Congratulations to Antoinette Joyce Mattis who on Tuesday, July 8, successfully defended her dissertation proposal. The title of Antoinette’s dissertation is "QUALITATIVE STUDY OF GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCE, AND THE REFERRAL OF BLACK AND BROWN STUDENTS TO SPECIAL EDUCATION."
The purpose of Antoinette’s qualitative study is to describe how general education teachers in New York and Florida make decisions when referring African-Caribbean students for special education services. These two states were selected as they have the highest numbers of African-Caribbean students. Drawing upon the theory of multicultural competence (knowledge, awareness, and skill), this study further seeks to illuminate how general education teachers' multicultural competence—or lack thereof—informs their decision-making regarding special education referrals. This study will explore how cultural-linguistic differences, such as language and communication styles, are often misinterpreted as disabilities, resulting in unnecessary special education referrals, and in particular, disproportionality in special education of African Caribbean students.
Dissertation Committee Chair:
Dr. Susan Iverson
Dissertation Committee Members:
Dr. Joanne Marien
Dr. LaShorage Shaffer
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