Disproportionate Representation Of Minorities In Special Education Case Study

Disproportionate Minority Representation Special Education can be provided to any student with disabilities if they qualify for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), but is there a disproportionate representation of minorities in special education classrooms? As it appears now, there is two sides to this argument, the first being an overrepresentation of minority students in special education classes and the second being an underrepresentation of minority students in special education classes. However, when looking at the research and data on the subject there appears to be more minorities, such as Hispanics and African American students in special education classes. To begin, by looking at the data and statistics for North Carolina’s school systems there is an obvious skew in the ratio of minorities to Caucasian students in special education classrooms. In an article by Kris Zorigian and Jennifer Job, they state “35 percent of students receiving special education services are African American, 8 percent are Hispanic, and 53 percent are white” (2010). However, in …show more content…
Sadly, many schools are plagued by cultural incompetence and racial bias, which can affect the amount of minority students in special education (CEC and NABSE, 2002). Teachers may expect less from a students from other ethnicities, which in turn reduces their achievement (CEC and NABSE, 2002). Lastly, the inability to relate to many behaviors that could have resulted from negative a home life cause a problem within a regular education classroom (CEC and NABSE, 2002).A lack of understanding for the student may cause them to be pushed out of the regular class and into a special education environment. These school climate factors help to explain why there is an overrepresentation of minorities in special education