Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students With Learning Disabilities: Building a Framework for Addressing Equity Through Empirical Research

Abstract

The purpose of this special series is to augment effective instruction for students with learning disabilities who are also considered culturally, racially/ethnically, linguistically, or otherwise diverse. In this paper, we acknowledge the central focus on technical rigor for the purpose of strengthening causal linkages between instruction and learning, thus enhancing instructional efficacy and accuracy. We also recognize that diminished access to effective instruction has contributed to the marginalization of diverse students. In our response to the articles in this series, we focus on the theorization of equity, articulated to varying degrees, underpinning and uniting these papers. Equity underscores the relevancy both of educational diversity and of research methods aimed toward generalizability. We discuss the implications of simultaneously using tools and methods required for both strengthening the empirical research base and studying systemic inequities inherent in our institutions and research practices.

A literature synthesis of curriculum‐based measurement in writing for English learners

“…Many CBM-W studies have included ELs (Romig et al, 2017) but did not disaggregate findings by EL status, which seems to reinforce concerns expressed by Trainor & Robertson (2022) regarding the underrepresentation and under-defining of ELs in research. However, the research reviewed herein did examine a variety of CBM-W types and metrics across a wide range of grade levels in relation to a variety of criterion measures.…”

“…Multilingual learners (MLs) represent a diverse and significant subpopulation of students in US schools. Henceforth, we will use the identifier of English learners (ELs), as it is the federally recognized and most commonly used term in research to describe a population of MLs that qualify for and receive English as Second/Other Language Services (ESL; Trainor & Robertson, 2022). An EL is any school age student who speaks a language other than English in the home and their English language proficiency (ELP) impacts their ability to meet proficiency on state academic assessments and participate fully in instruction delivered in English (Burr et al, 2015).…”

Teaching Readers to Recognize Negative Thoughts and Use Positive Self-Talk

“…For practice-oriented articles on this topic, see Collins and Landrum (2022) and Wehby and Kern (2014). In addition, it is important to acknowledge that the difficulties experienced by students with LD are often reflective of inequitable access to educational opportunities instead of or in addition to processing difficulties that are neurobiological in origin (Shifrer, 2013; Trainor & Robertson, 2022). For example, poverty and under-resourced schools (Sala & Knoeppel, 2017), inadequate instruction provided by under-prepared teachers (Wilcox et al, 2015), and inaccuracies in special education identification (Artiles et al, 2006) disproportionately impact access to equitable educational opportunities for students with LD.…”

Advancing Anti-Racism and Anti-Ableism in Transition: Equity-Oriented Indicators for Research

“…It is imperative that we point out that scholars have long provided recommendations for advancing more rigorous and critical research in transition (e.g., Kohler, 1996;Kohler et al, 2016;Landmark et al, 2010;Mazzotti et al, 2013Mazzotti et al, , 2021Rowe et al, 2021;Trainor et al, 2020;Trainor & Robertson, 2022)-even putting forward indicators for promoting quality in special education transition research. For example, Mazzotti and colleagues (2013) provided considerations for transition researchers after describing the Division of Career Development and Transition's (DCDT) indicators for conducting research for the purpose of identifying and promoting secondary transition evidence-based practices.…”