Addressing and Preventing Disproportionality in Exclusionary Discipline Practices for Students of Color With Disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambra L. Green ◽  
Daniel R. Cohen ◽  
Melissa Stormont
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Ethical Issue ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Exclusionary Discipline ◽  
Local Education ◽  
Discipline Practices ◽  
Educational Placements ◽  
Special Education Identification ◽  
Local Education Agencies

Historically, schools across the nation have struggled to address significant racial or ethnic disproportionality, including overrepresentation in exclusionary discipline practices, special education identification, and restrictive educational placements. The federal government has mandated that local education agencies monitor and address disproportionality but has provided little guidance on how to begin. This current topics column discusses this moral and ethical issue and provides ways schools can begin to address or prevent disproportionality in disciplinary practices.

scholarly journals The Potential of Restorative Practices to Ameliorate Discipline Gaps: The Story of One High School’s Leadership Team

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Cumings Mansfield ◽  
Beth Fowler ◽  
Stacey Rainbolt
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Restorative Justice ◽  
Leadership Team ◽  
Restorative Practices ◽  
Community Engaged Research ◽  
Discipline Practices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Special Education Identification

The purpose of this “From the Field” article is to share the tentative results of community-engaged research investigating the impact of Restorative Justice Discipline Practices on persistent discipline gaps in terms of race, gender, and special education identification.

Transition and other Services for Handicapped Students in Local Education Agencies

1989 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Fairweather
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Education Administrators ◽  
Vocational Programs ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Related Services ◽  
Adult Services ◽  
Local Education ◽  
Education Agencies ◽  
Education Administrators ◽  
Local Education Agencies

A survey was conducted among special education administrators in 1,450 local education agencies (LEAs) nationwide, to determine the availability of vocational programs and transition-oriented services for handicapped youth. Results showed that most LEAs offer at least some vocational programs; transition-oriented services are not as frequently available, particularly in smaller LEAs. In addition to size of LEA, community employment opportunities and the availability of adult services were related to whether an LEA offered any transition-related services.

scholarly journals A QuantCrit Analysis of Context, Discipline, Special Education, and Disproportionality

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842110413
Author(s):  
Rebecca A. Cruz ◽  
Saili S. Kulkarni ◽  
Allison R. Firestone
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
School Level ◽  
Exclusionary Discipline ◽  
Marginalized Youth ◽  
Institutionalized Racism ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
School Suspensions ◽  
Special Education Identification

Using a dis/ability critical race theory (DisCrit) and critical quantitative (QuantCrit) lens, we examine disproportionate application of exclusionary discipline on multiply marginalized youth, foregrounding systemic injustice and institutionalized racism. In doing so, we examined temporal-, student-, and school-level factors that may result in exclusion and othering (i.e., placing into special education and punishing with out-of-school suspensions) within one school district. We frame this study in DisCrit and QuantCrit frameworks to connect data-based decision making to sociocultural understandings of the ways in which schools use both special education and discipline to simultaneously provide and limit opportunities for different student groups. Results showed a complex interconnectedness between student sociodemographic labels (e.g., gender, race, and socioeconomic status) and factors associated with both special education identification and exclusionary discipline. Our findings suggest that quantitative studies lacking in-depth theoretical justification may perpetuate deficit understandings of the racialization of disability and intersections with exclusionary discipline.

Divergent Discourse in Disproportionality Research: A Response to Kauffman and Anastasiou (2019)

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise K. Whitford ◽  
Kelly M. Carrero
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Cultural Politics ◽  
Child Behavior ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Prevention And Intervention ◽  
The Future ◽  
Sound Policy ◽  
Special Education Identification

This article is in response to Kauffman and Anastasiou, wherein the authors initiate discussion regarding the cultural politics within special education identification and placement, particularly surrounding the issue of disproportionality. In this article, we identified four points of discussion regarding societal implications of disproportionality; the roles of (a) divergent ideologies; (b) access and advantage; (c) adult, adolescent, and child behavior; and (d) methodology in the debate on disproportionality in special education identification and placement. Furthermore, we highlight the problems with focusing too heavily on either one of these roles, without proposing viable prevention and intervention efforts to eliminate discriminatory identification and placement in the future. We encourage further discourse in the field that will lead to sound policy and improved practices within and for schools.

Disparities in the Enrollment and Timing of Special Education for Asian American and Pacific Islander Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
North Cooc
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Background Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Student Background ◽  
Ethnic Subgroups

School districts in the United States are required to monitor the overrepresentation of students of color in special education, yet recent studies have challenged these trends and suggest students of color may be underrepresented for services guaranteed under federal law. Missing in many of these discussions on disproportionality are the needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), a group consistently underrepresented in special education. Previous studies, however, do not examine the vast heterogeneity in experiences among AAPIs and how special education trends may differ across AAPI ethnic subgroups. Using longitudinal data on 10 cohorts of 42,807 total kindergartners from a school district over a 10-year period, this study probes deeper into underrepresentation by disaggregating participation trends and the timing of services for 11 AAPI ethnic subgroups. Results indicate that most AAPI student groups are underrepresented in special education and first receive services later than White peers. These patterns remain even after accounting for student background, level of acculturation, and school fixed effects.

