Southwestern Ohio
Special Education Regional Resource Center

The Diversity in Education Collaborative

What is the Diversity in Education Collaborative?

The Southwest Ohio SERRC in collaboration with school personnel, university/college faculty, Ohio Department of Education consultants, and other community members in the southwest Ohio region, with an interest in issues related to the quality of education received by culturally and linguistically diverse children in special and general education programs form the southwest Ohio Diversity in Education Collaborative.

What is the primary goal of the Diversity in Education Collaborative?

The Diversity in Education Collaborative was created to provide regional support for educators to address challenges related to the education of culturally, economically, and linguistically diverse students in southwest Ohio. Four primary issues identified in education research and reflected in state and regional data guide the focus of the Collaborative. These issues are:

• The disproportionate representation of minority children in special education and in gifted programs nationally and in Ohio.
• The increasing numbers of minority students being served in schools where teachers report a lack of the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed for working with culturally and linguistically diverse children and their families.
• Research indicating that cultural difference in communication styles, beliefs, and, values may restrict collaborative efforts between culturally diverse families and school personnel.
• Differences seen in achievement and discipline data between culturally and economically diverse students and their white middle class peers.

The overall goal of this Collaborative is to increase the cross-cultural competencies of regional educators and school practitioners to promote the academic achievement and positive social development of all students, including students who are culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse with and without disabilities.

What serves as the foundation for the activities of the Diversity in Education Collaborative?

The Collaborative has established a foundation to guide regional planning. This foundation includes articulated core belief statements, a vision, and a mission statement.

We proceed from the following core beliefs about educating children:

• Families want what is best for their learner and every learner/family is worthy of the best we can offer.
• Family and educator collaboration is an important part of creating a positive school experience for learners.
• Schools must promote the strengths and gifts of all learners and be responsive to their needs. Policies, assessment practices and instructional strategies in education must be beneficial to all learners.
• Schools must be places where differences are seen as assets.
• Educators must value both similarities and differences across learners as a basis for educating all learners.
• Educators must be equipped to engage in practices that embrace all learners. Therefore, we must constantly be aware of how our own cultural beliefs and values influence the decisions we make about learners and their families.

Vision Statement

The Diversity in Education Collaborative envisions schools as learning communities, whose educators, are responsive to the gifts, and needs of learners from diverse backgrounds and are aware of the importance of culture when making educational decisions, where similarities, as well as, differences are equally celebrated and parents, educators, and community members work together to ensure that effective teaching and learning opportunities are provided for all learners.

Mission Statement

In efforts to realize this vision the Diversity in Education Collaborative mission is to support school communities by providing learning opportunities reflecting best practices in supporting learners and families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, networking opportunities to share resources, and consultation.

What are the Diversity in Education Collaborative Supported Activities?

• Regional survey of practitioners' current knowledge and skills in the area of meeting the educational needs of culturally diverse students
• Addressing Diversity Issues in Education Summer Institute
• Quarterly Knowledge Building Events for area education practitioners and community members on diversity issues in education
• Impact evaluation of collaborative activities

 What organizations are represented on the Diversity in Education Collaborative?

Helpful Links on This Topic

The Lau Center of Cincinnati

http://www.ode.state.oh.us/students-families-communities/Lau_resource_Center/

 

The Harvard Civil Rights Project

http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/

 

ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education

http://ERIC-web.tc.columbia.edu/equity

 

Online Resource for Multicultural Lesson Plans

http://www.cloudnet.com/%7Eedrbsass/edres.htm

For more information on The Diversity in Education Collaborative contact Seena M. Skelton, SERRC consultant at (513) 563-0045 extension 29, via email skelton_s@hccanet.org

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