This Library is a searchable data base of over 1000 research based articles for providing instructional and behavioral supports to students with disabilities in age-appropriate general education environments. The Library compiles current published research around the topics that make up the NIUSI Systemic Change Framework. Articles around professional effort, school organizational effort and district effort and support focus on student learning and effort within the contest of families and communities. These articles can be easily searched and shared with school personnel.

Simply click on a topic to access a list of articles and abstracts related to that topic, or enter a keyword in the "Search" box to search for more specific content.

Student Services

• What Parents of Kids with Special Needs Think About Their Child's Educational Program?
  This paper is developed by the National Institute of Urban School Improvement (NIUSI). It is about parents' perspectives on special education programs.
• Mental Health in Urban Schools
  This paper is on mental health in urban schools. It was produced by the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI).
• Beyond Convictions: Interrogating Culture, History, and Power in Inclusive Education
  The article presents a critical exploration into various foundational conceptions and ideologies behind the inclusive schools movement in U.S. educational policy.
• Swimming: On Oxygen, Resistance, and Possibility for Immigrant Youth under Siege
  Researchers have shown that in today’s fast changing world and globalized economies, bilingualism and hybrid cultural identities of immigrant students may make them more successful in the U.S. and around the world.
• On Inclusion and the Other Kids:Here's What Research Shows so Far About Inclusion's Effect on Nondisabled Students
  This OnPoint was developed by the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI). It summarizes the reserach literature on inclusion's effect on nondisabled students.
• Teaching Mathematics from a Multicultural Perspective
  The author describes principles and instructional strategies for teaching mathematics to culturally diverse students. She explains the fundamental principles of multicultural mathematics; approaches to multicultural mathematics instruction (e.g., portrayal of cultural groups in instructional materials and historical roots of mathematics concepts); and instructional strategies for diverse student(e.g., high expectations, questioning, cooperative learning, and technology use).
• A Blueprint for Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support: Implementation of Three Components
  The authors of this article presented a study on the influence of positive behavioral support in the attitudes of exceptional children in the U.S. They discussed details on social and learning outcomes; components of behavioral support; and the significance of education in providing behavioral support to students with disabilities.
• "The Politics of Multiculturalism and Bilingual Education: Students and Teachers Caught in the Cross Fire," by C. J. Ovando and P. McLaren (2000). Book Review
  The author reviewed an anthology that provides undergraduate and graduate students with theoretical and practical discussion on various ideological convictions in the fields of multiculturalism and bilingual education. The author discussed theoretical conflicts and ideologies affecting the field of multiculturalism, and the more immediate effects of politics on teaching and learning in schools.
• Forging a Knowledge Base on English Language Learners with Special Needs: Theoretical, Population, and Technical Issues
  The authors of this article reported on a conference held by the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt) concerning the topic of English Language Learners (ELLs). The article applies to teachers, families and policy makers interested in issues related to ELL students placed in Special Education.
• Transition Services for Youth with Disabilities
  This On Point was produced by the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI). The authors of this On Point reviewed the literature on the outcomes of transition services for students with disabilities.
• Cultural identity and teaching
  This paper is one of the brief practitioner oriented pamphlets called On Points produced by the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI). We selected this particular On Point for all teachers who want to explore issues around teacher’s identity, culture, and teaching.
• Preventing disproportionate representation: Culturally and linguistically responsive prereferral interventions
  This paper is one of the short practitioner-oriented pamphlets produced by the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt). This practitioner brief deals with culturally and linguistically responsive prereferral interventions for preventing disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in special education.
• Journal of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, 1999-2000
  This document consists of the two issues making up volume 2 of "The Journal of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association." The articles attempt to meet the interests and needs of those in various counseling fields such as counselor education, mental health, career, rehabilitation, and community or school counseling.
• The impact of professional development schools on the education of urban students
  This brief is about professional development schools (PDSs). PDSs were originated a decade ago to provide a new model for teacher education that enables graduate students to have meaningful classroom experiences while they earn their degree.
• Reducing Disproportionate Minority Representation in Special Education Programs for Students with Emotional Disturbances: Toward a Culturally Responsive Response to Intervention Model
  This article presents an argument for the need for culturally responsive Response to Intervention (RTI) as an approach for reducing disproportionate minority representation in Special Education Programs for Students with Emotional Disturbances. Authors present an overview of the RTI model as initially intended for use in determining IDEA eligibility category of Specific Learning Disability (SLD), discuss current literature that examines the use of RTI for evaluation of Emotional Disturbances (ED), and highlight research-based instruction and intervention practices of culturally responsive pedagogy.
