The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). CAL is a private, non-profit organization based in Washington DC. The mission of CAL is to provide culturally sensitive resources related to language and culture in order to improve communication techniques. Their work aims to enhance language education, resolve culture-related conflicts, conduct research that fuses language with culture, and provide resources that demonstrate the importance of cultural understanding in communication. The site includes information related to adult ESL, bilingual education, immigrant education, heritage languages, sheltered instruction, and other topics that promote cultural competence in education.

The Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice of the American Institutes for Research (AIR).  AIR sponsors a cultural competence web page. Find extensive information and helpful resources dedicated to cultural competence. Included are definitions; why cultural competence is important; related research; how cultural competence is integrated in education and how it benefits children; training announcements and web links; and online discussions.

The Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE). CREDE is a federally funded research and development program focused on improving the education of students whose ability to reach their potential is challenged by language or cultural barriers, race, geographic location, or poverty. The CREDE website contains a wide array of resources, reports, educational practitioner briefs, and professional development training to assist in the education of students from diverse backgrounds.

Colorin Colorado. Colorin Colorado is a bilingual (Spanish/English) website for Spanish-speaking parents from the Reading Rockets Project. The website offers parents advice on how to encourage reading at home; how to help children succeed at school; fun reading tips and activities; suggested books and stories; and handouts and links to related resources. Reading Rockets is a service of WETA, the public television station of Washington, DC. It is funded by a major grant from the US Department of Education.

Education Resources for Spanish Speakers (Recursos en español). The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has developed a webpage to help Spanish-speaking families obtain useful educational resources and information on how to enhance achievement and navigate the educational system. Of note is Publicaciojes y Materiales, which contains information on all of ED’s publications that are available in Spanish. Parents may also find information in Spanish on the provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), IDEA, federal financial aid grants, and links to other government agencies.

Education Trust. The Education Trust was established in 1990 by the American Association for Higher Education as a special project to encourage colleges and universities to support K-12 reform efforts. Since then, the Education Trust has grown into an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to make schools and colleges work for all of the young people they serve. Education Trust’s website features several important reports that focus on closing the achievement gap between low income and culturally and linguistically diverse students and their peers.

The Future of Children. The Future of Children, a publication of The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and The Brookings Institution, seeks to promote effective policies and programs for children by providing policymakers, service providers, and the media with timely, objective information based on the best available research. The first issue was released in 1991, and 30 issues have been published to date. Each journal issue examines a single topic of importance to children from a multidisciplinary perspective. All of the issues are available online. The most recent issue, which includes eight articles written by leading authorities, is focused on racial and ethnic differences in school readiness. The articles address the size of the gap, synthesize what is known about its causes and identify some policy solutions and strategies.

The Civil Rights Project. The Civil Rights Project is a leading organization devoted to civil rights research. Founded in 1996 at Harvard University, the Project’s initial focus was on educational reform. Research reports are available on a variety of issues including: bilingual education, the desegregation of American schools, the impacts and benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in education, and the racial disparities in policies and practices related to special education and school discipline.

In 2007 the Project moved to UCLA and became The Civil Rights Project/ Proyecto Derechos Civiles with founding co-director Gary Orfield and new co-director, Patricia Gándara. In its new location the project will continue to work on the major issues of its first decade while adding new initiatives related to immigration, language policy and a special local focus on studies of the Southern California metropolitan megaplex. It also seeks to expand its reach into non-English media outlets, reaching a broader and critically important constituency.

Education Development Center (EDC). The Education Development Center seeks to improve education, health, and economic opportunities for people of all ages worldwide. EDC conducts and synthesizes research to guide practice toward the most effective programs to reduce risk behaviors and promote mental and physical health.  

The IRIS Center. The IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University works to provide school personnel with information and effective strategies to help meet the educational needs of students with disabilities. The Center’s online training programs bridge the gap between research findings and practical use of the results. In addition, the IRIS website offers a number of materials specifically geared toward enhancement of cultural competence. Teaching modules demonstrate how to recognize the role of cultural and linguistic diversity in an educational environment, understand the importance of family involvement, and adapt instruction in a way that maximizes learning for culturally diverse students. Information briefs cover a variety topics related to diversity, including the production of culturally sensitive assessment practices, methods to effectively communicate with families, and approaches to teaching from a multicultural perspective. Several activities related to school diversity allow professionals to practice implementation of the information learned in the briefs and teaching modules. The site is also equipped with searchable databases of online resources related to special education and disability services, and an online dictionary containing terms related to education.

