Equal Educational Opportunity - Linguistic and Cultural Diversity

Student Diversity and Equal Educational Opportunity

Lake points out that if education is to be developmentally appropriate it must also be responsive to linguistic and cultural diversity. The instructional methods should be adjusted to reflect, "what the teacher knows about each child, including a child's developmental level as well as the social and cultural context of the family" (p. 200). She asserts that classroom instruction must reflect the children's differences if equal educational opportunity is to be achieved.

In order to provide equal opportunity to all students, teachers should provide ample opportunities for young students to practice communicating in the classroom. Lake writes, "Early childhood teachers recognize the importance of engaging children in direct conversation to foster their oral communication and cognitive thought" (p. 201). Heisner likewise emphasizes the importance of creating classroom settings that promote the use of language during imaginative and sociodramatic play. She writes, "Through the social interaction that takes place during sociodramatic play, children develop the ability to express thoughts in a logical sequence, share ideas about events in which there is not shared context, and develop vocabulary" (p. 31). This kind of practice in authentic situations is crucial in early childhood education, because this is a time period characterized by rapid language development.

Diagnosis of Learning Disabilities

Children from minority cultural groups are often over-represented in special education programs. The implications of this fact are serious, because it suggests that cultural and linguistic barriers may be causing some students to be wrongly classified as having learning disabilities (LD). This is an especially significant concern in early childhood settings, where students are often assessed for LD. Teachers should provide students with multiple options for expressing themselves and use techniques for differentiating instruction so that students' ability to express themselves will be optimized, despite linguistic diversity.

Linguistic diversity involves not only bilingual students but also students who speak different dialects of English. For example, some African American students are accustomed to the use of a particular dialect that may cause them to interpret class material differently or express themselves differently. In 1997, African American students were over-represented in the special education programs within 39 of the 50 states (Shapiro et al). This shows that differences in dialect should be considered even when students are not necessarily English Language Learners (ELL).

Aligning Practices with Goals

Falconer and Byrnes used qualitative methods to assess the extent to which a particular school's practices were aligned with its goals pertaining to the accommodation of increasing diversity in ECE settings. Their findings indicate that "stated school goals and practices do not match" (p. 188). Specifically, the stated goal was to "help children be successful in a multicultural society, and ensure that they learn basic skills" (p. 194). One important issue for ECE professionals to consider, then, is whether or not their practices are consistent with what current research says about effective accommodations for linguistic diversity.

In some ways, the school being studied did attend to this goal; Falconer and Byrnes note that the school did establish a community outreach program and establish contact with families. However, this program was coordinated by special program teachers rather than by the ordinary classroom teachers. Moreover, the school used "at risk" and "opportunity" classes for students in grades one and two. "This practice supports the contention that the majority culture has low expectations for its minority students, and it runs counter to the call for empowerment and equity pedagogy" (Falconer & Byrnes). Hence, Falconer and Byrnes entitle their article, "When Good Intentions are Not Enough," as a reminder that we must embrace practices that are grounded in research if we are to accommodate diversity.

References:

Falconer, R. C., & Byrnes, D. A. When Good Intentions Are Not Enough: A Response to Increasing Diversity in an Early Childhood Setting. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 17(2), 188+.

Heisner, J. Telling Stories with Blocks: Encouraging Language in the Block Center. Early Childhood Research & Practice, 7(2), 31+.

Lake, V. E., & Pappamihiel, N. E. Effective Practices and Principles to Support English Language Learners in the Early Childhood Classroom. Childhood Education, 79(4), 200+.

Shapiro, J., Loeb, P., Bowermaster, D. "Special education programs have failed." The disabled. Brenda Stalcup, Ed.