7900mod2 discussion1

response 1

Lisa Daniels 

RE: Discussion 1 - Module 2 - Initial Post

COLLAPSE

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As a culturally responsive Reading Intervention Specialist and Manager of Family Supports, I take pride in working with students and families to improve literacy skills, while ensuring they have essential resources to thrive in their communities. What helped me become successful in my specializations is that I gained the students’ and families' trust. I also was willing to change the reading curriculum so that my students would see themselves in the lessons and have input in teaching and curriculum development. Culturally responsive literacy instruction bridges the gap between the school and the world of the students while encouraging teachers to adapt their instruction to meet the learning needs of all students (Kelly et al., 2021). In culturally responsive literacy instruction, students can control some portion of the lesson, providing teachers with insight into how speech and negotiation are used in the home and community (Smith, 2021). To improve literacy instruction, teachers must examine their expertise rather than expect a panacea in the form of materials our blame the students, the parents, or social class (Smith, 2021). 

 

Three of the most significant issues that need to be addressed in the literacy intervention specialization are 1) acknowledging the student’s language, culture, and prior experience in curriculum development; 2) inclusion of elements of curricula that will optimize learning for students while maintaining cultural identity; and 3) teacher willingness to change the literacy curriculum to one where their students are engaged, empowered, and improve their reading skills. Teachers need the motivation to change with a shared vision of a positive outcome (Fullan, 2016). Stakeholders must commit to creating change in the educational system (Fullan, 2016). A reader’s background knowledge strongly influences variation of text interpretation due to differences in the prior knowledge of cultural schemata students bring to the reading task (Kelly et al., 2021).  Grand City Educational Task Force will continue to collect and analyze data to concentrate on any prescribed modifications.  

 

Acknowledging the student’s language, culture, and prior experience in literacy curriculum development provides learning opportunities for teachers and students to identify and leverage literate assets that diverse students make meaning in and out of the classrooms (Smith, 2021).   In Grand City, almost 22% of residents are foreign-born, and over 50% of students do not meet ELA standards in grades 3-5 (Walden University, 2017a). Teachers should possess cross-cultural communication skills and develop a clear understanding of their culturally and linguistically diverse students (Smith, 2021). To maximize learning opportunities, teachers gain knowledge of the cultures represented in their classrooms and translate this knowledge into instructional practice (Kelly et al., 2021). This practice aligns with Walden University’s vision, where what is learned can be immediately implemented in a 21st Century learning community and used for the greater global good (Walden University, 2017a). 

 

Inclusion of elements of curricula that will optimize learning for students while maintaining cultural identity. Students of diverse backgrounds often experience literacy successfully in mainstream social contexts, as well as in the contexts of instruction so lessons can be more effective for students of diverse backgrounds (Kelly et al., 2021). In Grand City, over 50% of students in grades 3-5 are not meeting ELA standards (Walden University, 2016b). Teachers should encourage students of diverse backgrounds to use strengths in their home languages as the basis for becoming proficient in reading and writing in English. 

 

Stakeholders must commit to creating change in the educational system. Educational leaders should employ teachers willing to change the literacy curriculum to one where their students are engaged and empowered, and improve their reading skills. Research findings on the change process should be used less as instruments of “application” and more as means of helping practitioners and planners “make sense” of planning, implementation strategies, and monitoring (Fullan, 2016). Teachers will want to give an equal emphasis to reading and writing and to look at ways that instruction can empower the learning of the other (Smith, 2021). 

 

Four action steps are needed to implement a plan for change. To acknowledge the student’s language, culture, and prior experience in curriculum development, the first step to accomplish this goal is for teachers to find useful information on students’ and families’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Second, teachers can also implement activities that direct or allow students and families to take the lead. In addition to becoming aware of the culture and language of students and their families and realizing the need to integrate culture and language into all aspects of the classroom, teachers must use their knowledge about students’ cultures and backgrounds to design and deliver effective instruction (Leyva et al., 2022). Teachers should also listen to their students and families regarding their needs and wants of a literacy program. 

 

Third, to include elements of curricula that will optimize learning for students while maintaining cultural identity, teachers should correctly pronounce names. Names are attached to identity. When a child feels forced to create a new name, they feel that individuals in their new environment cannot pronounce their given name. Take the time to ask each student what they prefer to be called and how to pronounce the name correctly.   

 

Finally, for success in culturally responsive literacy instruction, teachers must be willing to change the literacy curriculum to one where their students are engaged, and empowered, and improve their reading skills. Implementing incentive-based professional development, equitable teaching practices, and culturally responsive teaching and learning in the classroom are measures aligned with academic success (Kelly et al., 2021). Chenoweth (2015) also suggests “building personal relationships so that students trust teachers and so that parents, teachers, and administrators trust one another.” 

