. Each session focused on helping 132 high school students from Title 1 schools use their voice to share their social and cultural experiences. Essays and reflective responses from participants, authors, university writing center staff, and university freshman mentors were analyzed. Analysis of essays revealed four themes: overcoming hardship, involvement in academic and extracurricular programs, cultural and ethnic identity, and positive role models; analysis of reflections revealed three themes: an increase in confidence in writing, a new understanding that participants’ stories could affect others, and barriers to attending college. Findings indicated that author and university writing sessions were effective in promoting writing strategies for under-supported high school students constructing college essays.","PeriodicalId":133504,"journal":{"name":"Multicultural Learning and Teaching","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128915403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"My lived reality and CSOE values of diversity, equity, and inclusion: interrogating the disconnect","authors":"O. Ukpokodu","doi":"10.1515/mlt-2022-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-0006","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Colleges and Schools of Education (CSOE) often espouse and proclaim to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and social justice, as the flagship of their programs and culture. Mission and vision statements and strategic goals are often anchored on these values and ideals. Yet, diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice are often denied and elusive for Black, Indigenous, Faculty of Color (BIFOC), including African-Born Faculty of Color (ABFOC). In this article, using the lens of storied research and reflexivity, I examine my almost three-decades-long lived reality as an “othered” ABFOC in US CSOE. I specifically engage the questions: What has been my lived reality as an ABFOC in US CSOE that proclaims to value diversity, equity, and inclusion? And, how has my lived reality reflected CSOE professed values of DEI? I aim to interrogate and expose the disconnect between proclaimed values of DEI and my lived reality as an ABFOC in US COSE. I conclude the article by making a clarion call for disrupting the disconnect between institutional values and lived realities of ABFOC and other marginalized faculty groups.","PeriodicalId":133504,"journal":{"name":"Multicultural Learning and Teaching","volume":"90 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129821363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Educating and hiring an “African” in America’s Colleges/Schools of Education: my voice","authors":"F. Obiakor","doi":"10.1515/mlt-2022-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Africans coming to the United States of America to go to school traditionally have the ultimate goal of getting the best education and going back to their respective countries. That was my goal when I left Nigeria many decades ago! However, considering the socio-economic and political upheavals in African nations, one is forced to rethink the goal, especially when your family arrives at the same uneasy and difficult conclusion. Leaving family members is bad enough, and not going back after one’s education is even worse. These are the psychological battles that most Africans endure when they decide to finally settle to work in the United States. Then, when one combines these family worries with searching for jobs; locating jobs; enduring departmental, College/School, and university politics; and marrying and raising families; the problems become unbearable and frequently insurmountable. The consequences are grave and require well-planned survival skills that are unimaginable. This is my story and the essence of this article.","PeriodicalId":133504,"journal":{"name":"Multicultural Learning and Teaching","volume":"89 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117282353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Education and employment in America: my quest for self-actualization as a person with hearing loss","authors":"C. Eleweke","doi":"10.1515/mlt-2022-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-0004","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Evidence indicates that some Africans, with or without special needs or disabilities highly target attending U.S. colleges and universities for further education. Typically, most of these people had obtained their bachelor’s degrees in institutions of higher education in their countries. The desire to travel to U.S. for graduate studies could be due to factors such as the absence of desired graduate programs, limited admission opportunities in institutions of higher education, and social, political, and economic instabilities in African countries. For Africans with special needs or disabilities, the lack of support services in tertiary institutions in their countries is a major factor for their strong desire to go the U.S. for higher education. Some Africans educated in U.S. colleges and universities may, on completion of their programs of study, decide to seek suitable employment opportunities in the U.S. From afar, they are still able to make positive contributions to the social, economic, and political developments of their home countries. I am one of those graduates who decided to work in the U.S. In this article, I share my experiences.","PeriodicalId":133504,"journal":{"name":"Multicultural Learning and Teaching","volume":"297 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124249102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Maneuvering through the treacherous terrains of America’s Colleges/Schools of Education","authors":"S. Obi","doi":"10.1515/mlt-2022-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-0005","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Some aspiring African students prefer to travel “abroad” or overseas for example, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, and other developed countries to further their careers. This was a common practice for well-to-do families. To be more specific, some rich families in Nigeria tend to overlook higher institutions in their country. In my case, my dad inspired me, many decades ago, about travelling overseas to study. I was probably 12 years old when he hinted to me that his wish was for me to study overseas even though he did not mention any particular country. Ever since my dad indicated that desire, I accepted his wish until it came into fruition 20 years later. Specifically, in August 1979, I began my journey to the United States of America. However, while in the foreign land many African students confront multidimensional problems that range from prejudicial perceptions to illusory generalizations. For many Africans, problems include difficulty adjusting to a new cultural environment, xenophobia, misrepresentation, and miscategorization. Despite such problems, they are able to succeed and excel in their chosen professions. In this article, I discuss my experiences while maneuvering the treacherous terrain of America’s Colleges/School of Education.","PeriodicalId":133504,"journal":{"name":"Multicultural Learning and Teaching","volume":"251 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114462097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Founding and executive editors’ comments: reducing racism and xenophobia in colleges/schools of education","authors":"F. Obiakor, B. Algozzine","doi":"10.1515/mlt-2022-2022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-2022","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":133504,"journal":{"name":"Multicultural Learning and Teaching","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127930358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From graduate school to a successful employment in America: my story","authors":"Eugene F. Asola","doi":"10.1515/mlt-2022-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mlt-2022-0003","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The United States is regarded as the beacon of hope, education, and technology in the eyes of many students all over the world. Many aspiring young African students look up to educational opportunities provided in their countries for future careers. Unfortunately, when these opportunities are closed to young African students, they look at the advanced countries, especially the United States. Unbeknownst to these students, many of them face a myriad of challenges as they pursue their education. These may include absence of family, social unacceptance, and the inability of the individual to navigate the cultural terrain of their new environment. Subsequently, some of these problems can have lasting impact on African students’ psychological and social wellbeing. These problems, in the end, affect their respective careers. To a large measure, these problems reflect my personal experiences in colleges/schools of education.","PeriodicalId":133504,"journal":{"name":"Multicultural Learning and Teaching","volume":"31 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125128615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}