Inaccurate Perceptions In Special Schools

When students meet the eligibility for special education services they are labeled as having a disability. Some labels that are used are intellectual disability, physical handicap, behavior disorder, etc. (Colarusso et al., 2013). Many people, young and old, look down on labels that are associated with special education. Colarusso et al., (2013) explained that after a label is placed on a child, others perceive the child as the disability and not a person anymore. Students are not made by their disabilities and that is a major concern for controversy. As educators, we should be aware of labeling and understand the consequence it could have on a child but that is not always the case. I have seen parents refuse services for their child because

This paper focuses on the overrepresentation or over-identification of minority students found in special education in our schools. I chose to research this topic because being an immigrant myself, I can relate to the education experience of a student who is new to the American school system.

The problem of disproportionate numbers of minority students in special education can be attributed to a report by Lloyd Dunn in 1968 (as cited in Skiba et al., 2008) even though discrimination was evident long before that in America. The phenomenon of disproportionality as it relates to students from minority backgrounds being placed in special education refers to the percentage of students receiving services being a higher rate than is expected or that differs significantly from other races. Skiba et al. (2008) discuss the history of various aspects of the civil rights movement as they pertain to the issue of disproportionality of students from minority backgrounds in special education, the measurement tools used to determine the need for special education, the current status of disproportionality, and what factors have contributed to the discrepancies in numbers. Finally, recommendations are offered by the authors on how the existence of disproportionality of students from a minority background can be rectified.

Under federal law, all children in the United States are entitled to free public education. Although public education is free, it is not necessarily adequate. For several decades, it has been questioned whether the United States' public school system is meeting the academic needs of African American boys. Teachers rarely connect with the black male culture, which results in high referral rates to special education. This oversight is problematic because, for the most part, the resources available in remedial education programs are insufficient. In this way, educators have failed to meet the needs of African American males. Teachers must start to teach themselves as well as their students about the African American culture so as to increase their understanding of those who are different. Until then, black males will continue to be excluded through their assignment to the category of special education.

Some students are subject to unequal representation at school, particularly those in a minority group. In the past, there were vast amounts of racial biases that spread across the United States. Unfortunately, racial bias still exists today, in the 21st century. There are those who feel that certain groups of people should not be given equal opportunities based on their skin color or how they may talk. They are not given the same opportunities as many others are given, and in this case, are assigned an impediment on their education. This paper will illustrate what disproportionality is; some factors that play a part in it; and what can be done and what is being done about it. This memo is being written in the hopes that it will be viewed by the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, and that he will see what has been happening over the years and do his best to provide more advances in making a change.

I am writing you, the representatives of Mississippi Department of Education, to discuss the overrepresentation and disproportion of the African-American students, particularly African-American boys, placed in special education services. Numerous professional literatures as well as the United States Department of Education have recognized the disproportion of African-American students placed in special education as a nationwide problem.

For centuries the debate have been about the overrepresentation of minorities inside of special education. Analyst have called on the recount of misrepresentation of displaced students in special education labeling .An equivalent factor of minority is due to poverty, test bias and education process leading to achievement gap. Economic impoverishment and lack of exposure to general education curriculum contributes to life experience to take standardize testing. Poverty is the sole or even the crucial driver of racial ethnicity in a specific educational program. Ethnic students are subject to be isolated in educational settings and not exposing the student to the proper test material leading to test bias.

In 2011 there is still disproportionate representation of African American Students in special education classes. This can be defined as conflict in the education environment because, government legislation mandates that No child be left behind, yet African American students, males in particular, are disproportionately being just that, left behind.

As we grow in education, it always seems as in there is someone that is left behind. Educators need to be able to reach out as many students as possible, but some may argue that it does not feel this way. Often, students with special education needs are considered to be too difficult to teach, or simple just a “lost cause.” The way we interact and care for all students not only shows in each student, but it shows in the impact it has on the community as a whole.

A child’s race can influence whether or not that he or she will be misidentified as needing special education. Disproportionality refers to the overrepresentation and under- representation of particular demographic groups in special education programs in relation to the overall student population (Disproportionality, 2008). Studies show that there is an overrepresentation, but also an under-representation of African Americans in special education. Although, this paper argues that disproportionality can impact and have negative effects on a child, counter claims suggest that special education services can be beneficial, if effective interventions are provided and available to African American students when necessary.

Students from one racial class are often discriminated in different fields of practice, especially in education. Notably, black students have been seen to suffer most based on the statistics from a survey such as that highlighted in Beratan (2008). The issue becomes critical when the group being discriminated has a special need, and the effect is that stigmatization occurs where the learners feel uncomfortable and end up not gaining from the education they are given. According to Hornby (2015), one of the key factors leading to the disproportional placement of black students in special education is the case of overrepresentation in gift and talent schools. This digest presents recommendations that can be used to eliminate disproportional placement and representation in special education.

Disproportionality refers to the overrepresentation or underrepresentation of a minority group within special education programs and services. The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education has been an ongoing and significant matter in education for decades. More and more minority children are being identified as disabled or having an intellectual disability or learning disability. However, in most cases the children are being misdiagnosed and consequently, are being discriminated and penalized in a variety of ways. Some of the leading causes of disproportionate identification are incorrect evaluations, poor assessment practices, and lack of instruction and assistance for minority students. Developing a

Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan said "The undeniable truth is that the everyday educational experience for many students of color violates the principle of equity at the heart of the American promise. It is our collective duty to change that" (Ed.gov, 2012). This was in response to the U.S. Department of Education 's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) findings reporting that minority students across the U.S. face tougher discipline, have less access to rigorous high school curricula, and are more often taught by lower-paid and less experienced teachers. This inequality has been echoed on the field of special education where ethnic and racial disproportionality has been an issue

Students with learning disabilities account for nearly half of all students in special education programs (Wright & Wright, 2008). The methods for identifying these students has historically been the severe discrepancy model. This model identifies students with learning disabilities through a series of academic and cognitive tests (Crouse, n.d.). If a student’s cognitive abilities are deemed capable of learning, but their academic performance demonstrates a delay, then the child is identified as having a learning disability. Unfortunately, with this model it is difficult to identify students in primary grades because there is not a severe enough discrepancy to qualify for special education services. This model has been coined the “wait to fail” model (Donovan & Cross, 2002) because students must demonstrate a large enough delay to receive any special education help. By the time the students are identified, the gap is extremely hard to close. According to Donovan and Cross (2002), students with learning disabilities (SLD) that are identified show “minimal gains of achievement.”

When I was asked to reflect on my experiences in EDSE 316 and the fieldwork, I had to think long and hard on how I would sum up four months of classes and fieldwork into four pages. I have learned so much about the various disabilities and how it has change the world of special education. I think a better term would be the “endless possibilities of education”. It wasn’t too long ago when children with disabilities would be stuck in a room in the back of school only to be seen in the beginning and end of the school day. They were the ones who rode the other buses and no one really talked about. This class has allowed me to speak of my own family and how special education impacted my life. I have a brother whose whole life was spent in the special education class, and my own sons with speech and learning disabilities who are now receiving special education services. It also allowed me to reflect on my own participation in the special education program in my early elementary years when I was struggling with my own speech disability. This class gave me the chance to see the timeline of special education, from its earliest beginnings to what it is now.