Misrepresentation of Minority Students in Special Education Classes
By Jennifer Shtutman

It has come to my attention that there are statistically a great number of minorities in special education programs in schools and I was curious to find out some of the theories as to why this is a trend in our society. African- American students account for 16 percent of the total US student population in 1992 but represented 32 percent of students in programs for mild mental retardation, and 29 percent in programs for serious emotional disturbance. (Hammons, 2001) Although minorities today have the same rights and liberties as the majority, there are many barriers that still exist based on the constructions formed by societal laws and perceptions created generations prior to ours. When applied correctly and in the appropriate context to the correct students, special education can prove invaluably effective for children, however, when it is imparted on students who do not need it, the effects prove to be extremely detrimental.
One of the major reasons for the unbalanced statistics is the idea that a child can be misrepresented and labeled at a young age based on their race or socioeconomic status. They are often placed in special education classes because they may not be outgoing enough, have not voiced their true abilities, and out of fear might hide who they truly are. Poverty is one of the identified causes of this unbalance and is a variable that greatly influences special education rates. Researchers show a clear correlation between mild mental retardation diagnosis and low socioeconomic status, which is more prevalent among minority groups. (Hammons, 2001). Other variables that can play into this include language barriers, poor test taking skills, difficulties at home, and countless of other factors that go ignored by the administration. Mathew Ladner, VP of research for the Goldwater Institute reported that Hispanics in predominately white schools are much more likely to be placed in special education than their white peers (Ladner, 2008). According to Ladner, many of these children do not belong in these programs, and are simply placed there as a substitute for remedial education. Misplacing kids into the wrong programs can have very damaging consequences such as a great decrease in their self esteem, a false self image of their own potential and academic prowess, and a sense of lesser accomplishment than their peers. Because of the high levels of unbalanced placement in US schools, effective as of July 2005, the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities act was created per the US Department of Education . This act requires states to collect and examine data from al schools to monitor the representation of minority groups in special education programs. If there is a clear issue in the balance of representation then funds are directed towards the remedial education services for the group being placed in these classes. (Murphy, 2009).
Disproportional education affects different groups in different ways. African America students have been found to be overrepresented in intellectual disability, emotional disturbance, as opposed to American Indians which are more likely found to be in the learning disability category. (Gentry (2009) stated that reports) have shown that universally in our country, African American students have a higher suspension rate than other students, along with expulsion rates and office referrals. They also have shown to get punished for lesser infringements then white students. (Gentry, 2009) To me, tthis is something that needs to be worked on perhaps in seminars and lectures within the administration. Educators themselves need to be educated on how best to help students who are acting out, and not simply look for the easy solution which may be to put them in specialized classes. Problem children such as these most likely have these issues because of troubles back at home, maybe they are working part time after school, which results in them being tired and incapable of focusing as well as others.
Minority children are born carrying around a label that often times does not describe them in the least. In some communities they may face a stigma which is carried with them into the classrooms. The same infringement made by a minority student as a non-minority student could be looked at as far more sever because many adults are blinded by perceptions they may have grown up around. Because these issues are alive and well in many communities, it has forced many school districts to spend more money on special education, pushing the state to more closely monitor placement and administration training for educators on diversity in the classroom. (Gentry, 2009).



References

Matthew Ladner. Ladner, M. (2009) Minorities in special education. Border Beat. Retrieved on 10/1/2009 from http://borderbeat.net/education/637-minorities-in-special-education

Matthew Ladner, C. Hammonds (2001)
Rethinking Special Education for a New Century. Retrieved on 10/13/2009 from newdemocratmagazine.org

Gentry, R. (2009) Disproportionate Representation of Minorities in Special Education – How Bad? The 3rd Annual Jane H. Leblanc Symposium in Communication Disorders.

Angelina KewalRamani, A. .(2007) Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Minorities. Retrieved from Retrieved on 10/1/2009 From http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/33/b7/63.pdf