There are many controversies about language differences, proper language, and what constitutes a disability among educators and assessors of learning disability tests. What You Thought About Minority Students and Special Ed Is Wrong A Penn State study says societal hurdles mean not enough – instead of too many – minorities are receiving special education … Some assumptions based on language lead teachers to recommend more students of color to special education programs. (Ford 400). Access to schooling and special education services remains a challenge for many children with disabilities around the world. Often teachers have a harder time relating and understanding students of color because they may present their knowledge in unconventional ways. The field must tackle terminology and come to consensus to avoid diluting the magnitude of the problem and the attendant question of are too many Black, Hispanic and/or ELL students inequitably referred to, identified as, and placed in special education and what is the nature of placement? Avoid seeking information from others about the disability. “In the name of accountability and being culturally responsive, how can educators own up to past (unnecessary) barriers and considerably reduce (and ideally eliminate) racial inequities in special education? All ethnic minority groups are overrepresented in special education. According to Torin D. Togut in “The Gestalt of the School-to-Prison Pipeline: The Duality of Overrepresentation of Minorities in Special Education and Racial Disparity in School Discipline on Minorities,” there are many reasons why there is an overrepresentation of African Americans in special education programs: “There are several interacting factors contributing to the disparity of African Americans in special education ‘including unconscious racial bias of educators, large resource inequities that run along liens of race and class, unjustifiable reliance on [intelligence tests], educators’ inappropriate responses to the pressures of high-stakes testing, and power differentials between parents of students of color and school officials” (Togut 164). on: Sep 25, 2019 Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special Education ¦ Hallahan, Kauffman, Pullen ¦ 14 th Edition Research is consistently showing that racial and ethnic minority students are less likely to be identified for special education than white students. in Council for                  Exceptional Children. Such disproportionate representation of minority groups is an ongoing national problem. Special educators should have formal preparation before working with students with many needs: attending conferences, professional development/ inservice workshops, multicultural courses, and enrolling in degree programs that address issues of race/class/gender/ethnicity. Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities has 43 remote-ready activities, which work for either your classroom or remote teaching. “A daunting yet essential task in the past and future had been and is to research consensus on (a) terminology and (b) measurement, in terms of what constitutes potentially illegal representation of Black and Hispanic students in special education” (Ford 398). These tests are the main determinant of whether or not a student is placed in a special education program. The overrepresentation of minority students is an increasingly important issue as minority students are becoming the majority of public school populations. Web. The greater number of minority students in special education is a result of school politics, relationships between school officials and parents, quality of education outside of these programs, classroom management of the referring teacher, and poorly trained teachers that work at minority schools. The label, “Learning Disability” was created as a less stigmatizing, alternative term to mental retardation (Harry and Klingner 5). Some ethnic minorities are underrepresented in special education. 37 Full PDFs related to this paper. not all minority ethnic groups are over represented . From a cyclical view and acknowledging exceptional cases, this frequently destines them to a life of unemployment and crime” (Ford 402). According to Donna Y. Ford in “Culturally Different Students in Special Education: Looking Backward to Move Forward” many people question the overrepresentation of people of color in special education:  “Special education is under constant legal and personal scrutiny regarding the overrepresentation (number and percentage) of black and sometimes Hispanic American students” (Ford 398). true. In 2002, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association asserted that African American English (AAE) is a language and students who speak it must not be identified as having a speech or communication disorder (Ford 397). In one school in a low-income neighborhood African Americans comprised 17% of the population, and 35% of the students in special education (Harry and Klingner 6). Schools with larger class sizes and lower teacher salaries often have a higher percentage of students in special education. Studies have shown that the more urban a school district, the lower percentage of the minority students are enrolled in special education. In the educational system, which for some is a bridge to the special education system, minority students are both misidentified and misclassified. Despite the widespread belief that African-American and other race/ethnic minority group students are over-represented in special education because of systemic bias, our calculations show that U.S. schools primarily aim to provide special education services for students who are struggling academically. 13 Apr. