Special Education and Minorities

Paper Summary:

It has been thought for many years that minorities are more likely to be placed in special education classes than are non-minority students. The paper shows that some of the blame is often cast in the direction of standardized testing, which is thought to inadequately represent concepts particular to the cultures of minority students being tested. Some of the blame is cast on conditions of poverty; whether or not allied to poverty, some also place the blame on inadequate preparation for school by the caregivers of these minority students. By presenting a literature review on the topic, the paper shows that the likelihood that any particular eighth grade class member who is also a minority student will be placed in a special education class, is significantly greater than for a non-minority student.

From the Paper:

"Finally, it must be noted that not everyone wishes to put the blame for the over-representation totally on failings in the society as a whole; two studies, at least, look for causation in the home. Harry et al asked "What factors affect parents' participation in the early years of children's special education placement?" and attempted to define those factors (1995, p. 364+). Rush (1999, p. 3) found that while children "growing up in low-income environments have lower-than-average levels of reading achievement and higher-than-average rates of special education placement" but that "Research suggests that this discrepancy can be linked to differences in experiences during the early childhood years" including failure to reach to children and so on."

More papers on Special Education and Minorities:

• Article Review # 98272 : "Bilingual Special Education"
• Research Paper # 30152 : "Special Education"
• Research Paper # 54757 : "Special Education"

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