Wanted: Teachers With Diverse Backgrounds

Wanted: Teachers With Diverse Backgrounds (NAPSA)—Parents, educators and community members from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are concerned that students from those diverse groups are being identified as needing special education services at a greater rate than their white peers. One of the possible reasons for this phenomenon is the lack of culturally and linguistically diverse teachers in our nation’s schools. Boo0 iS l iw x i ARE YOU SPECIAL? More spe cial education professionals are neededin our nation’s schools. Currently the nation’s teacher force is 14 percent non-white with the student population close to 38 percent non-white. This results in many students being taught by teachers unfamiliar with their cultural or linguistic background. Since students are primarily referred for special education services by the larger percentage of white teachers, parents, educators and community leaders have becomeincreasingly skeptical of the ways that non-familiar cultural learning styles impact the referral of children from diverse backgrounds for special education services. More special education professionals are needed in our nation’s schools to help all teachers understand how cultural and linguistic learning styles are different from learning disabilities. If you are from a culturally or linguistically diverse background and are interested in pursuing special education as a career, call the National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education, 800-641-7824 or www.special-edcareers.net.