Disproportionality in special education

There are various concerns regarding the identification of students in special education. The over-identification of students refers to the concern that students of color, particularly African American students, are placed in special education at a higher rate than their white student peers, which can lead to potential stigmatization and negative impacts on their educational experiences. Student under-identification refers to the situation where students of color are less likely to be identified and receive special education services than their white peers who are demonstrating similar behavior, which can lead to students not receiving the necessary support they need to succeed in school. == Monitoring ==

Section 300.646 of Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was designed to ensure that each state that receives funding is required to determine if there is disproportionality based on race or ethnicity occurring in the state and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) of the state concerning the identification of children as children with disabilities, the placement in particular educational settings of these children, and the incidence, duration, and type of disciplinary removals from placement, including suspensions and expulsions. In part B of IDEA, each state receives funding, and the United States Secretary of the Interior must provide the collection and examination of data to determine if significant disproportionality based on race and ethnicity is occurring in the State and the LEAs of the State." In Section 300.64 of the Act, States are required to examine data for significant disproportionality in the following areas: • Identifying children with disabilities and their impairment, • The child's placement in the educational setting, and • Any suspensions or expulsions from school and for how long IDEA mandates that states collect and examine special education data on race and ethnicity at the district level. State monitoring States have monitored and enforced disproportionality in special education through requirements set in IDEA and the Annual Performance Reports (APRs). At the district level, states are mandated to collect and examine special education data on race and ethnicity. Measurement Analytical techniques have been used to research disproportionality in special education, including risk ratio, regression, and multilevel regression. Risk ratio includes exposure to odds, odds ratios, relative risks, and risk indices ratios. Regression models estimate the probability of placement or special education service as a function of independent variables. Multilevel regression nests students within schools, districts, or communities to account for within- and between-cluster estimations. Study findings on disproportionality in special education vary widely across studies because of factors that include using different data sets at different levels, including samples of students at different grades and ages, and applying different analyses that may produce conflicting results. Qualitative research has involved deductive and inductive methods, including the development of codebooks focusing on the conceptual framework and existing literature on education policy and disproportionality. Quantitative research have coded articles based on the analysis used in each study, such as risk ratio, regression or multi-regression. The federal interpretation of IDEA statutory language contradicts consistent findings in special education research. Amendments to IDEA in 1997 and 2004 acknowledged the extent of racial and ethnic disproportionality, but federal interpretations of the 2004 requirement have created confusion at the State and LEA levels. Data suggests that the federal interpretation of IDEA 2004, regulatory guidelines, and the design of indicators for monitoring and enforcement have been ineffective in addressing racial and ethnic disproportionality. == Significant disproportionality ==

If significant disproportionality based on race or ethnicity is found, then according to Section 300.646 of Part B of IDEA, the states must provide an annual review of revisions of policies, practices, and procedures regarding the placement of these children in educational settings (including disciplinary actions to ensure they comply with the act and require the LEA to report any revisions. Significant disproportionality, as per IDEA Section 618(d), refers to a substantial disparity based on race and ethnicity in the state and the LEAs regarding the identification of children with disabilities, their placements in certain education settings, and the incidence duration and type of disciplinary actions. == Racial/ethnic disproportionality ==

The root causes of racial and ethnic disproportionality in special education referrals may be attributed to deficit thinking related to conceptions of race and socioeconomic status, inadequate institutional safeguards, teachers' perceptions of students' ability, and lack of policies and interventions in schools. Economic and demographic variables, The structural nature of race in the United States is an important factor in understanding special education referral patterns. These biases can shift attention away from other social inequities that could impact the learning rate and other disabilities among specific populations. School policies and procedures The processes of referral and identification of students for special education can be influenced by biases and judgements leading to the overrepresentation of students of color. Disproportionality can also be seen in school discipline policies by subjecting harsher disciplinary actions to students of color with disabilities. These policies often result in suspensions and expulsions for these students, which is one of the most prominent indicators of placement in special education. The implementation of these education policies and laws is often influenced by institutional racism, leading to a disproportionate impact on students of color. There are systemic patterns of disproportionality that are embedded within the educational system that are often perpetuated by seemingly "neutral" policies that lead to race-laden outcomes. This suggests that the racial disparities related to disproportionality in special education are deeply embedded within the structures and policies of the education system and not merely the result of individual biases or actions. Factors that influence special identification Gender, race, socioeconomic status, and the number of suspensions are the most consistent predictors of special identification placement. Specifically, male students from low-income family backgrounds are at the highest risk in most disability categories. Additionally, the number of suspensions a student has could influence their risk of being identified for special education. == Role of historical inequality ==

Historical inequality in America plays a significant role in current educational inequality. == Strategies for reducing disproportionality ==

IDEA aims to protect the rights of students with disabilities. Yet despite these explicit goals that are set by the Act, significant inequities persist, particularly for racially, linguistically, and economically diverse students with disabilities. The Department presumes that the first placement option considered for a preschool child diagnosed with a disability is the regular public preschool program the child would attend, given that the child did not have a disability. If this is done, children of color diagnosed with disabilities will not be educated in separate or segregated environments. The removal of children diagnosed with disabilities is only to be separate from the regular educational environment when the nature of the severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supports and services cannot be achieved. Children must be provided a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) where a child with disabilities' needs are met starting in the general education placement with non-disabled peers. == Inconsistencies in disproportionality ==

Discrepancies and challenges characterize disproportionality studies across school districts and states, which reveals the inconsistencies in understanding and addressing the issue. There are technical, compliance-oriented approaches in policies that attempt to address racial disparities without considering the ways the policies are entangled with complex contextual factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and language status in students of color. Overrepresentation in one racial group in a disability category may occur in one state, while underrepresentation may occur for that racial group in a different disability category, showing the complexity of the issue of disproportionality. There is a lack of a critical disability education policy approach, which makes it difficult to account for complex sociocultural contexts that attend to disability and its intersections in an effort to move toward more equitable educational policies. Despite numerous studies and debates, understanding the complexities of disproportionality in special education identification remains limited. == Stigmatization and disproportionality ==

While special education identification is supposed to allocate support services for students with disabilities, the intersection of stigmatization and disproportionality in special education accentuates the negative consequences of labeling and segregation, particularly for students of color. Stigma contributes negatively to the learning outcomes of students with learning disabilities. This continues to delay the academic ability of students with special education, which affected the implementation of accommodated classroom changes that can provide an inclusive classroom setting for all students. Special education students require specialized settings and teachers in order to succeed. This results in labelling them as a separate group. Within general classrooms, students with learning disabilities are affected by how they are perceived due to various biases from teachers and parents. Lower academic expectations are given to Student with learning disabilities compared to their peers who do not require special education. Studies indicate that the rate of growth in special education is higher in areas where schools receive additional resources for each student when compared with areas where funding is based on historical enrollments. Intersectionality and disability Students with disabilities are positioned within society at the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, language, and sexuality. == References ==