Disproportionality In Special Education Essay
Disproportionality in Special Education Looking back, it is very obvious that educating students with disabilities has come a long way over the years. Several laws have been put into place, such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the American Disabilities Act (ADA), to prevent discrimination and ensure that all individuals are receiving the proper education. While these laws have been beneficial, inequalities are still present. One of the biggest, most influential imbalances is disproportionality, the overrepresentation and underrepresentation of specific demographic groups, in special education programs (National Education Association, 2008, p. 1).
Within the U.S. Department of Education’s 28th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA (2006), research demonstrated that specific racial/ethnic groups are often disproportionally identified for special education within school systems (p. 49). From the data collected, risk ratios were developed that compared the proportions of racial/ethnic groups served under Part B of IDEA to the proportion served among the other …show more content…
2). When a student should be identified and isn’t, he may be stripped of the services he really needs in order to succeed. On the other hand, if a student is identified and shouldn’t be, it creates an inaccurate impression of a child’s intelligence and potential in the classroom. Along with that, it makes him more susceptible to judgment, as classmates begin isolating students that are “different.” Also, once a student is labeled in special education, he is all of the sudden far less likely to receive access to the full curriculum and given limited interaction with his “abled” peers, actually providing him fewer education opportunities throughout his years in
Within the U.S. Department of Education’s 28th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA (2006), research demonstrated that specific racial/ethnic groups are often disproportionally identified for special education within school systems (p. 49). From the data collected, risk ratios were developed that compared the proportions of racial/ethnic groups served under Part B of IDEA to the proportion served among the other …show more content…
2). When a student should be identified and isn’t, he may be stripped of the services he really needs in order to succeed. On the other hand, if a student is identified and shouldn’t be, it creates an inaccurate impression of a child’s intelligence and potential in the classroom. Along with that, it makes him more susceptible to judgment, as classmates begin isolating students that are “different.” Also, once a student is labeled in special education, he is all of the sudden far less likely to receive access to the full curriculum and given limited interaction with his “abled” peers, actually providing him fewer education opportunities throughout his years in