Disproportional representation of minorities in special education: Review

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a brief exploration of the disproportional representation of African American students in special education with a focus on addressing racial bias in the identification process at the school level.

Design/methodology/approach

This inquiry was conducted through a literature search of data and extant literature on school-level remedies to disproportional representation, particularly bias in the process of special education identification.

Findings

While racial bias in any process remains difficult to expose, it cannot be eliminated as a contributing factor in the disproportional representation of African American students in special education. This review will acquaint the reader with competing explanations and proposed remedies.

Originality/value

Critics have proposed that the disproportional representation of African American students in special education and in discipline statistics has become a way to segregate minority students, therefore an exploration of this practice merits concern.

Citation

S. Maydosz, A. (2014), "Disproportional representation of minorities in special education: Review", Journal for Multicultural Education, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 81-88. https://doi.org/10.1108/JME-01-2014-0002