 

Using a sociocultural learning perspective supporting literacy instructors is beneficial as they use qualitative data to inform lesson planning and curriculum development (Marsh & Farrell, 2015). As previously mentioned, over 50% of Grand City Elementary students read below grade level (Walden University, 20171). Implementing data-driven practices helps educators and stakeholders identify needs and gaps in curriculum, assessments, and instruction (Marsh & Farrell, 2015). Using quantitative data includes analyzing reading scores and examining the progress over time. This analysis helps to inform instruction effectiveness. Teachers should be trained in data literacy to identify what reading resources can help their students reach or exceed their reading grade level (Henderson & Corry, 2019).   References:

Chenoweth, K. (2015). How do we get there from here? Educational Leadership, 72(5), 16-20. 

Fullan, The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). Teachers College Press. 

Henderson, J., & Corry, M. (2021). Data literacy training and use for educational professionals. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching and Learning, 14(2), 232-244. 

https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIT-11-2019-0074

 

Kelly, L.B., Wakefield, W., Caires-Hurley, J., Kganetso, L.W., Moses, L., & Baca, E. (2021). What is culturally informed literacy instruction? A review of research in P-5 contexts. Journal of Literacy Research, 53(1), 75-99. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X20986602

 

Leyva, D., Weiland, C., Shapiro, A., Yeomans-Maldonado, G., & Febles, A. (2021). A strengths-based, culturally responsive family intervention improves Latino kindergarteners’ vocabulary and approaches to learning. Child Development, 93(2), 451-467.  https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13698

Marsh, J.A., & Farrell, C.C. (2015). How leaders can support teachers with data-driven decision making: A framework for understanding capacity building. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 43(2), 269-289.  https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143214537229

Smith, P. (2021). A transraciolinguistic approach for literacy classrooms. The Reading Teacher.  https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2073

Walden University (2017b), Who we are. Retrieved from  https://www.waldenu.edu/about/who-we-are

Walden University (2016b). Grand City education and demographic files [PDF}. Author.

Response 2

Karen Edwards 

RE: Discussion 1 - Module 2 Initial

COLLAPSE

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It is incumbent upon all educators to use data-driven opportunities to push for change in many aspects of education. As specially designed instructors, we must understand our students’ what, how, where, who, and when to make effective change. With the rise of contemporary skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaborations, communication, and a growth mindset, data is something everyone should value as a crucial element of change.

Based on the reading and the Grand City mayor’s meeting, the two issues most significant to special education are the increased student population and discipline. “Between 2018-2022, the rate of disability identification in Georgia has grown in every student group. But the fastest among Asian American and Pacific Islanders to 21.9 percent, increasing from 14.7 percent for students with disabilities (SWD)” (Owens, 2022). Data from the Grand City schools show an increase in all special education populations, with 18 percent of students qualifying for special education services (Walden University, 2015).

SWDs are disciplined at a higher rate than non-disabled students. 2014 data stated that “SWDs represent less than 13 percent of the average enrollment in Georgia’s public schools but 21.3 percent of the disciplined population. This data includes those students assigned to in-school suspension, expelled, or detention” (Owens, 2022). Data from the Grand City schools support that the number of suspended students over the past five years has increased in all education populations, with 19 percent of students (Walden University, 2015).

A plan needed to decrease the number of students suspended begins with the educator in the classroom and the administration team. Both parties must establish proper procedures and explain the rules. Both parties also need to develop a relationship with their students. Reed (2015) suggested that “effective communication helps leaders develop a deep understanding of the school’s values, strengths, and areas needing improvement” (p.81). But the essential thing any educator can do is to practice the expected behavior(s) they want to be exhibited in their students.

 A plan for the increased number of special education students is hard to solve; however, some steps one can take to limit the number of referrals. The proposal would consist of a solid multi-tiered system, backed with adequate data, that proved there was support for the student in the general education classrooms. Second, the support team should scrutinize the data to ensure a comprehensive investigation by breaking down the data to show it is consistent with past patterns for the referral process. Third, one must ensure that the team is familiar with the student’s strengths and weaknesses in the classroom. To do so, you may mean you must make the team of the student’s previous teachers. And finally, make the Other Health Impaired classification for qualification unless the student has a medical diagnosis and a doctor’s verification. These are my plans.

A quantitative study will inform this plan or action because it will offer support for the theory numerically using current data, with charts, graphs, and data spreadsheets. A qualitative study would inform this because it brings a humanistic side to the problem. Surveys and interactive questionnaires can be used to determine if the stakeholders and the community could be involved by sharing their feelings concerning two topics.

Common reference entries in APA 7 - Walden University. (n.d.). Retrieved September 6, 2022,

from https://faculty-resources.waldenu.edu/writing-center/apa7/infographics

Owens, S. (2022, August 24).  Special education funding in Georgia. Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.  https://gbpi.org/special-education-funding-in-georgia/

Reed, M. (2015). To Find Solutions, LOOK INWARD.  Educational Leadership,  72(9), 80–85.

Walden University. (2015).  Percentage of children ages 3-21 who have qualified for special education services by ethnicity 18% of students qualify for special education services. https://cdn-media.waldenu.edu/2dett4d/Walden/EDDD/2015/CH/mm/grand_city/grand_city_data/docs/PercentageofchildrenwhoqualifyforSpecialEducationRevised.pdf

 

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