Faculty Perspectives on the Recruitment, Retention, and Preparation of Special Education Doctoral Students of Color

2021 ◽  
pp. 088840642110462
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Maggin ◽  
Tai A. Collins ◽  
Josalyn A. Foster ◽  
Meagan N. Scott ◽  
Kandace W. Mossing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Doctoral Degree ◽  
Student Diversity ◽  
Minority Serving Institutions ◽  
Disproportional Representation

The field of special education continues to grapple with the presence and implications of disproportional representation related to race and ethnicity. While research focuses mostly on disproportional representation of students, there remains long-standing acknowledgment that too few students of color populate our special education university doctoral programs. The present study, therefore, surveyed current special education faculty members at doctoral degree granting institutions to understand the practices used to recruit and retain doctoral students of color and perspectives on their programs’ climate related to racial and ethnic diversity. In addition, the research team conducted a series of exploratory analyses to examine whether responses depended on respondent race or whether the respondent worked at a minority-serving institution. Results suggest a general commitment to increasing doctoral student diversity; however, there appears a lack of formalized plans and culturally relevant coursework. Findings of the exploratory analyses suggest that programs within minority-serving institutions may provide important leadership in this area. We conclude with limitations and recommendations for doctoral programs.

Respecting Federal, State, and Local Approaches to IDEA and Service Delivery Models

2019 ◽  
pp. 44-82
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Disabilities Education Act ◽  
Education Act ◽  
State And Local ◽  
State Educational ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Delivery Models

This chapter focuses on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which states that students with exceptionalities will be afforded an education without cost to themselves or their family. Since funding for special education programs are typically double the cost of a general education program, the chapter discusses the historical and current practices that state educational agencies have had to devise in order to pay for the services because the federal government has not followed through with its promise of providing 40% of the total costs to educate these children. The chapter concludes with a discussion about the future trends for special education funding.

Making Visible the Invisible: Multistudy Investigation of Disproportionate Special Education Identification of U.S. Asian American and Pacific Islander Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-467
Author(s):  
Amanda L. Sullivan ◽  
Tara Kulkarni ◽  
Vichet Chhuon
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Relative Risk ◽  
Asian American ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Pacific Islander ◽  
The United States ◽  
Asian And Pacific Islander ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Special Education Identification

Although disproportionality has been a focus of special education research for more than 50 years, relatively few researchers have addressed potential inequitable or inappropriate treatment of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students in the United States, particularly in quantitative research. This multistudy investigation explored patterns and predictors of AAPI representation in special education using (a) data from states’ federal child count reports and (b) a subsample of 4,290 participants from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS-K:2011). Descriptive analysis of states’ child count data indicated that, compared to White students, Asian and Pacific Islander students’ relative risk of identification differed for most disabilities, with Pacific Islanders generally demonstrating higher relative risk. Multivariate analysis of the ECLS-K:2011 subsample indicated that ethnic group differences in risk of special education identification were not robust to sociodemographic and performance controls. We discuss potential contributors to these patterns and implications for research.

Do Residential Schools and Local Education Agencies Collaborate to Improve the Transitions of Students with Visual Impairments?

1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (9) ◽  
pp. 647-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Zebehazy ◽  
Elizabeth Whitten
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Residential Schools ◽  
Collaborative Process ◽  
Local Education ◽  
Education Agencies ◽  
Local Education Agencies

It is important for residential schools for students with visual impairments to collaborate with students’ local education agencies (LEAs), especially during transitions from one school to another. This study explored whether these schools are collaborating with LEAs, how the collaborative process is defined, what the benefits of such collaboration are, and what changes in the process the schools would like to see.

Suspension and Expulsion of Handicapped Students: National Trends and the Case of Virginia

1989 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonis Katsiyannis ◽  
Doug Prillaman
Keyword(s):  
Federal Legislation ◽  
Exceptional Students ◽  
Local Education ◽  
Education Agencies ◽  
National Trends ◽  
Local Education Agencies ◽  
Suspension And Expulsion

The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of written policies regarding suspension and expulsion of handicapped students in local education agencies in Virginia. Existing policies were examined in light of six components derived from the review of federal legislation, litigation, and model policies from other states. In addition, responses to a questionnaire were summarized and analyzed to enhance understanding of the use of these procedures with exceptional students in Virginia. Synthesis and refinement of this information produced components of a model procedure that reflects up-to-date trends in disciplining exceptional students.

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