DOCUMENT RESUME ED 220 971 EA 014 962 TITLE Special Needs of Students: Essentials for State Planning. INSTITUTION Education Commission of the States, Denver, Colo. Education Improvement Center. PUB DATE Aug 81 NOTE 207p. AVAILABLE.FROMECS Distribution Center, Education Commission ofthe States, Suite 300, 1860 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80295 ($10.00). EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage.' DESCRIPTORS Alaska Nitivesp-Amekican Indians; Asian Americans; Blacks; Cubans; *Cultural Differences; Economically Disadvantaged; *Educationally Disadvantaged; *Educational Needs; Elementary Secondary Education; Hispanic Americans; *Limited English Speaking; Mexican Americans; Migration; *Minority Group Children; Non English Speaking; Pacific Americans; Parent Participation; PuertO Ricans; *Student Mobility ABSTRACT To assist state policy makers, six papers andfive -brie reactions ditcuss the elementary and secondary educational needs and expectations of six minority groups: blacks,Mexican Ameri' ans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, American Indians anskNative Alask ns, and Asians and Pacific Islanders. Anintrodubtory summary notes that the educational needs usually resultfrom poverty, cultural or linguistic differences, or high geographicmobility and that the problems point 10 a further need forparent education and particiPation. Each paper explains a minority group's social or , historidal situation, outlines educational problems, and examines programs\ to assist the group. The papersinclude "Asian and Pacific Americans,: An Educational Challenge," by Siri Vongthieres and Lawrence A. Egan; "The Educational Needs of Black Children,"by Andrew Billingsley; "A.Report on the Cuban Students in theDade County Public Schools,-Miami, Florida," by Rosa GuasInclan; "The State of Indian Education," by Lee Antall; "A Legacyof Four Cultures: EAucationand the-Mexican Americans," by Vicente Z. Serrano; and "Puerto Ricans and the Public Schools: ACritical Commentary," by Tony Baez. Five appendices add statistical data for several of the papers. 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POsaon of poky firallira Education CommissionottheStates .141FPg-* EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT CENTER EDUCATION COMMISSION OF THE STATES Suite 300, 1860 Lincoln Street Denver, Colorado 80295 SPECIAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS: ESSENTIALS FOR STATE PLANNING A Publication of the Education Improvement Center 'Ben Williams, Director Education Programs Division Education Commission of the States 1860 Lincoln Street Denver, Colorado 80295 August 1981 CONTENTS FOREWORD 1 INTRODUCTION I. PAPERS A. Asian:and Pacific Americans:An Educational Challenge, by Sint Vongthieres,Senior Consultant; Lau ProSect, ColOradoDepartment of Education, and LawrenceA. Egan, Senior Consultant, Bilingual EducationUnit, Colorado Department of Iducation, Tenyer,Colorado 6 , B. The Educational'Needs of Black Children, by-Andrew Billingsley,President, Morgan 26 State University, Baltimore,Maryland Students in the Dade C. -A Report on the Cuban County 'Public Schools, MiamiFlorida, by Rosa Guas Inclan, Supervisorof Bilingual Education, Dade County PublicSchools, 40 Miami, Florida by Lee Antall, D. The State of Indian Education, ,Director, Indian EducationProject, -Education Commission of theStates 66 'Education and E. A Legacy of Four Cultures: the-Mexican Americans, by VicenteZ. Serrano, Director, InterstateMigrant Education Project, Education Commissionof 83' the States A F. Puerto Ricans.and the PublicSchools: Critical Commentary, by Tony Baez,Program Coordinator, Midwest National Origin Desegregation Assistance Center,Univeristy 110 of Wisconsin, Milwaukee,Wisconsin .154 II. REACTIONS Reactors A. Masako H. Ledward, ECS Commissioner, Chairperson, Hawaii EducationCouncil, Honolulu, Hawaii 155 Research, . Robert B. Hill, Director of National Urban.League, Washington,D.0 158 C. Gill Cuevas, ProgramSpecialist, Miami Desegregation AssistanceCenter-for National Origin. (BilingualEducation). University of Miami, Miami, Florida 161 D. Alfredo G. de los Santos, Jr., ECS Commissioner, Vice Chancellor for' -Educational Development, Maricopa CoMmunityCollege, Phoenix, Arizona 165 E.,MariaB. Cerda, Member of the Board, The Latino Institute, thicago, Illinois 170 APPENDICES A. Appendix A 1,74 B. Appendix A 177 C. Appendix C .,.. 