NPR: Schools Find Achievement Gap Tough To Close

Resource
I included this NPR radio link so that you could hear from a great author on the subject of inequalities in education.

Summary
Despite ongoing research and theorizing, the educational achievement of black boys and young black men continues to lag behind their white peers, nationwide. James Earl Davis of Temple University's College of Education and Pedro Noguera, author of The Trouble With Black Boys discuss.

Link:
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/23/131544567/schools-find-achievement-gap-tough-to-close

Methods for Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners

by, John J. Hoover, Jeanette K. Klingner, Leonard M. Baca & James R. Patton

Solution/Resource
I discovered this book in a course I was taking at Seattle University in Special Education 541. I found it to be a great resource on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students.

Summary

This book provides readers with a wealth of knowledge in instructional methods for culturally and linguistically diverse learners, designed to help differentiate between learning differences and learning disabilities and appropriately meet associated needs. It is written for any educator directly or indirectly involved in the K-12 education of culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional learners. This book may also serve as a valuable resource to professional development staff, school administrators, school psychologists, and other related service providers.

Assessing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

by, Robert L. Rhodes, Salvador Hector Ochoa & Samuel O. Ortiz

Solution/Resource
The reason that I chose to include this book is that it is a great resource for education professionals to use when they are going to be testing or assessing minorities students.

Summary

This is the first book to present a practical, problem-solving approach and hands-on tools and techniques for assessing English-language learners and culturally diverse students in K-12 settings. It meets a crucial need among practitioners and special educators working in today's schools. Provided are research-based, step-by-step procedures for conducting effective interviews with students, parents, and teachers; making the best use of interpreters; addressing special issues in the prereferral process; and conducting accurate, unbiased assessments of academic achievement, intellectual functioning, language proficiency, and acculturation. Among the book's special features are reproducible worksheets, questionnaires, and checklists--including several in both English and Spanish--in a ready-to-use, large-size format.

The Psychology of Multiculturalism in the Schools: A Primer for Practice, Training, and Research

The reason that I chose to include this piece on our blog, besides it being a really great resource, is that having cultural competency is one of the solutions to stopping the over representation of minorities

in special education.

Summary

Understanding the diverse cultural, linguistic, and educational needs of students is essential to creating genuinely inclusive and effective schools where all children can thrive. This is includes embracing individuality in diverse children and their families, as well as understanding the cultural foundations of learning and behavior. Edited by Janine M. Jones, The Psychology of Multiculturalism in the Schools: A Primer for Practice, Training, and Research provides school professionals the tools necessary to become culturally responsive practitioners, enhance student progress, and close the achievement gap.

Do You Know These Children?

• Ethnically and racially diverse students represent 43% of the U.S. student population.
• 20% of U.S. students 17 and younger are Latino.
• Approximately 20% of children ages 5–17 speak a language other than English at home, and 5 percent speak English with difficulty.
• 34% of Indigenous American children, 33% of Black students, 26% of Latino students, and 17% of U.S. students overall, live in poverty.
• In 2007, about 16 million children age 17 and under had at least one immigrant parent.
• 86% of sexual minority youth report being harassed at school

Confronting Inequity in Special Education, Part I: Understanding the Problem of Disproportionality

NASP Communiqué, Vol. 38, #1
September 2009

By Amanda L. Sullivan, Elizabeth A'Vant, John Baker, Daphne Chandler, Scott Graves, Edward McKinney, & Tremaine Sayles

This are article is from the National Association of School Psychologists. They have a newsletter they produce called the Communique'.

Summary
This article is one in a series developed by NASP’s African American Subcommittee for school psychologists and other educators working with culturally and linguistically diverse student populations. In this article, part one of two addressing disproportionality, the subcommittee presents an overview of the problem of disproportionate representation of Black students in special education. In next month’s edition, part two will provide school psychologists with promising practices in addressing disproportionality and supporting equity in schools. The authors acknowledge the support of the African American Subcommittee, under NASP’s Multicultural Affairs Committee, for their insightful discussions on the article topic, as well as for the group’s professional allegiance.

Reference for the article and to see the full article:
http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/mocq381disproportionality.aspx

National Education Association: Hispanics - Special Education and English Language Learners

The National Education Association--the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, related service providers, education support professionals, college faculty, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers--identifies teachers' misconceptions in labeling English Language Learners as having Learning Disabilities. NEA challenges educators, administrators, and families to better understand the differences between academic discrepancy due to Language Acquisition and Learning Disabilities; a call to action encouraging this knowledge and a strong partnerships between special education teams, teachers, and families is the solution to address the over-representation of English Language Learners in Special Education. 

