Wisconsin’s Sta te Personnel Development Grant

Embracing and Engaging Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families

By Wendy Overturf

As noted on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s website, one of Wisconsin’s

greatest strengths is the growing diversity of communities, schools, and workplaces. “Diversity

makes businesses more innovative and competitive, and a more diverse workforce leads to

economic growth, opportunities, and progress. For Wisconsin to be innovative in the 21st

century, and for communities to remain strong, all students must graduate college and career

ready. As Wisconsin’s student population becomes increasingly diverse, the persistence of racial

disparities in the educational system poses real challenges to opportunity and economic

progress. Wisconsin has seen outstanding academic results over the past few decades and is

often regarded as one of the highest-achieving states in the country. However, Wisconsin has

large and persistent achievement and graduation gaps that impact the future

success of too many children. In fact, the academic achievement gap in Wisconsin for African

American children is the worst in the nation.” Recognizing that the education of our students of

color requires swift, targeted, and deliberate attention, State Superintendent Tony Evers

convened a task force as part of his Agenda 2017.

One of the four focus areas of the task force is Family and Community Engagement. The group

working on improvement strategies for family and community engagement highlighted their

beliefs:

“We believe new and different ways of engaging families based on mutual trust and respect are

required because our schools belong to all. When we engage culturally and linguistically

diverse families and communities, we feel we are making a difference because we are actively

seeking out diverse families as partners who have valuable contributions to make toward the

success of their children. Our schools are strengthened by a diverse community in which to live,

work, and grow—we choose diverse schools.”

Research has shown that student learning and overall school improvement occurs when districts

and schools engage in consistent, comprehensive, and sustained outreach programs to families

and communities. (Blank, Berg, & Melaville, 2006; Bryk et al., 2010; Marschall, 2006) In some

communities, many of the parents do not yet speak or understand English proficiently. That

makes it very difficult for these parents to attend and participate in many school functions,

unless accommodations are provided to address the language barriers.

One school district and parent group in Wisconsin decided to try and address language barriers

to have more of their Spanish-speaking parents attend school board meetings. At first, the

district hired an interpreter to simultaneously interpret during the meetings. However, that

proved to be somewhat disruptive to others attending the meeting. Therefore, the district

investigated other options and decided to use a simultaneous interpretation method. In

simultaneous interpretation, the participants wear headphones, and the interpreter renders the

speaker's words into the target language as he or she is speaking. Usually, the interpreters work

in a sound-proof booth that enables everyone involved to focus on their work without the

distraction of hearing another language. This proved to be a better method for all and thus

increased the participation of Spanish speakers at the school board meetings.

For more information on the work of the task force, visit Promoting Excellence for All.

.

Volume 4, Issue 12

December 2016

Upcoming Statewide Events

Wisconsin State Reading Conference

Three days devoted to expanding

literacy in Wisconsin through

workshops and sectionals, including

the Young Readers Conference!

Date: February 9-11, 2017

Location: Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee

Information and Registration Link

Wisconsin Transition Conference

Sessions will be appropriate for

beginning, intermediate and advanced

level learners. Participants have the

opportunity to attend sessions and visit

the Exhibit Hall to learn more about

transition services and products, meet

our entrepreneurs with disabilities and

network during breaks.

Date: February 9-10, 2017

Location: Kalahari Resort and

Convention Center, WI Dells

Information and Registration Link

DPI Two Day Autism Training - Autism

Essentials Across the School Day

In addition to reviewing the essential

core strategies to assist students with

autism, this is a great training to invite

general education teachers, new

special ed. staff, paraprofessionals,

families and other staff working with

students with autism to receive a

general overview of autism and autism-

related teaching strategies. Basic

strategies, including how to assist in

supporting movement/sensory needs

of students with autism, will be

discussed. This overview will assist

specific questions participants have in

relation to addressing behaviors which

they find challenging and teach

strategies which help meet some basic

needs for children with autism.

