ABSTRACT
Today’s schools are more culturally and linguistically diverse than ever before. Over two decades, the proportion of the Hispanic population in U.S. schools has doubled (from 13.5% in 1995 to 26.2% in 2015) while that of the White population has decreased (Kena et al., 2015). According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES; Aud et al., 2013), as of March 2015, the U.S. school population consisted of 49.2% White, 26.3% Hispanic, 15.4% Black, 5.2% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1% American Indian/Alaska Native American students (Kena et al., 2015). Additionally, approximately 10% of children in public schools were placed in programs for English Language Learners (ELLs) and approximately 13% of all public school students received special education services (Aud et al., 2013).