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. One of the greatest policies to be enacted in the American educational system is the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) of 1990. More than one in 10 students is identified for special education services (National Research Council2). One possible explanation for this difference is that urban districts may not identify as many students with special needs as require accommodations. Deny that the child with a disability is different. Donna Y. Ford in “Culturally Different Students in Special Education: Looking Backward to Move Forward proposes cultural competency as a possible solution: “How can educators’ being culturally competent decrease misunderstandings and clashes with unnecessary referrals of, and inappropriate special education identification and placement of those whose cultures are different from educators and decision makers?” (Ford 393). Why Are so Many Minority Students in Special Education? Equity is affected because misidentifying students might cause their educational experiences to become unnecessarily limited or might cause educators … Is the system of special education systematically reproducing the racial and social inequities of our society instead of decreasing them? In-terms of referrals and the structure of special education programs, minority students’ needs are both misunderstood, considered after a diagnosis of their intellectual capacities, and not adequately addressed. All ethnic minority groups are overrepresented in special education TRUE FALSE. Today, many more people are identified with learning disabilities. a. When teachers think that a student has a language disorder, the student is often referred to speech and hearing evaluation and services. Markowitz, J., Garcia, S. B., & Eichelberger, J. Have the opposite reaction to the sibling than do their parents. In general, students of color are disproportionately overrepresented among children with disabilities: black students are 40 percent more likely, and American Indian students are 70 percent more likely, to be identified as having disabilities than are their peers. Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Bryn Mawr College. Racial-, ethnic-, and language-minority children may be less likely to meet these standards as a result of receiving lower-quality educations provided at underresourced schools (e.g., Peske & Haycock, 2006) and so more likely to be identified for special education. The underlying assumption of overrepresentation among all minority groups is that, when represented accurately, the proportion of different ethnic groups in ant category or program should be equal to the proportion of the same group in the general school population. How can we create terminology that more accurately describes students’ needs, strengths, and challenges or is the labeling constricting the ways we can help children succeed, learn, and grow? To blame for many of their child’s problems. "Culturally Different Students in Special Education: Looking Backward to Move Forward." What You Thought About Minority Students and Special Ed Is Wrong The racial and gender group with the highest representation in special education programs are black males. ethnic groups. They question if minority students are too often labeled as needing special education, which could take them out of mainstream classes and deny them a normal track through school and onto college. This research explores the fact that many minority groups are overrepresented in populations of students enrolled in special education programs. Washington, D.C.: National Academy, 2002. Though it is more difficult for English Language Learners to navigate the unfamiliar cultural practices and language in school, this does not mean that they should be enrolled in special education or that they have a disability. (2005). 13 Apr. However, these students do not necessarily have these disabilities or the severity of disabilities they are diagnosed with. Also, since students of color’s responses to questions and tests in school are often misinterpreted or seen as “wrong” it can be extremely difficult for them to prove what they’ve learned and their intellect in any form. All ethnic minority groups are overrepresented in special education. : Understanding Race & Disability in Schools. 20.1 (2011): 163-81. The process of testing for learning differences, mental retardation, and behavioral issues, which results in students’ placement in special education programs, is subjective and influenced by school politics, teachers’ views and expectations for students, and teachers’ cultural bias. One of the issues with proper labeling and identification of a child’s need is that states define disabilities and give out accommodations differently. White school districts enroll a higher percentage of minority students in special education. Racially, ethnically, and linguistically different students made up 32% of public schools in 1989, 39% of public schools in 1999, and 45% of public schools in 2000 (Ford 392). Overrepresentation of minority groups is a concern of many, from policymakers in Washington, D.C., to local school principals. Although minority children are frequently reported to be overrepresented in special education classrooms, a team of researchers suggests that minority children are less likely than otherwise similar white children to receive help for disabilities. Print. According to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), in 2006 black students represented 17.13% of public school students, yet 32.01% were identified as having an intellectual disability, and 20.23% as having a specific Learning Disability (Ford 398). Of learning disability tests more students of color because they may present their knowledge in unconventional.! 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