Date: February 21-22, 2017

Location: Comfort Suites, Johnson

Creek, WI

Information and Registration Link

FAMILY ENGAGEMENT NEWSLETTER

Topic of the Month: Multicultural Learners

Page 2

Upcoming Statewide Events

Beyond Diversity I Seminar

This seminar, updated and aligned with

Courageous Conversations About Race,

2nd Edition, is designed to help

teachers, students, parents, and

administrators understand the impact of

race on student learning and investigate

the role that racism plays in

institutionalizing academic achievement

disparities. Enrollment is an indication

that you are poised for inquiry into your

own personal investment in racism and

desire greater accountability surrounding

your professional leadership for racial

equity. Participants will be introduced to

the CCAR Protocol: the 4 Agreements, 6

Conditions and the Compass and explore

the use of the Protocol when engaging in

courageous conversations centered

around race and racism. You will engage

in a thoughtful, compassionate

exploration of race and racism and

grapple with how each influences the

culture and climate of our schools; and

practice using the CCAR Protocol for

identifying and addressing policies,

programs, and practices that negatively

impact achievement for students of color

and serve as barriers for ALL students

receiving a world-class education.

Date: March 2-3, 2017

Location: CESA 11, Turtle Lake, WI

Information and Registration Link

Circles of Life Conference

The Circles of Life Conference is

Wisconsin’s annual conference for

parents and family members who have

children with disabilities and the

professionals who support them.

Date: May 4-5, 2017

Location: Holiday Inn, Stevens Point, WI

Information and Registration Link

Autism of Society of Wisconsin Annual

Conference— Early Registration

In a keynote presentation backed by

personal experience and evidence-based

research, Dr. Temple Grandin will provide

a look into her personal experiences;

intervention, problems with sensory and

over-sensitivity. She will also discuss the

thinking process, the importance of

developing strengths as well as the

importance of work skills. Early Bird

Registration by 1/13/17.

Date: April 27-29 2017

Location: Kalahari, Wisconsin Dells

Information and Registration Link

Volume 4, Issue 12

Instructional Trends: Promoting Excellence for All Promoting Excellence for All is a resource created by DPI to address

achievement gaps that persist in Wisconsin. It contains resources that

have been used successfully by educators to raise achievement across

grade levels and geographical settings.

Achievement gaps persist for students of color, students with disabilities, and English

language learners in academics and graduation rates. Economic disadvantage alone does

not explain these gaps. The graphs below

demonstrate the achievement gap in reading for

third graders in the 2012-13 school year.

Strategies are broken down by focus area, including:

Family & Community Engagement

Effective Instruction

Student-Teacher Relationships

School & Instructional Leadership

Each section includes multiple strategies, examples

of the strategies in action, a belief statement, links

to research on the effectiveness of the strategy, and

insight from real Wisconsin educators. Wisconsin

has recognized the value of engaging families and

communities to achieve positive student outcomes –

including closing achievement gaps. Educators and

parents alike looking for strategies to implement in

their school should visit the Family and Community

Engagement section of the site.

DPI has created a three-module E-Course where participants can learn strategies for closing

the gap. There are a variety of videos and audio files where educators and parents are

interviewed about their implementation of these strategies.

If you would like to learn more about this topic, you can read the Promoting Excellence for All

Report. To learn more about disproportionality in Wisconsin and the efforts to eliminate race

as predictor of success or failure, visit the Disproportionality Technical Assistance Network.

Family Engagement Newsletter Volume 4, Issue 12

Your input is needed! Please take a moment to respond to this brief

survey to help us make your experience with our newsletter even better!

