Labeling Children

Paper Summary:

This paper examines current research regarding labels in schools and discusses the effects of those labels on the academic performance of students. The paper debates the high incidence of uses of disability labels, such as learning disability, behavioral disorders, or attention deficit disorder. The paper presents critics of labeling who argue that the labels themselves have a negative impact on the academic performance of children with those labels. The paper also explores the views of proponents of labeling, noting that the labels are necessary to provide all children with the educational assistance they need.

From the Paper:

"Those narrow groups do not identify specific abilities or disabilities, according to the researchers, but instead suggest specific treatment and intervention that is broad in topic. The result, they note, is often groups of children falling through the cracks in education, due to a failure to identify and assist in the areas the student truly needs. They continue to propose that, instead of broad labels, students? educations are tailored to fit their specific needs. In this way, the disabling effect of labels can be minimized, and students can do better, even when labeled (Levine & Swartz, 1995). Brody and Mills (1997) also found that expectations of teachers and peers in regards to disabled students played an important role in the development of those student's abilities. Their study focused on those disabled students who are also gifted. The researchers noted that many children with special needs are rarely identified and are often not given the tools they need, either in their low-ability areas or in their high ability areas (Brody & Mills, 1997)."

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