Creating Successful Learning Environments for African American Learners With Exceptionalities

Festus E. Obiakor, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Manager, Sunny Educational Consulting, Shorewood, Wisconsin. He has served as Department Head and Professor, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia and The City College of New York, New York. A teacher, scholar, leader, and consultant, he has served as Distinguished Visiting Professor at a variety of universities. He is the author of more than 150 publications, including books, articles, and commentaries; and he has presented papers at many national and international conferences. He serves on the editorial boards of reputable nationally and internationally refereed journals, including Multicultural Learning and Teaching (MLT) in which he serves as Executive Editor. Dr. Obiakor is a leader who has been involved in many landmark scholarly works in the fields of general and special education, with particular focus on African American and other culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners and he continues to prescribe multidimensional methods of assessment, teaching, and intervention for these individuals. Based on this premise, Dr. Obiakor created the Comprehensive Support Model (CSM), an intervention model that values the collaborative, consultative, and cooperative energies of students, families, teachers/service providers, communities, and government agencies.

• Foreword - Geneva GayPrefaceAbout the EditorsAbout the ContributorsPart I: Foundations of Educational Change1. School Accountability and Reform: Implications and African Americans With Exceptionalities - Festus E. Obiakor and Bridgie Alexis Ford2. Legal Foundations of Special Education for African American Learners - Elizabeth A. Dooley and Katherine L. Dooley3. Functionalizing Assessment for African American Learners in General and Special Education Programs - Cheryl A. Utley4. Categorization: Impact on African American Learners With Exceptionalities - Angela Stephens McIntoshPart II: Managing Learning Environments5. Instructional Strategies for African American Learners With Cognitive Disabilities - Helen Bessant Byrd6. Working With African American Students With Specific Learning Disabilities - Patrick A. Grant and Pauline B. Grant7. Interventions for African American Learners With Behavioral Problems - Cathy Kea, Gwendolyn Cartledge, and Lisa J. Bowman8. Maximizing the Learning Potential of African American Learners With Gifts and Talents - Vera I. Daniels9. Communication Skills of African American Learners With Disabilities - Martha Scott Lue, Cheryl Evans Green, and Shelia Yvette Smalley10. Developing Self-Empowerment in African American Learners With Special Problems - Festus E. ObiakorPart III: Complementing the School Environment11. Service Delivery for African American Young Children With Special Needs - Regina Enwefa and Stephen Enwefa12. African American Families: Equal Partners in General and Special Education - Loretta P. Prater13. African American Community Resources: Essential Educational Enhancers for African American Children and Youth - Bridgie Alexis Ford14. Transitioning African American High School Students With Disabilities - Bertina H. Combes and Beth A. Durodoye15. Teacher-Preparation for African American Exceptional Learners: A Cultural-Historical Approach - Stanley C. Trent16. Culturally Responsive Leadership for African Americans With Exceptionalities - Darrell L. Williams, Christlyn Frederick-Stanley, and Adell Fair17. Summary of Comments: Race, Class, Gender, and Exceptionality of African American Learners - Edgar G. EppsIndex