Family Engagement Newsletter Volume 4, Issue 12

ONLINE RESOURCES

Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) This website has a multitude of links relating to English Language Learners (ELL). It includes U.S. Department of Education released non-

regulatory guidance to help states, districts, and schools provide effective services to improve the English language proficiency and

academic achievement of English learners (ELs) through Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by

the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

CPIR website

National Education Association (NEA)

NEA has established this page to help educators integrate multicultural and diversity education into the K - 12 classroom experience. The

link consists of NEA Web pages with information about multicultural and diversity education, books for multicultural educators, and web

sites containing multicultural education curriculum. NEA website

Multicultural Education Internet Resource Guide

This website provides links to over fifty resources related to multicultural education.Resource Guide

National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME)

Founded in 1990, NAME has become the premier national and international organization that is committed to issues of equity, inclusion,

diversity, and justice in schooling. On the website, one will find information about the organization, resources available to assist in efforts

to diversify education, and opportunities to learn more about all aspects of education that is multicultural. NAME website

Culturally Responsive Education

Culturally responsive practices account for and adapt to the broad diversity of race, language, and culture in Wisconsin schools and

prepare all students for a multicultural world. On this website one can find more information about culturally responsive education.

WI DPI website

Wisconsin RtI Center

Providing a culturally responsive environment in the classroom is of paramount importance in building the bridge between home culture

and school culture. Making sure all students can succeed means understanding students’ cultural beliefs and practices. By engaging in

Culturally Responsive Practices, one forms an understanding about the values, beliefs, and behaviors of people from cultures that may

be different from your own. Culturally responsive practices account for and adapt to the broad diversity of race, language, and culture in

Wisconsin schools and prepare all students for a multicultural world. RtI Center website

Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE)

Funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, CREDE has been a multi-

organizational research collaborative whose mission has been to assist the nation's diverse students at risk of educational failure to

achieve academic excellence. Central to its mission, CREDE's research and development has focused on critical issues in the education

of linguistic and cultural minority students and those placed at risk by factors of race, poverty, and geographic location. The CMMR's

research program has focused on Latino para educators as teachers and the influence and interaction of family, peers, and community

on the education of their linguistically and culturally diverse students. Project goals have been to design effective learning environments

for low SES English learners and to design professional development programs and practices for this neglected group of educational

practitioners. CREDE website

Cooperative Children’s Book Center

All children deserve books in which they can see themselves and the world in which they live

reflected. Multicultural literature belongs in every classroom and library -- on the shelves and

in the hands of children, librarians, and teachers. The challenge for librarians, teachers and

others is identifying authentic, reliable books by and about people of color and

First/Native Nations. This page is designed to provide resources to aid in that search.

Cooperative Children's Center website

Information & registration for WI FACETS

free workshops and webinars:

www.wifacets.org/events

By phone, Sandra: 877-374-0511

Via email: smcfarland@wifacets.org

All webinars 12:00—1:00 PM unless

otherwise noted

WSEMS: Mediation

WSEMS: Dispute Resolution Options

Date: January 9, 2017

Presenter: Jan Serak, WI FACETS and

Nissan Bar-Lev, CESA 7

Section 504

Date: January 10, 2017

Presenter: Matthew Zellmer, WI FACETS

Spotlight on Reading & Component Skills

of Reading: What Parents Need to Know

Date: January 11, 2017 11—12; 12—1

Presenter: Cheryl Ward, North Shore Ctr.

Introducción a la Educación Especial

(Telephone Workshop)

Date: January 12, 2017

Presenter: Martha Lechuga, WI FACETS

IEP Part 1

Date: January 17, 2017

Presenter: Bonnie Vander Meulen,

WI FACETS

Information for Families: Intellectual

Disabilities Criteria

Date: January 18, 2017

Presenter: Molly Bever, WI DPI

IEP Part 2

Date: January 19, 2017

Presenter: Bonnie Vander Meulen

Traumatic Brain Injury: Implications for

Education

Date: January 25, 2017

Presenter: Eva Kubinski, WI DPI

Programa de Educacion Individualizado

(IEP) Parte 1 (Telephone Workshop)

Date: January 26, 2017

Presenter: Martha Lechuga, WI FACETS

Serving on Groups That Make Decisions

(Section 1 & 2)

Date: January 31, 2017

Presenter: Vicki Davis-Davila, WI FACETS

Latino Autism Support Group

Date: January 28. 2017 10-12 pm

Location: WI FACETS, 600 W. Virginia St.

