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An RTI Guide to Improving the Performance of African American Students

By: Dwayne D. Williams

Richly detailed case studies and evidence-based, process-focused strategies help educators create culturally responsive RTI instruction that meaningfully engages African American students and promotes effective parent-school-community collaboration.

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Product Details

Grade Level: PreK-12
ISBN: 9781483319735
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2015
Page Count: 280
Publication date: May 19, 2015

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Author(s) Table of Contents Reviews

Description

Help students thrive with this systematic approach to culturally responsive instruction!

Research shows that students of color learn best in classrooms that reflect their cultural values. This breakthrough book shows educators how to create culturally relevant RTI models that help diverse students thrive!

Step-by-step, you’ll learn to skillfully apply 4 core characteristics critical to culturally responsive instruction: communalism, movement expressiveness, orality, and verve. Richly detailed case studies and evidence-based, process-focused strategies will help you to:

Understand how and why culture mediates learning
Dispel cultural biases and appreciate the assets among all student groups
Address all tiers of the RTI model across grade levels
Eliminate disproportionality in special education eligibility decisions
Work collaboratively with African American parents and communities

Use this thought-provoking handbook to confidently design high quality, culturally responsive instruction that fits the cultural needs of most African-American students!

"All educators working with diverse students should read this book! Using personal experiences, the author provides examples of culturally responsive classroom instruction that brings tears to my eyes realizing what I missed in my own education."
—Julie Esparza Brown, Assistant Professor in Special Education
Portland State University

"Diversity in race and culture is one of the greatest issues facing students and teachers in education today. Without changing our mindset and understanding how others learn, we will never meet the expectations of educating all people. This book is outstanding in addressing these issues. It is truly a powerful read and something all educators should keep as a resource when making decisions for students who do not fall into that stereotypical 'box'."
—Cindy Lawrence, Curriculum Coordinator
Lumberton ISD

"This book presents salient and provocative ideas with regards to teaching the way students learn. These ideas are not readily spoken about in teacher preparation programs or in schools. This book provides an avenue to discuss the ways African American students learn best."
—Lydia Adegbola, Assistant Principal
NYC Department of Education

Key features

(1) Guides educators toward an understanding of the socio-cultural characteristics of classrooms and why such an understanding is critical to fostering academic engagement of African American students.

(2) Provides explicit guidance on designing culturally-responsive interventions that are informed by the research on culturally-responsive instruction.

(3) Includes full-chapter treatment of parent-school relations, RtI for students of color at the classroom level, and school-community relations.

(4) Filled with richly-detailed anecdotes and examples that bring concepts to life and challenge dominant norms and cultural biases.

(5) New edition will include a thoroughly-updated research base, additional foundational information on RtI, and additional examples of culturally-responsive practice.

Author(s)

Dwayne D. Williams

Dwayne D. Williams is a school psychologist, educational consultant, and certified success coach. He provides training to school districts on how to create culturally relevant educational models, including RTI models. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology (BA) from Fairmont State University; he earned a master’s degree in psychology (MA) and an Educational Specialist degree (EdS) from Marshall University Graduate College. Dwayne received training in the area of life coaching from Youth and Family Guidance, Inc. and received board-certified life coaching credentials through the Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE). Dwayne is the founder of Tier 1 Educational Coaching and Consulting Services—a firm that provides urban educational and psychological consultative services to stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, community leaders, and parents. Dwayne is a first-generation college graduate and is devoted to shedding light on the importance of integrating cultural activities and instruction in the classroom. He was raised in housing projects in Springfield, Illinois, and often speaks on the need to connect with families and community leaders from underrepresented backgrounds. Dwayne is married to Toni Williams, and together they have two beautiful children: Dwayne II and Noni Williams.

Like the Tier 1 Educational Coaching and Consulting Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/Tier1services

Follow Dwayne on twitter: @dwaynedwilliams

A Note to the Reader

Acknowledgments

Introduction

About the Author

Part 1: Culturally Relevant Response to Intervention (CR-RTI)

1. How Did We Get Here?

2. Response to Intervention

3. Culturally Relevant Response-to-Intervention (CR-RTI) Models

4. Theory and Culturally Relevant Models

5. Scientific Research-Based Instruction and CR-RTI

6. Step-by-Step Approach to Creating CR-RTI Models

7. Cultural Characteristics and Academic Engagement

8. Cultural Characteristics in the Classroom

Part 2: Vignettes

9. "Entertainment?! Why Can’t Our Children Just Sit Down and Learn?"

10. What Does Academic Engagement Look Like for Many Children of Color?

11. Motivation: The Key to Success

12. Respecting Children and Their Cultural Backgrounds

13. Racism: Does it Exist in Today’s School System?

14. Getting Parents to Buy Into Your RTI Model

15. Using Community Resources: A School-Church RTI Approach

Part 3: Application

16. Peer-Mediated Learning: An Emphasis on Communalism

17. Culturally Relevant Reading and Writing Instruction

18. Communalism and Instruction at the Tier 1 Level

19. Movement and Instruction at the Tier 1 Level

20. Orality and Tier 1 Instruction

21. Verve, Evaluation Systems, and Instruction

22. Tying It All Together Within an RTI Framwork

23. RTI for Students of Color at the High School Level

Reflections

References

Index

Reviews

"All educators working with diverse students should read this book! Using personal experiences, the author provides examples of culturally responsive classroom instruction that brings tears to my eyes realizing what I missed in my own education."

Julie Esparza Brown, Assistant Professor in Special Education
Portland State University

"Diversity in race and culture is one of the greatest issues facing students and teachers in education today. Without changing our mindset and understanding how others learn, we will never meet the expectations of educating all people. This book is outstanding in addressing these issues. It is truly a powerful read and something all educators should keep as a resource when making decisions for students who do not fall into that stereotypical 'box'."

Cindy Lawrence, Curriculum Coordinator
Lumberton ISD

"This book presents salient and provocative ideas with regards to teaching the way students learn. These ideas are not readily spoken about in teacher preparation programs or in schools. This book provides an avenue to discuss the ways African American students learn best."

Lydia Adegbola, Assistant Principal
NYC Department of Education

Other Titles in: Teaching Strategies for Diverse Students | Classroom Implementation of RTI | Diverse Learners

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