Children, Youth, Families & Schools, Nebraska Center for Research on
Date of this Version
4-1-2004
Abstract
Multicultural Contexts: •The United States is becoming an increasingly diverse nation. In 2000, 38% of the US population under the age of 18 was non-Anglo whites and nonwhites. It has been estimated that by the year 2030, the number of Latino children, African American children, and children of other races will increase by 5.5, 2.6 and 1.5 million, respectively (Children’s Defense Fund, 1989). •Diversity factors have been identified as “social boundaries” that challenge attempts to build collaborative relationships across home and school systems (Giles, 2002). •Strong, positive relationships between the home and school systems have been shown to improve a child’s educational experience (Christenson & Sheridan, 2001), and this positive relationship is critical in addressing the needs of diverse families and children (Sheridan, 2000). •School psychologists are in a unique position to take the lead in identifying effective methods for working with families of diverse cultural backgrounds to break down these boundaries, and to strengthen relationships among homes and schools.
Comments
Marti, D. C., Burt, J. D., Sheridan, S. M., Clarke, M. A., & Rohlk, A. M. (2004, April). Multicultural CBC: A case illustration of culturally-sensitive services. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of School Psychologists, Dallas, TX. Permission to use.