Blacks(minorities) and Special Education, what do yo think?

[AKA2D '91]

I am a Special Education teacher, so I see this EVERYDAY!

check this out and let me know what you think...It's lengthy...
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API, 2/2/2001 - WASHINGTON (AP) - Black public school students are three times as likely as whites to be categorized as needing special education services, making them subject to less demanding schoolwork, more restrictive classrooms and isolation from their peers, educational researchers said Friday.
In a series of 14 studies commissioned by The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, researchers said they decided to address the issue after years of complaints from the NAACP and civil rights advocates nationwide.

"It was such a broad complaint that we decided it must be looked into seriously," said Gary Orfield of the civil rights project, who presented the research on Capitol Hill.

The studies, which looked at educational and legal issues in the nation's special education system, found that black students were nearly three times as likely as whites to be labeled "mentally retarded" and in need of special education services. The studies also found that, as the wealth of school districts rose, black male students were at greater risk of being disproportionately labeled "mentally retarded."

In five states - Connecticut, Nebraska, South Carolina, Mississippi and North Carolina - black students were more than four times as likely to be identified as mentally retarded than their white peers, the studies showed.

Latino students were underrepresented nationwide in special education classes, but tended to be overrepresented as their proportion of a school district's student body grew, the studies found.

"Across the board, this is a problem for minority students," said Daniel J. Losen, a lawyer for The Civil Rights Project who co-authored one of the studies.

Losen said special education programs, when used alongside regular classroom support, "can really do wonders for kids."

But in many places, he said, special education classes have become "a dumping ground for low-achieving students" who don't succeed in regular classrooms - often because classroom teachers are unprepared for the emotional and learning problems that many students suffer.

In many cases, special education classes isolate students from their peers and feature more uncertified teachers, a watered-down curriculum and over-reliance on IQ testing, the studies said. A placement in a special education class can also mean that a student's specific learning disability goes undiagnosed, the studies said.

Using 1997 Education Department data, the studies found that, nationwide, black students were 2.9 times as likely as whites to be identified as having mental retardation. They were 1.9 times as likely to be identified with an emotional disturbance and 1.3 times as likely to be identified with a specific learning disability.

Nationwide, American Indian students also were slightly more likely to be identified as mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed or with a specific learning disability.

A spokeswoman for Education Secretary Rod Paige said the department is awaiting the results of its own study on the issue, conducted by the National Academy of Sciences. The report will be issued as early as this summer, she said.

Paul Houston of the American Association of School Administrators said schools have known about such discrepancies for years. He said special education is often a school's only way to get needed counseling and special services for troubled or failing students.

"In some places, schools are confronted with kids who are not learning adequately, and they search for solutions," he said. "Special ed is one of those solutions. Realistically, in many cases, schools don't have those resources available to them, outside of the special ed system."

The NAACP in 1999 complained that a public school district in Virginia discriminated against black students, placing too many in special education classes and too few in gifted classes. A federal investigation found no evidence of discrimination against blacks in the Roanoke, Va., public schools. Similar complaints by the NAACP prompted the Harvard studies, Losen said.

The studies recommend that the Education Department and the U.S. Office for Civil Rights more aggressively enforce special education rules and that states intervene where minority students are overrepresented in such classes.

The studies also said high-stakes tests that determine whether students receive diplomas should be put on hold until schools can show that all students have had a "meaningful opportunity" to learn the material on the tests.

The studies said schools should help special education and regular classroom teachers work together, provide better training for all teachers in special education issues, provide better services for children with emotional disturbances and reduce classroom sizes overall.

The Civil Rights Project

[KoolAid]

I agree with the article totally and feel that there does indeed need to be correlation between regular classroom teachers and special education teachers as well as the school board's commissioners. My cousin teaches Special Ed at the elementary school level and I used to intern at the school and I viewed some of the very same things mentioned in the article. I also feel that there are many students placed in Special Ed classes because it seems as if they are having problems that the regular teacher can't handle (the article goes into depth). My main problem with the Special Ed system is that most of the students are not at the reading/placement level they should be on, they are on a lower level, yet when it's time for standardized tests, the students get tested on the higher level...but wait, they aren't on the level right? RIGHT. I don't know if this is happening everywhere but I know that it happens where I was (South Florida).

As you can see I have issues with the education system.

[This message has been edited by KoolAid (edited April 22, 2001).]

[NiceGirl]

As someone who has been in the educational field for a little while now, I totally agree with the article. Students of color are getting short-changed around the country.

But what is also perplexing is that white students are getting short-changed as well. Their parents don't seem to realize the danger of the institution that believes in the inaccurate misconception that - "White kids are smart and Black kids are dumb". Their White child may be in need of special services but are allowed to sneak through based on their race only to pay for it in his/her adult life. Or on the other end of the spectrum, their gifted white child may not receive the most challenging learning environment because the teacher's attention may be focused on the lower achieving, incorrectly placed white child .

This should not just be an issue for Black America but ALL of America.
(Sorry for the long post but I deal with this all the time)

[AKA2D '91]

It is a issue for all of America, BUT for African-Americans even more.

The reason why I posted this topic was for those who have children, especially in elementary schools to realize how our AA MALES are being (mis)placed and labeled as Spec. Ed. in alarming rates as opposed to non-AA.

The research has shown that AA males are evaluated to receive SP.ED services more than ANY other. This evaluation usually occurs in FIRST OR SECOND GRADE! Only because Miss Biffy or Miss Buffy or Mr. Tim does not have an efficient/effective classroom management plan (behavior) in place. So, these students are often labeled as having problems, etc. Okay, the average 6 or 7 year old is NOT going to sit down on the first, "sit down, Johnny." So, that gives him or her the premise to say, Johnny needs special education because he cannot sit still...what kind of mess is that!

Anyway, these kids are being placed in Spec. Ed. only to REMAIN THERE, usually giving up and dropping out of school. Therefore, not finding adequate jobs, usually turning to criminal activity, then becoming "another statistic", or DEAD.

Now, BELIEVE ME, there are some who DO NEED THESE SERVICES, but more times than not, many of these kids are misplaced.

excuse the length...

FYI, it is no longer PC to use the word RETARDED, it's PC to use HANDICAPPED (mentally handicapped)


[This message has been edited by AKA2D '91 (edited April 23, 2001).]

[Miss. Mocha]

My professor for Intro To The Exceptional Child, who is white, was always touting this phenomenon.

He often stated that educators would put white children with learning problems in "LD" classes and in fact, coined the term "LD" for white, middle class students (usually boys), and stuck black kids in special ed at a rate of like 30%. The thing is, he was talking about the 1950s and 1960s. Isn't it shameful that some things never change?

Parents really have to be proactive when educators are attempting to label their children. It's not easy to find out where your state stands on Special ed, and what your child's rights are, but it's a necessary evil.


Just my .02
Miss. Mocha