192 D. Appendix D 193 E. Appendix E 196 FORtWARD There are some education issues that extend beyond the politics of conservatism or liberalism. One such issue concerns the disparity between tile quality of knowledge that is accessible to "minorities" and that.which is made available to the general population. The foundation ot the inequity that results in this disparity often rests on negative ideas. One such notion is theldin/lose formula, the idea that when the "have nots" gain, the "haves" lose. Another rests on some of our attitudes and behaviors toward race and color, and our insecurities about cultural differences. Still another rests on the deceptively simple notion that the majoritywins even when the rights .of the minority are not protected. This latter kind of thinking is perhaps the most dangerous, for a democracy ceases to exist when it ceases to protect the rights of its minorities. America is a nation of minorities and they are a part of our many strengths. The six papers presented in this publication elaborate on some of the special educatiOn needs and expectations of six different minorities. The fact that these are minorities does not guarantee that they willhaVe the same needs. -Those needs evolve in different waysfrom the circumstances that frame the lives of all too many minority families.Despite those circumstances, when minority students,have access to Knowledge, ana when their strengths are recognized in a 'positive way, they learn. , We areaPpreciativeof the insights,that,the authors and reactors have shared with us. These insights are based on their knowledge and experience, and their Wise perceptiveness. I hope that" policymakers will talce into account some of their essential points-when fashioningpolicies to address the special needs of minorities. responsible for a gteat The hard work of educatorsand politicians has been has deal of progress over the pastdecade. However, although notable progress state and local been achieved, most Americansstill agree that strong national, reality policies are required,to ensure thatequal education opportunity is a in our education institutions. Education The Education Improvement Centeris just one aetvity at the gathering, Commission of the States that attemptsin many ways -- information address studies, training, technical assistance, etc. --to help state leaders strive to gain its.marks education inequalities. The Center will continue to political by.working to detect the problemsthat challenge education and The leaders, and to provide innovatealternative ideas for their solution. education; Center will also strive to determineand describe what's right with leaders are the well-being of our childrendependsupon how Successful state democracy. in their efforts to regain momentumfor education, the engine of Carol The Center is indebted to allof its staff, and particularly to Qthers have completed Andersen and Davis Schiele whoedited these papers. manuscript. The intro- many other tasks connectedwith the preparation of the - for duction was written by Ms. Andersen andprovides a conceptual framework viewing the special needs of variousminorities. Ben Williams; Director Education ImprovementCenter ii 7 INTRODUCTION At the 1980 annual meeting of the Education Commission ofthe States, a resolution was adopted directing staff "to evaluate current andpossible acti- vities of the Commission concerning the educational needs ofcultUral minori- ties, including but not limited to Hispanics, and to report to thesteering committee at its fall 1980 meeting." To same extent', the ability of the staff to evaluate currentactivities of the Commission was dependent on the development of anunderstanding of what kinds of education needs are of greatest concern to culturalminorities at this time (summer/fall of 1980). That, in turn, led to the need to group cul.= tural minorities into specific categories and toidentify the education needs of each group as well as to determine which needs were common to morethan one group. The staff, therefore, commissioned six papers td bewritten on the educa- Eion needs .of the following groups: (1) Blacks; (2) MexicanAmericans; (3) Cubans; (4) Puerto Ricans; (5) Indians and Native Alaskans; and(6) Asians and Pacific Islanders.The papers were written by individuals who are noted authorities and thdy were reviewed by individuals who also are recognized ex- perts on minority cpncerns. Because of the very short period of time between the annual meeting and the fall steering committee meeting, authorsand review- ers were