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The Disproportionate Impact
On this map, we are shown which ethnicity makes up the highest percentage in school districts that have above the national median risk ratio for disabilities. The listed ethnicity and its corresponding percentage show a clear disproportionality of minority students in special education. White students made up the highest percentage in only 6 states, while Black or African American students had the highest percentages in 24 states. American Indian or Alaskan Natives made up the highest percentage in 11 states, and Hispanic/Latino students were in 3 states. This data helps to show that the rate at which minority students are being identified and placed into special education is higher. This data encompasses all categories of disabilities, including intellectual, emotional, and language impairments. Overall, minority students are being overly identified in comparison with their white peers, which often affects the quality of education offered to them, and the amount of time they spend in the traditional classroom.
A Transatlantic Issue
Similarly to how minority students in the United States are being disproportionately identified and placed in special education, other countries also overrepresent minority students in their special education programs. For example, in Denmark, minority students are twice as likely in parts of the country to be placed in special education. Often times, these students are not ever actually identified as having any particular disability, and are categorized as having "general learning difficulties." In Sweden, there is a significant overrepresentation of migrant students in their special education system. Like in Denmark, many of these students are labeled as having generalized issues such as behavioral problems rather than a specific, diagnosed disability. In Germany, immigrant students are again, being more frequently identified as needing special education in comparison to students who were born in Germany. This appears to be a trend in not only the United States, but in many of these European countries as well. Students who come from different ethnic backgrounds or who speak a different language than the majority of their peers are being unfairly placed into special education. While these programs are useful for students with diagnosed disabilities, this level of overrepresentation is a separate issue. Not all of these students truly need to be in these classrooms, and doing so can disrupt and affect their learning. This issue connects back to the concept of white freedom. As shown in the map and research in different European countries, white students are not being overrepresented in special education nearly as often as minority students. This creates an unfair advantage that white students have over minority students. All students should be entitled to an equal education, regardless of their race and background.
Sources:
Berhanu, G., & Dyson, A. Special Education in Europe, Overrepresentation of Minority Students. In J. Banks (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education (pp. 2070-2073). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc. 2012,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299857942_Berhanu_G_Dyson_A_2012_Special_education_in_Europe_overrepresentation_of_minority_students_In_J_Banks_Ed_Encyclopedia_of_Diversity_in_Education_pp_2070-
2073_Thousand_Oaks_SAGE_Publications_Inc
U.S Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Special Education, Washington, D.C. 2016, https://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepidea/618-data/LEA-racial-ethnic-
disparities-tables/disproportionality-analysis-by-state-analysis-category.pdf
Berhanu, G., & Dyson, A. Special Education in Europe, Overrepresentation of Minority Students. In J. Banks (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education (pp. 2070-2073). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc. 2012,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299857942_Berhanu_G_Dyson_A_2012_Special_education_in_Europe_overrepresentation_of_minority_students_In_J_Banks_Ed_Encyclopedia_of_Diversity_in_Education_pp_2070-
2073_Thousand_Oaks_SAGE_Publications_Inc
U.S Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Special Education, Washington, D.C. 2016, https://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepidea/618-data/LEA-racial-ethnic-
disparities-tables/disproportionality-analysis-by-state-analysis-category.pdf