• Multicultural Education: Powerful Tool for Preparing Future General and Special Educators
  The author of this article argued that multicultural education is a powerful and necessary tool for preparing future general and special educators to provide services to students with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. the author presented ideas for educators willing to assist multicultural learners in maximizing their fullest potential in inclusive settings.
• Legal Rights: The Overrepresentation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education
  This paper is one of the practitioner-oriented briefs produced by the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt). It applies to all parents and teachers of culturally and linguistically diverse students who have been or will be placed in special education.
• Leading coherent professional development: A comparison of three districts
  This article is about the relationship between professional learning/development programs and teachers’ instructional practices. It applies to educational leaders interested in implementing effective professional learning/development programs.
• Preventing DISPROPORTIONALITY by Strengthening District Policies and Procedures - An Assessment and Strategic Planning Process
  This document includes a rubric produced by the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt) for looking at district practice. The authors designed the document to help State and Local Education Agencies address institutional and systems issues that may affect students from culturally and linguistically diverse populations who continue to experience a wide variety of achievement gaps.
• The social worlds of immigrant youth
  This article applies to all of you who know that your classes are filled or are soon to be filled with minority and immigrant students. In many states and schools districts this is the reality.
• Disproportionate Representation in Special Education: A Synthesis and Recommendations.
  The authors summarized historical perspectives and existing knowledge about disproportionate representation of minority students in special education. They discussed definitions and extent of disproportionate representation, responses to disproportionate representation and changes in disproportionality and minority student outcomes.
• Making Invisible Latino Adolescents Visible: A Critical Approach to Latino Diversity. Michigan State University Series on Children, Youth, and Families, Volume 7
  The papers in this collection explore a variety of economic and social issues facing Latino adolescents, including those of Latino diversity or unity, sexuality, and family values. The authors discuss ways to respond to these issues, suggesting approaches that can contribute to the healthy development of Latino adolescents.
• Globalization, Immigration, and Education: The Research Agenda
  Marcelo M. Suarez-Orozco, in this paper, explored a paradigm for understanding immigration and education of immigrant children in the United States in the age of globalization.
• Building inclusive school cultures using school-wide positive behavior support: Designing effective individual suppport systems for students with significant disabilities.
  This article is about school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) and its applications for students with significant disabilities. It applies to all teachers, educational leaders and parents of children with significant disabilities.
• Second Language Study in Elementary Schools
  To help students compete in a global economy, American teachers must begin teaching children a second language at an early age. The author describes the advantages of learning a second language at the elementary school level, highlighting three currently-used language programs (immersion, Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools, and Foreign Language Experience) that facilitate second language learning.
• A Proposed Remedy for Disproportionate Special Education Placement and Underinclusion in Gifted Education
  The authors of this article examined the root causes for the overrepresentation of African American students in special education classes and their underrepresentation in gifted and talented programs in America's public schools. The authors (a) provided a historic overview of the legal struggles for educational equity, (b) examined key issues surrounding the academic status of African American students, (c) discussed multicultural education as a remedy, and (d) recommended an appropriate course of action for educators and policy makers.
• Inclusion as social justice: Critical notes on discourses, assumptions, and the road ahead
  This article applies to all teachers both in general education and special education who are to teach students with disabilities alongside their peers without disabilities. This is generally called inclusion.
• What High School Students Think about Their Families Being Involved in School?
  This paper is one of the brief practitioner oriented pamphlets produced by the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI). Schools are changing the way they understand and think about family involvement.
• Racial Disproportionality in School Disciplinary Practices
  This paper is one of the brief practitioner-oriented pamphlets produced by the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt). This practitioner brief is for all parents, teachers and school leaders interested in understanding how we as educators can identify the overrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children in special education and monitor the extent of it.
• On PreparingTeachers for the Future
  This practitioner brief is produced by the National Institute of Urban School Improvement (NIUSI) and on teacher education. The author of this paper suggests that as American schools seek to accommodate an increasing range of students, teachers are challenged as never before.