The National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities (NAEAACLD).  NAEAACLD seeks to improve the quality of education for African American children by raising the level of awareness in communities about learning differences and promoting an understanding among parents, educators, and others of the culturally sensitive issues facing minority children with learning disabilities as defined by Federal law. The NAEAACLD website features articles, research, publications, news, a parent network, a listing of trained parent advocates, and information and listings for obtaining an attorney or a private psychologist.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. The mission of The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) is to raise the standard of care and improve access to services for traumatized children, their families and communities in the United States. This SAMSHA-funded organization promotes culturally competent trauma treatments and practices for children and adolescents exposed to trauma, and disseminates its findings through fact sheets, culture and trauma briefs, and reports. 

National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition & Language Instruction Educational Programs. The mission of the Office of English Language Acquisition is to help ensure that English Language Learners (ELLs) attain English proficiency, develop high levels of academic attainment in English, and meet the same challenging State academic content and achievement standards required for non-ELL students. The OELA web site includes information about relevant initiatives, resources, and reports, as well as a link to the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition & Language Instruction Educational Programs (NCELA). NCELA offers a wealth of information about language instruction educational programs, teacher quality, assessment and accountability for ELL students, and parental and family involvement in education.

The National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA). NICWA offers comprehensive information on American Indian child welfare and works on behalf of Indian children and families. NICWA provides public policy, research, and advocacy; information and training on Indian child welfare; and community development services to a broad national audience. Their website lists an extensive catalogue and library with over 3,800 entries. NICWA offers a yearly conference, regional training, and a speaker’s bureau for on-sight training.

The National Indian Education Association. The National Indian Education Association is the oldest and largest Indian education association representing American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian educators and students. The Association’s web site includes information about educational issues and history, a calendar of upcoming events, and a comprehensive listing of links to related resources. Contact information for tribal education departments around the country is also included.

National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). NREPP, a program created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is a searchable database of interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental and substance abuse disorders. The website includes descriptions of intervention and treatment programs that have been reviewed and rated by independent reviewers. NREPP uses very specific standardized criteria to rate interventions and the evidence supporting their outcomes. All reviewers who conduct NREPP reviews are trained on these criteria and are required to use them to calculate their ratings.

The National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA). The NUA is a national educational reform coalition that advocates for the improved educational opportunity of students in urban settings. In their mission statement, the NUA outlines their belief in the capacity of all children to learn at the highest levels and commits to work to offset the social barriers of racism, sexism and economic disadvantages that inner city children face. NUA provides extensive teacher training and resources to urban districts in order to eliminate achievement gaps that are still commonplace. The NUA website provides extensive information on their initiatives, teacher training, articles, web links, and events.

Office of English Language Acquisition. U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition.

Reading is Fundamental: “Leamos en Familia”. Reading is Fundamental is a bilingual section of the Reading is Fundamental Website, the oldest and largest children's and family nonprofit literacy organization in the United States. RIF programs annually serve 5.1 million children of all ages, most of whom are at risk of educational failure, with a focus on those from birth to age 11. “Leamos en Familia” is designed to help Latino families read, sing, and share stories at home. This colorful, interactive website provides parents with activities, tips, and advice to help children become life-long readers.

The Special EDge Newsletter. This newsletter, published three times a year, is funded by the California Department of Education, Special Education Division. The Special EDge is designed to inform and support parents, educators, and other service providers on special education topics, focusing on research-based practices, legislation, technical support, and current resources. Available in Spanish or English.

Teaching Diverse Learners. The Teaching Diverse Learners website is dedicated to enhancing the capacity of school personnel to work effectively and equitably with English Language Learners (ELLs). The website provides access to information publications, educational materials, and the works of experts in the field that promotes high achievement for ELLs. The Teaching Diverse Learners website is sponsored by the National Leadership Area for the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory (LAB), a program of The Education Alliance at Brown University.

Teaching Tolerance. Teaching Tolerance is a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center that is dedicated to reducing prejudice and improving intergroup relations. The website is organized by audience including, adult activists, teachers, parents, teens, and children. Be sure to read, Responding to Hate at School, a guide to help school practitioners react promptly and effectively to bias events.

The Toolkit for Cross-Cultural Collaboration. This toolkit contains research on the collaboration styles of various ethnic and cultural groups. It offers resources that discuss barriers to cross-cultural collaboration and provide methods for assessing and improving communication patterns and cultural competence. Resources include: Stages of Intercultural Sensitivity, How to Use Comparisons of Cultural Patterns, Communication Patterns and Assumptions, Summary of Normative Communication Styles and Values, and Ten Myths That Prevent Collaboration Across Cultures.