Professional Development for Culturally Responsive Instruction: A Promising Practice for Addressing the Disproportionate Representation of Students of Color in Special Education

Abstract

This paper describes the implementation and outcomes of a teacher-directed professional development program designed to increase teachers' awareness of culturally influenced learning and behavior differences in the classroom. The impact of the project on teachers' conceptualization of teaching with a multicultural perspective and the resulting implications for instruction and referral practices was assessed.