• Leadership Academies - Module 2, Mining Data
  This module was designed by National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI) to help building leadership teams learn the skills required to mine data and use it to make decisions. As principals and teacher leaders become confident in their ability to query their data, they will become strong role models and coaches for the entire faculty.
• Teachers of Gifted Students: Suggested Multicultural Characteristics and Competencies
  The authors of this article discussed desired characteristics and competencies in teachers of gifted students who are culturally, ethnically, or linguistically diverse. These include: culturally relevant pedagogy, equity pedagogy, a holistic teaching philosophy, a communal philosophy, respect for students' primary language, culturally congruent instructional practices, culturally sensitive assessment, student-family-teacher relationships, and teacher diversity.
• Cause or Effect? A Longitudinal Study of Immigrant Latino Parents' Aspirations and Expectations, and Their Children's School Performance
  The authors of this article discussed how much formal schooling for their children immigrant Latino parents aspire to and expect, if parents' aspirations or expectations influence children's school achievement, whether aspirations or expectations diminish the longer parents are in the U.S. and if they experience discrimination.
• Multicultural Education in the U.S.: A Guide to Policies and Programs in the 50 States
  This book compiles information to investigate the presence and structure of multicultural education programs throughout the United States.
• Educational needs and barriers for refugee children in the United States: A review of the literature.
  Today around globe, 20.8 million refugees are striving to seek a safe place in more than 150 countries. Approximately, half of the refugee population in the world is younger than 18 years old.
• Student Perceptions of Teacher Ethnic Bias: Implications for Teacher Preparation and Staff Development
  The author of this study investigated the perceptions of 2,409 7th-12th graders regarding teacher ethnic bias. Participants comprised three groups: school dropouts, students at risk of dropping out, and a control group of students.
• Inclusion, diversity and leadership
  Drawing on research from a longitudinal case study of a large urban secondary school, this article examines senior leadership of and in a school struggling to be inclusive. The analysis focuses on the effect of senior leadership on: the ways in which inclusion is conceptualized and practised in this school, in particular by teachers; student intake profiles and diversity; teacher motivation and educational outcomes.
• On Time and How to Get More of It
  This paper is one of the brief practitioner oriented pamphlets called On Points produced by the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI). It is about systemic change and educational improvement.
• Determining Appropriate Referrals of English Learners to Special Education: Self Assessment Guide for Principals
  This guide is designed to provide principals and others with a general overview of the issue so that they may review their programs for signs of disproportionality and take appropriate action as needed.
  Download the document here .
• Addressing Homelessness in Urban Schools
  This paper is one of the brief practitioner oriented pamphlets called On Points produced by the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI). This On Point is for all teachers who want to explore issues around homeless children.
• Immigration Then and Now: Old Face, New Story
  This paper is one of the brief practitioner oriented pamphlets called On Points produced by the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI). The current wave of immigration is creating such an upheaval, and caught in this emotional jumble are first generation immigrant students.
• Safeguarding Our Children: An Action Guide
  This jointly developed Action Guide to help schools and communities prevent school violence was produced by the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice released.
• Disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education: Measuring the problem
  This paper is one of the short practitioner-oriented pamphlets produced by the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt). This practitioner brief is about racial disproportionality in school disciplinary practices.
• Addressing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Student Overrepresentation in Special Education: Guidelines for Parents
  Do bias or inappropriate practice play a role in the placement of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education? Is the representation of low-income students in special education programs larger than their representation in the school population at your child’s school? If the answers to these questions are yes, it is possible your child’s school may be facing a problem that is called “overrepresentation” in its special education programs. This paper is one of the practitioner-oriented briefs produced by the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt).
• Special Education Use among the Negev Bedouin Arabs of Israel: a case of minority underrepresentation?
  This study takes the well-documented minority overrepresentation/ disproportionality debate a step forward by asking if, and in what ways, overrepresentation and disproportionality may be seen among a non-American minority group, namely, the Arab citizens of Israel. Statistical evidence suggests that Arab children are more likely than Jewish children to be diagnosed as retarded and to be sent to special education schools.
• Reggio Emilia: impulsor del dialogo y del cambio (Reggio Emilia: Catalyst for Change and Conversation). ERIC Digest
  International perspectives on the care and education of preschool children that seem to be of greatest interest in the United States are those directly linked to prevailing concerns in American early childhood education. In this context, many early childhood specialists have explored the implications of Reggio Emilia's work for the theory, practice, and improvement of U.S.