Suite 501, Milwaukee.

Contact: Martha Lechuga

414) 374-4645, ext 224

H O M E - B A S E D L E A R N I N G Holiday Celebrations Around the World In this issue, we explore activities you can do at home with your child(ren) that develop both literacy and math skills while introducing your child to the holiday traditions of different world cultures.

Kwanzaa (African American/Pan-African): This resource gives background information about Kwanzaa, as well as information about different crafts your children can make. Check out this interactive Kwanzaa scrapbook to learn more about the holiday. Chinese New Year (Chinese): Learn about the tradition of the Chinese New Year celebrations through games, crafts and art. Try reproducing calligraphy or making this beautiful dragon decoration. Hanukkah (Jewish): This great resource includes recipes, instructions to play the Dreidel game, math and reading suggestions, and an interactive scrapbook to learn about Hanukkah. Try to make some traditional latkes from this recipe.

Las Posadas (Mexican): This blogger gives craft instructions and lots of reading suggestions for learning about Las Posadas, celebrated from December 16 – 24. You and your child(ren) can read this free printable about Las Posadas together.

St. Lucia Day (Swedish): This guide from Scholastic tells the story of St. Lucia Day and some of the traditions associated with it. It contains crafts, recipes, a song, suggested reading, and costume suggestions.

Suggested table topics: Discuss how you celebrated the holidays as a young child. If you know, discuss how your grandparents celebrated the holidays in their youth. Ask your child(ren) to tell, draw or write a story about how your family celebrates the holidays. Ask your child(ren) to tell, draw or write a story about what they imagine it would be like to celebrate the holidays in another country or in another time period.

A book suggestion for this month’s theme from Read On Wisconsin: Happy in Our Skin by Fran Manushkin. Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. Candlewick Press, 2015

“Look at you! You look so cute in your brand-new birthday suit. This is how we all begin: small and happy in our skin.” This book explores all of the different commonalities and uniqueness in our skin. Suggested activities : Talk: Name your skin color. For instance, are you cocoa brown, cinnamon, honey brown, ginger, peaches and cream or something else entirely? Sing: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes Write: Draw a picture of yourself. Math or Science: Explore your five senses, especially touch

Family Engagement Newsletter Volume 4, Issue 12

Family Engagement Newsletter Volume 4, Issue 12

R E S E A R C H T O R E A D

The Disproportionality Technical Assistance Network (DTAN), "the Network," is a multi-tiered system of compliance activities and improvement supports to address racial disproportionality in special education. The Network is funded through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, Part B. The Network is a Wisconsin collaboration among the Department of Public Instruction, cooperative educational service agencies (CESAs), local education agencies, institutions of higher education, and community stakeholders.

The Network meets federal requirements related to racial disproportionality in special education (Indicators #4B, #9, and #10 and the separate, but related, requirements related to significant disproportionality) and provides a system for improving student outcomes. This is done through Identifying annually LEAs that meet Wisconsin’s criteria for Indicators #4B, #9, #10, and significant disproportionality; Monitoring related compliance of identified LEAs; and Offering targeted technical assistance and providing professional development and web-based resources. The levels of support offered by the Network are for the purposes of achieving improved educational outcomes for children with disabilities in Wisconsin through a review of and to transform district practices, policies and procedures.

Indicator #4: Rates of suspension and expulsion: Percent of districts that have: (a) a significant discrepancy, by race or ethnicity, in th e rate of suspensions and expulsions of greater than 10 days in a school year for children with IEPs; and (b) policies, procedures or practices that contribute to the significant discrepancy and do not comply with requirements relating to the development and implementation of IEPs, the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and procedural safeguards.

