The Over and Underrepresentation in Special Education Programs

Buy this book »

An educational trend that will not go away and continues to concern federal, state, and local educational policy makers is the overrepresentation and underrepresentation of certain "minority" populations in special education programs.

Since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act passed in 1975, tremendous benefits have been experienced today. Approximately six million children with disabilities enjoy their right to a free, appropriate public education. These benefits, however, have not been equitably distributed. Minority children with disabilities all too often experience inadequate service—unnecessary isolation from their nondisabled peers, and low-quality curriculum and instruction. Moreover, inappropriate practices in both general and special education classrooms have resulted in the misclassification and hardship for minority students, particularly black and Native American students. For example, in most states, black children are identified at one and a half to four times the rate of white children in the disability categories of mental retardation and emotional disturbance. Nationally, Hispanic and Asian children are underidentified in cognitive disability categories compared with whites. These data raise questions about whether the special education needs of minority children are being met (Losen, 2002).

Consider the following data collected by the Civil Rights Program at Harvard University (Losen & Orfield, 2002):

• In wealthier districts, black children, especially males, are more likely to be labeled mentally retarded. Native American children also showed this finding, but to a lesser degree than black children.
• Minority children with disabilities are underserved. Black children with emotional disturbances received high-quality early intervention and far fewer hours of counseling and related services than white students with emotional disturbances.
• Disturbing racial disparities were found in outcomes and in rates of discipline. Among high schoolers with disabilities, about 75 percent of black students, compared with 47 percent of whites, are not employed two years out of school. Three to five years out of school, the arrest rate for blacks with disabilities was 40 percent compared with 27 percent for whites. New data also indicate substantially higher rates of school disciplinary action and placement facilities for black students with disabilities.

Keme'enui (2000) argues that at the beginning of the 21st century, the risk factors that plagued children with diverse learning and curricular needs a decade ago have not diminished. In fact the risks these students face are more intense now, at the beginning of the new millennium, than at any time before. The Information Age and global economy will be unforgiving to workers with poor reading and literacy skills (U.S. Department of Education, 1999). Jobs requiring the most education and training will grow the fastest and pay the highest. Occupations that require a bachelor's degree or higher will average a 23 percent growth—almost double the 12 percent growth for occupations that require less education and training (U.S. Department of Labor, 1995). Students who are unable to negotiate the "new basic skills" (Levy & Murnane, 1996) will be left behind in the new economy of the 21st century. This picture becomes increasingly chilly when the most recent reports of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are considered. At the close of the 20th century, two in five fourth grade children could not read at a basic level. This means they could not comprehend or make simple inferences about fourth grade material (NAEP Reading Scores, 1999).