Hispanics - Special Education and English Language Learners (NEA, 2007) (, 390 KB, 6pp)

Misconceptions surrounding language differences vs. learning disabilities.

To read article:

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/HE/mf_hispanicfocus07.pdf

 

National Education Association: Truth in Labeling: Dis-proportionality in Special Education

The National Education Association--the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, related service providers, education support professionals, college faculty, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers--analyzes contributing factors to dis-proportionality of gender, English Language Learners, and minority ethnic groups in special education and gifted programs. It outlines the following strategies for how to make a difference and initiate change:

* Academic language proficiency

* Quality early childhood opportunities  

* Early intervening services

* Response-to-intervention

* Positive behavioral supports

* Classroom management skills

* Culturally responsive teaching

* Culturally responsive assessment

* Parent, family, and community partnerships

Truth in Labeling: Dis-proportionality in Special Education. NEA

Professional Library, 2007, www.nea.org/books.

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/HE/EW-TruthInLabeling.pdf

National Education Association: Recommends New Assessment Strategy

National Education Association (NEA)

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, related service providers, education support professionals, college faculty, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.

NEA Recommends New Assessment Strategy

The National Assessment Governing Board -- the board that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) -- is considering changes to its policies on how students with disabilities and English language learners participate in the national assessment, often called the Nation’s Report Card.  Senior policy analyst Patti Ralabate of NEA’s Education Policy and Practice Department offered testimony suggesting six key recommendations focused on using an inclusive and reasonable approach to increase the participation of students with disabilities and to improve the validity of cross-state comparisons .

To view testimony of recommendations:

http://www.nea.org/home/30609.htm

US Department of Education: Federal Law and Disproportionality

The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—signed into law on Dec. 3, 2004, with final regulations published on Aug. 14, 2006—addresses dis-proportionality of minority students in special education. This is one in a series of documents, prepared by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the U.S. Department of Education that covers a variety of high-interest topics and brings together the regulatory requirements related to those topics to support constituents in preparing to implement the new regulations. This document addresses the final regulatory requirements regarding dis-proportionality and over-identification. 

IDEA Regulations

1. Require policies and procedures designed to prevent the inappropriate over-identification or disproportionate representation by race and ethnicity of children as children with disabilities

2. Require collection and examination of data regarding dis-proportionality.

3. Establish requirements for review and revision of policies, practices and procedures.

4. Require States to disaggregate data on suspension and expulsion rates by race and ethnicity.

5. Require States to monitor their LEA's to examine dis-proportionality.

To see more specific federal regulations:

http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,dynamic,TopicalBrief,7,

Statutory law within each state soon reflected these requirements of addressing dis-proportionality.

Example: Washington State Legislature: WAC 392-172A-07040

Significant dis-proportionality.

  (1) The state collects and examines data annually from school districts to determine if significant dis-proportionality based on race or ethnicity is occurring in the state with respect to:

     (a) The identification of children as students eligible for special education;

     (b) The identification of students with a particular disability;

     (c) The placement of students in particular educational settings; or

     (d) The incidence, duration, and type of disciplinary actions, including suspensions and expulsions.

     (2)(a) In the case of a determination of significant dis-proportionality with respect to the identification of students eligible for special education including those with a particular disability, the placement in particular educational settings of these students, or discipline, the OSPI shall provide for the review and, if appropriate, revision of the policies, procedures, and practices used in the identification or placement to ensure that the policies, procedures, and practices comply with the requirements of the act;

     (b) Require any school district identified under this section to reserve the maximum amount of federal funds under WAC 392-172A-06085 to provide comprehensive coordinated early intervening services to serve students in the school district, particularly, but not exclusively, students in those groups that were significantly over identified; and

     (c) Require the school district to publicly report on the revision of policies, practices, and procedures described under (b) of this subsection.

To view Washington State Administrative Codes:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=392-172A-07040

Educating Black Youth from the National Education Association

Summary

As the nation enters its third year under the leadership of its first Black president, a man so well educated, his critics have labeled him an elitist, the numbers tell us many Black male students are more likely to hit the streets than the books. In just 2010 alone, the release of three high-profile research studies generated national debate on the academic prospects of Black boys. The statistics describing Black boys as more likely than their peers to be placed in special education classes, labeled mentally retarded, suspended from school, or drop out altogether is disturbing enough. But the surprising news, at once puzzling and promising, is that we actually have tools to reverse this trajectory and success stories to prove it.

