Blog #4 Christina Neeley: Disproportionate Representation in Special Education

Disproportionate Representation in Special Education  

     I was aware that disproportionate representation existed, however, I was unaware that racial and ethical minorities as well as culturally and linguistically diverse students were the targets.  When I was in school the kids that were pulled out for special education were mainly white boys, with a few little girls.  The only time that I would see special education students was in lunch and specials.  I feel that framework from IDEA and the provisions made in 2004 began to clear up some misconceptions about special education as well as identifying and servicing the needs of students with disabilities.  It also ensured that students with exceptional needs would be educated in the Least Restrictive Environment while the regular teacher would provide modifications in lesson planning to address the needs of the students IEP.  The Due Process component makes schools and parents accountable to each other for carrying out the student’s IDEA rights.  IDEA is only a small part of closing the gap on misclassification of minority students.  Despite the strides that have been made, this issue is far from being resolved.

     In my professional opinion I believe that administrators and general education teachers are still not completely on board.  In my experiences I’ve seen some of my former colleagues try to either make no modifications/accommodations or constantly send the student to the office for behavior problems.  I also feel that behavior stems from the student not being able to adequately perform the task that is laid in front of them.  Therefore, if the work is too difficult and no accommodations are made, the child is going to begin acting up to cover up his lack of understanding of the assignment.  “Effective teachers of minority students think critically about the purpose of teaching and the values and beliefs embedded in the profession and make thoughtful and theoretically sound choices about when it is appropriate to apply them, modify them or throw them out”(p.155 Education for all).

     Another misconception that our administrators make is assuming that many students with low SES need to have services.  The framework for IDEA changed the way that students are evaluated for the exceptional learning program.  According to Education for All, Table 5.1 explains disability categories by race.  In 2001-2002 whites were among the third highest groups with disability, while blacks were among the highest with disabilities. 

     One way to better address this critical issue is to follow the RTI model, which provides an alternative way of conceptualizing how we support student learning.  I believe that it will help remove some of those stigmas that used to be placed on special education students.  This instruction is taught in the LRE with ongoing monitoring of student progress.  The regular education teacher works with the intervention specialist to provide support to students that are not progressing.  After that they will be evaluated for the possible placement into the special education program. 

     I believe that some of our attention needs to be focused on the teachers that work in urban and diverse communities where the children are the most at risk.  These teachers need to be taught how to provide instruction that not only connects to the learner, it has to be meaningful to their environment and their experiences.  These teachers really need to know where their students come from and figure out what intrinsic factors may motivate them to learn.

     The fight for equality for exceptional learners is moving in the right direction. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to bring fairness in learning back to the classroom.  The classroom needs to be the LRE for all learners to blossom into the learner that inside of them.  Everyone can help contribute to making our exceptional learners have remarkable learning experiences.