No room in the inn

Abstract

The achievement gap and the dissonance between the educational experience of culturally diverse students and white students have persisted since educational institutions were first integrated in the 1960s. For more than four decades, the discrepancy in the placement of culturally diverse students in restricted learning spaces has been chronicled in empirical databases. Similarly, a plethora of recent narratives have echoed that culturally diverse students are indeed unnecessarily referred, identified and placed in Special Education. Ideally, education is dubbed as a change-agent; yet, the change is not inclusive for all. Federal and state agencies have called for reformations to the eligibility determination of students, and have insisted on revisions of the protocols that govern how schools handle culturally diverse communities. Notwithstanding, the phenomenon of over-representation within restricted learning environs continues to infiltrate the original intent of the education system. In response to this salient matter, this qualitative research took an executive position and dissected the anomaly of the over-representation of culturally diverse students in Special Education and the role cultural competence plays in this educational travesty. This research also provided a deeper understanding of the role of cultural competence and its value to academia spaces and the discourses surrounding ensuing educational protocols and policies. The results presented, magnified the critical need for the education system to recognize the shift in the demographic landscape and urgently take ownership of its role in empowering its workforce to be culturally competent. As a scholarly platform, this research was purposefully done to support the revered voices that seek to engender a narrative of 'equity above equality' and create a wave among political and social sectors that support and proliferate the agenda of culturally diverse students being taught in confined learning spaces. Importantly, the findings registered the idea that the education system and related agencies need to urgently rebrand its core mission. Results also recommended that educational agencies must swiftly perform a cultural audit in order to unearth the systemic flaws that seek to dismantle the push for cultural competence. Similarly, the findings support the theory that cultural competence does in fact play a role in the over-representation of culturally diverse students in Special Education; which in turn negatively impact the schooling experience of culturally diverse student populations. Keywords: cultural competence, culturally diverse, culturally diverse students, over-representation, Special Education, restricted learning spaces--Author's abstract