Indicator #9: Percent of districts with disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in special education and related services that is the result of inappropriate identification.

Disproportionality Technical Assistance Network Website

The Shield or the Sword? Revisiting the Debate on Racial Disproportionality in Special Education and Implications for School Psychologists. Sullivan, Amanda L., and Sherrie L. Proctor (2016

Article Link Abstract: Scholars in special education and school psychology are engaged in renewed debate about the disproportionate representation of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in special education following research and commentaries challenging long held assumptions that many students are inappropriately identified with special needs. A brief synthesis of disproportionality schol-arship, federal policy, and related research, followed by discussion of the implications for school psychological practice from an orienta-tion toward racial justice, is provided. A more deeply contextualized review of the special education research is offered, recognizing the relations of disproportionality to research on other educational inequities and the questionable effectiveness of both general and special education services for many students. A racial justice perspective is encouraged that reconciles these controversial literatures by empha-sizing ecological orientation to understanding development and behavior, challenging the essentializing race and student performance, and focusing on professional efforts to improve preventative general education services and reliable identification of special needs.

Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions towards Multicultural Education and Teaching of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners Taylor, Roben, Alex Kumi Yeboah, and Ravic P. Ringlaben. International Journal for Innovation Education and Research 3.9 (2016).

Article Link Abstract: In this study the authors investigated 80 pre-service teachers about their perception towards multicultural education and teaching of culturally and linguistically underrepresented diverse students. Participants completed a modified version of the Diversity Orientations Survey. First, results show that the majority of pre-service teachers largely agreed for the need for the inclusion of multicul-tural education to teacher education program with regards to teaching linguistically culturally diverse students. Second, participants indicate lack of awareness with regards to understanding of multicultural education in terms of cultural awareness in the teaching of special needs students. This paper conceptualizes pre-service teacher’s perceptions towards multicultural education in general and dis-cusses the teaching of culturally, linguistically and underrepresented diverse learners in K-12 schools. The authors propose reforms in the curriculum of teacher education preparation programs in colleges of education of inclusion of comprehensive multicultural education course at each level of education.

Upcoming newsletter topic:

January: Transition February: Intellectual Disabilities

To submit contributions, you may use either the attached word document for contributing articles, events, or resources.

Send submissions to woverturf@wifacets.org. If unable to access form, send you may send information in an email.

Deadline for submitting contributions to each month’s issue is by the 1st of each month. For time sensitive training

advertisements, the information should be sent a minimum of two weeks prior to the event date; ideally a month ahead of

time. Material appropriate for the monthly newsletter include web links to sources of family involvement/parent

leadership resources, advertisements for statewide trainings for parents, youth or parent/educator audiences,

information about statewide parent agencies, recent research pertaining to family engagement, and family engagement

success articles. Family engagement success or impact stories can be written at an individual or family level, classroom

level, school building level, district level, county level, CESA level, etc. Your submittal may not be in the final copy of the

upcoming month’s newsletter if it was in a previous month’s email, the event date has passed, the web link doesn’t work,

C O N T R I BU T I O N S T O T H E N E W S L E T T E R

This document was produced under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs

Grant No. H323A070022-11. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or

polices of the Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of

any product, commodity, service or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be in-

ferred. This product is public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While

permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be:

State Personnel Development Grant (2015). Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Madison, WI, Wisconsin Family Assis-

tance Center for Education, Training, and Support, Inc.

This monthly update is provided by the Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education, Training & Support (WI FACETS)

to share statewide information regarding parent leadership and family involvement.

DISCLAIMER: Inclusion of information in this newsletter does not constitute an endorsement by Wisconsin Family Assis-

tance Center for Education, Training, and Support (WI FACETS), the Department of Public Instruction, the U.S. Department

of Education, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

NOTE: If you would like to receive this monthly update or if you would like to have your name removed from the distribu-

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or contact: Wendy Overturf at woverturf@wifacets.org.