Find the full article link on:

http://www.nea.org/home/42456.htm

Legal Rights: The Overrepresentation of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education

Kevin Werner

Abstract
This article discusses the laws that protect individuals with disabilities and the laws that protect individuals from racial and language discrimination. It explains the important difference between the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504. It also describes practical application of the laws and provides two examples that will help illustrate how these legal procedures might work in reality.

PDF version:

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=16892023051175742283&hl=en&as_sdt=0,48&as_vis=1

Impact of Instructional Consultation Teams on the Disproportionate Referral and Placement of Minority Students in Special Education

Remedial and Special Education

A Journal on the Hammill Institute on Disabilities

Todd A. Gravois 

Abstract

The current study investigated the impact of implementing Instructional Consultation Teams (IC Teams) on the disproportionate referral and placement of minority students into special education. Data were collected on referral and placement patterns of minority students in 13 IC Teams schools and 9 comparison schools. Three accepted indices of disproportionality—including risk indexes, odds ratios, and composition indexes—were calculated and analyzed for the baseline and for 2 years of project implementation. After 2 years of implementation, there were significant decreases in the risk of minority students in IC Team project schools being referred to and placed in special education when compared to nonproject schools. Moreover, the odds of minority students' being referred and placed in special education decreased by almost half in IC Team schools. Similar decreases in IC Team schools were noted when analyzing the composition indexes. The current findings also highlight the influence that quality classroom instructional practices have on the referral and placement of minority students for special education services.

To purchase the full article:

http://rse.sagepub.com/content/27/1/42.short

Disproportionate Representation of African American Students in Special Education: Acknowledging the Role of White Privilege and Racism

Abstract

This article places the problem of disproportionate representation of African American students in special education in the context of the White privilege and racism that exist in American society as a whole. The author discusses how educational resource allocation, inappropriate curriculum and pedagogy, and inadequate teacher preparation have contributed to the problem of disproportionate representation. More important, she argues that remedies designed to address the disproportionality challenge must place the aforementioned structural forces at the center of education research, policy, and practice.

To purchase full article: 

http://edr.sagepub.com/content/35/6/24.short

Office for Civil Rights

Overview of the Agency
The mission of the Office for Civil Rights is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights.
We serve student populations facing discrimination and the advocates and institutions promoting systemic solutions to civil rights problems.  An important responsibility is resolving complaints of discrimination. Agency-initiated cases, typically called compliance reviews, permit OCR to target resources on compliance problems that appear particularly acute. OCR also provides technical assistance to help institutions achieve voluntary compliance with the civil rights laws that OCR enforces. An important part of OCR's technical assistance are partnerships designed to develop creative approaches to preventing and addressing discrimination.

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/aboutocr.html

US Commission on Civil Rights: Minorities in Special Education

A Briefing Before the United States Commission on Civil Rights

Held in Washington, DC, December 3, 2007

On December 3, 2007, either experts briefed members of the US Commission on Civil Rights on whether blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Limited English Proficient (LEP) students are misplaced in special education programs more often as a proportion of the general education student population, than their white, Asian, or non-LEP peers; and the nature, extent, and possible causes of any misplacement. In addition, the panelists were asked to give their views on what the federal government, schools, and parents could do to address the issue.

Click below to view full briefing:

http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/MinoritiesinSpecialEducation.pdf

Race, Class, and Disproportionality: Reevaluating the Relationship Between Poverty and Special Education Placement

Carla O’Connor, Associate Professor of Education

University of Michigan, School of Education, 4001 SEB Box 1259, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; coconnor@umich.edu. Her research interests focus on the racial identity, academic experience, and educational resilience of African American students

Sonia DeLuca Fernandez

Doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan, Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, 610 E. University Avenue, 2117 SEB, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; sddeluca@umich.edu. Her research interests focus on social justice in higher education, with particular attention to race and the ways in which identity mediates socialization in academe

Abstract

This article analyzes how a recent National Research Council report (2002) defined the impact of poverty in explaining the overrepresentation of minority students in special education. Echoing the perspective of mainstream special education literature, the report offered a latent theory of compromised development which indicated that minority students are more likely to be poor and that “being” poor heightens their exposure to risk factors that compromise human development and increase the need for special services. We elucidate how this theory oversimplifies the concept of “development” and consequently under-analyzes how the culture and organization of schools situates minority youths as academically and behaviorally deficient and places them at risk for special education placement.

http://www.aera.net/uploadedFiles/Publications/Journals/Educational_Researcher/3506/03ERv35n6_OConnor.pdf