Raul

INTRODUCTION

Preparing the education professional to recognize and respond to the needs of students from diverse, at-risk populations is critical to student achievement, post-secondary success and ultimately our future.

For diverse learners living in poverty, the issue takes on a special poignancy. The cruel reality is that these learners are most likely to receive instruction from teachers with the least training in schools with the most severely limited resources. Sadly, all too often, students in these circumstances are victims of the soft bigotry of low expectations- where little is expected, little is encouraged.

Cultural competency, the ability of people to successfully interact with and understand others whose culture differs from their own is an increasingly important skill for all educators. For educators of the gifted, cultural competency is the skill set necessary to support and assist in the identification of under-represented populations. Raul’s case study introduces the professional to a high school student who appears to lack the motivation and engagement to attend class.

Discussion Questions center on analysis of how culture impacts Raul and systems of support for at-risk gifted learners.

The town of Maryville, located in the southern part of the state, was once a stable community. In recent years several factories have closed, and the unemployment rate has increased to 23%. Once a town with a population of over 23,000, Maryville now counts 18,502 residents and a K-12 school population of 4,728. The district reports to the state that the students are 3% Asian, 9% Black, 16% Latino and 72% White. Limited English Proficient students accounted for 18% of the school population, Special Education 28% and Free and Reduced Lunch 72%. Resources are almost non-existent; technology and textbooks are outdated, and the roof leaks.

Administrators spend the majority of their time addressing disciplinary, facility and budgetary issues. Class sizes are large, and morale among the staff has remains low.

Raul’s parents are immigrants who work several jobs to provide for their five children. His father works during the day at a meat packing plant, sleeps a few hours and then cleans offices for a local bank. Raul’s mother cleans rooms at a local motel before heading to her other job at a fast food franchise. When she arrives home late at night, she is exhausted and often collapses on the couch. Each morning Raul, age 15, helps his siblings of 5, 9, 11 and 12 years get ready for school. After school he supervises homework, prepares supper and puts the younger siblings to bed before beginning his homework. Raul has few friends and prefers to eat his lunch alone .Raul’s parents can’t afford to miss work to care for the children if they are ill. He stays at home from school if his siblings are ill or running late. Consequently, he misses a lot of school and is tardy more often than not.

Raul’s math teacher Mrs. Smith is tired. Her expectations are low, and she’s grown accustomed to students sleeping through class. She rarely wakes them, circumventing confrontation and dealing with the shortage of textbooks. Although Raul likes math, he is often unable to complete his homework. He has no calculator and too much pride to borrow one. Mrs. Smith thinks Raul listens in class but can’t understand why he doesn’t turn in his assignments. After Raul scores in the 95th percentile on the state Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma (GRAD) math test, she reads his cumulative file. Much to her surprise, Mrs. Smith discovers a history of high-test scores, low attendance and poor grades. Armed with the data, she meets with the Dean to support Raul’s placement in next year’s honors math class. When she learns Raul has refused to register for the class, Mrs. Smith is aggravated and determines that it’s the last time she’ll spend time advocating for a student.

Adapted from Exploring Critical Issues in Gifted Education: A Case Studies Approach by Christine Weber, Cecelia Boswell and Wendy Behrens

Students will prepare a minimum 1 full page (double spaced; 12 pt. font) response paper following the class discussion of the case.

Responses should address the following questions:

1. What is the primary issue to be addressed?

2. Is there a secondary issue, if so, what is it?

3. What cultural factors are relevant to the case (e.g., socioeconomic status; English Language Learner; ethnicity; traditions; values/beliefs; family setting; community norms)?

4. What course of action would you recommend?

5. What additional information, if any, would you like to know?