preview

Essay Minorities in Special Education

Decent Essays

The education system is arguably the most beneficial system in the world; however, it also contains many controversial practices. Proper funding, discrimination, and curriculum are just some of the problems in today’s education system. Everyone has a different opinion about what is best for our children and it is impossible to please everyone. As long as the educational system is in tact, then there will be confusion and debate within the system and its’ administrators. The only thing that can be done is attempting to make it so that everyone will benefit equally, but this is much more difficult than one would assume. I will focus on the aspect of discrimination on minorities within special education and more …show more content…

About 75% of African American students, as compared to 47% of white students, are not employed two years after graduation. 52% of African Americans, compared to 39% of young white adults, are still not employed three to five years out of high school. During this same period of time, 40% of African Americans with disabilities have been arrested, compared to only 27% of whites (Losen, Orfield, p. 1 for all above information). These statistics seem to represent a form of discrimination against minorities; however, the whole picture is not taken into account. Minorities are more likely to come from low-income neighborhoods where there is more crime and usually less job opportunities. This information is not taken into account while conducting this survey and it make the results seem lob-sided.

Although minority students are over represented within the special education system, it may be because of several other important aspects. Black/Minority students are more likely to attend schools with less overall capital, fewer funds for curricula, inexperienced teachers, and poor teacher morale. This can cause quite a difference between minorities and their white counterparts. White students generally attend more qualified and academic-enriched schools and are more likely to be from rich neighborhoods where income is not as significant a factor. Low income plays a major role concerning black/minority students in which ends up leading

Get Access