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Inequality in american education
Inequality in american education
Inequality in american education
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Disproportionate identification of minority students in special education is a major concern in schools today. This paper describes the issues in the assessment process with minority students and how we have arrived at a situation where minorities are being misdiagnosed into special education programs. Additionally, several legal cases are mentioned which show numerous actions and rulings that have tried to correct the disproportionate identification in special education. Some of the legal cases discussed include Larry P. v Riles, Diana v. State Board of Education, and Guadalupe v. Tempe Elementary School, which all significantly impacted special education today. Additionally, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act has enforced that minority groups must receive an equal education in the least restrictive environment possible. It is our duty as teachers and citizens to abide by these laws and find different ways to assess and correct the disproportionality of minority groups that exists today. In general, 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 and/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 f... ... middle of paper ... ...ponsive Educational Systems. Retrieved from http://www.ldonline.org/article/-5603. Disproportionality: Inappropriate Identification of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children (2006). National Education Association. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/-mf_PB02_Disproportionality.pdf. Donovan, M. Suzanne and Christopher T. Cross (2002, August). Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/lib/drexel/-docDetail.action?docID=10032383. Harry, Beth (1994, August 1). The Disproportionate Representation of Minority Students in Special Education: Theories and Recommendations. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov:80/PDFS/ED-374637.pdf. Miller, M. L. (2011). Introduction to Assessment and the Referral Process: Assessment [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved from http://drexel.blackboard.com/.
...vironments then blacks. Minority students are being over represented in special education programs. As an African American, I will need to prepare myself for my future as an educator. When I become a teacher, I may encounter a student that has difficulties keeping up with his peers. I need to know whether this student is a slow learner or a victim of the achievement gap. This research has taught me abo¬ut the factors that have disproportionately affected African-American, Latino, Asian, and other non-white students. I will use this information to contribute to both my future research and career.
A longstanding national issue that continues to concern the public is the disproportionate representation of children from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in special education. The fact is that the proportion of minority students in the population of school-age children has risen dramatically to over 35%, which is increasing the diversity of students in many public schools throughout the nation. This makes the phenomenon of disproportionality especially troubling. With a growing population of minority children comprising a greater percentage of public school students, we must be responsive to the growing needs of an increasingly diverse society. The overrepresentation of minority students in special education has been posed as an issue for more than 3 decades, but it is worth asking whether the efforts of legislative actions, educational reforms and legal challenges have really made improvements to this issue. More importantly, disproportionality should be examined as a correlation to underlying conditions that can pose a great effect upon not only the quality of a child’s education, but also ______.
... problem of disproportionate minority representation in special education. The Journal of Special Education, 32(48), 48-51.
Racial Groups: Conceptual Perspectives and Practical Suggestions. VanTassel-Baska, J.L., Cross, T. L. & Olenchak, F. R. (Eds.). Social-Emotional Curriculum With Gifted and Talented Students (pp. 133-151). Prufrock Press Inc. Waco, Texas.
Assessing the cultural diversity in our exceptional children’s department is important for several reasons. First, we need look at the referral process and ensure that there isn’t a disproportionate representation of students with culturally diverse backgrounds in special education. Secondly, we need to assess whether the students who are receiving special education services, are doing so using appropriate culturally relevant tools and instructional techniques. Finally, we need to make sure we are communicating appropriately with the parents and other family members of all our
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 specifically the following questions: Does the special education system discriminate against minorities? If so, how? What can be done, if anything, to correct or improve this system?
Novel ideas in special education have unlocked the gate for developing a more heterogeneous and comprehensive approach of thinking about agendas in special education. While a number of topics have captured the attention of educators and advocates, perhaps one of the most anticipated areas of discussion continues to be the ED population. The overrepresentation of United States minority students identified ED in special education programs plagues schools and challenges researchers and practitioners. While Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 (IDEA) does specify guidelines, the process of identifying learners as ED and thus qualifying them for services can nevertheless be a subjective process. Research emboldens this subjective process and the issues surrounding the robust inequities among the ED population (Oswald & Coutino, 1999). Additionally, the next step is to openly critique, discuss and debated the issues and foster policy change. Moreover, this paper discusses the ED population and the critical issues regarding eligibility/labeling, FAPE, access to the general curriculum and continuum of placement.
Over the course of several years there have been several critical court cases that have completely transformed the way that special education policies and procedures are implemented into the classroom. These court cases have given rights, protection, and opportunities to those with disabilities that were not readily available before. The most important court cases that affected special education were Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas; Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Armstrong v. Kline; Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley; Daniel R.R. v. State Board of Education; Diana v. State Board of Education; Lau v. Nichols; Oberti v. Board of Education of
Harry, B., & Klingner, J. (2006). Why are so many minority students in special education? Understanding race and disability in schools. New York and London: Teachers College, Columbia University.
Sullivan, A. L. (2011). The 'Standard'. Disproportionality in Special Education: Identification and Placement of English Language Learners. Exceptional Children, 77(3), 317-334.
Many people are of the opinion that special education programs for gifted children are an unnecessary burden on tightly-budgeted and under-funded school systems, but this is actually far from the truth. The gifted are perhaps the most neglected group of special needs children in almost every school district. Because many people assume that the gifted do not need extra attention, gifted programs are often the first program to be cut when budgets are reduced, but I suggest that they be the last to go. These children have profound talents and are just as deserving of extra attention as children who are physically or mentally handicapped.
When looking at learning disabilities, communication disorders and giftedness, you would not normally think a gifted student as needing special services. Unfortunately so much time is spent on disabilities that the gifted student can be forgotten about. That is why the federal government does include the gifted with special education. In all three situations, intervention is needed to ensure that the students get the most out of their educational experience. Hopefully, as schools get more accustomed to dealing with inclusion and meeting the needs of the disabled, they will spend more time, identifying and helping the gifted.
This method of identification is accused of being biased because it results in the identification of a group of people that is mostly white and upper middle class (Sternberg & Williams, 2002). This occurs because minorities often lack the c...
During the late 1980’s and 1990’s the number of children with learning disabilities receiving special education services grew rapidly, but during 1998 and 2007 the number of children classified as having a LD has declined by 7% (Cortiella, 2009). “In 2007, 59% of students with LD spent 80% or more of their in-school time in general education classrooms. In 2000, that figure was just 40%” (Cortiella, 2009). In addition, students with disabilities are spending more time with students in traditional classroom settings. According to the Department of Education, “approximately 6 million children (roughly 10 percent of all school-aged children) receive special education services” (Pardini, 2011).
Heward, W. L. (2013). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.