Term

Spring 2018

Capstone

Thesis

Degree Name

MAT

Primary Advisor/Dissertation Chair

James Brickwedde

Secondary Advisor/Reader One

Rebecca A. Neal

Peer-Reviewer/Reader Two

Roger Atlas

Abstract

Special education has been criticized for the practice of over-representing culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education programs. Asian American students appeared to be immune to this problem. However, when the demographics of the Asian racial group are disaggregated into individual Asian ethnic groups, there is evident of disproportionality. The purpose of the study was to explore how a charter school, serving predominantly Hmong students, addresses the issue of disproportionality pertaining to the Hmong population. Through an ethnographic research approach, the researcher engaged in participant-observation, interviewing three tenth-grade, Hmong male students, and five school staff members. The researcher found that the charter school possesses certain qualities that made the school a site where disproportionality was not as evident as what was noted in the literature. These factors included: 1.) Growth Mindset, 2.) The Evaluation Process, 3.) and Culturally Responsive Teaching. These implications are fruitful in opening new dialogues into addressing the issue of disproportionality.

Research Methodology

Ethnography

Keywords

Charter Schools, ESL/ ELLs, Multicultural Education, Special Education

Included in

Education Commons

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