The resource directory is searchable and contains articles, tools, recordings, and links to websites. The resources are also categorized by topics, including the five Focus Areas suggested by the California Department of Education. Use the Search box below or click on the topical links to access the resources. (Hint: Once you have done an initial search, you will be able to sort the results by Resource Name or Publication Date.)
The article critically engages with the assumptions embedded in RtI. It argues that while the policy may appear to be a comprehensive intervention system it does not directly engage with structural and contextual inequities in school districts. It is an important article for practitioners because it provides a critical lens to understand how policy alone cannot assure equitable outcomes.
Artiles, A. J., Bal, A., and King-Thorius, K. “Back to the Future: A Critique of Response to Intervention’s Social Justice Views.” Theory Into Practice, 49, 2010: 250–257.
The book focuses on the experiences of a group of Black male students that have been labeled by school officials as disciplinary problems. It is an important book for practitioners to read because it highlights how students experience schooling, the labels given to them, the expectations held about them and the discipline they receive in school.
Ferguson, A.A. Bad Boys: Public Schools in the Making of Black Masculinity. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2000.
As discipline continues to be a primary indicator of inequity in schools, NYU provides this assessment measure to help educators identify discipline outcomes in relationship to positive behavioral support systems.
NYU Steinhardt. nd. Behavioral Analysis Workbook. New York University: Metropolitan Center for Urban Education.
This webinar focuses on how to implement evidence-based instructional practices comprising the BEST in CLASS intervention program. The BEST in CLASS intervention targets young children (ages 3-5 years old) with challenging behavior and has found to be effective for use in early childhood settings to prevent and ameliorate young children’s challenging behaviors, promote positive teacher-child interactions, and increase child engagement and learning.
School districts aim to create equitable learning environments that reflect the diversity of their students, staff, and community, including those with disabilities. This research brief examines two processes that frequently lead to disproportionality—special education identification and disciplinary referrals for special education students. These processes have significant academic and behavioral impacts on students, and understanding them is crucial for school districts working to eliminate disproportionality.
To achieve more equitable outcomes, special education identification processes should avoid racially, culturally, or sexually discriminatory methods. If an analysis of classification data and risk ratios indicates disproportionality, districts should establish a stakeholder group to perform a root cause analysis, develop an improvement plan, and create a blueprint for implementation and evaluation. To address disciplinary disproportionality, the U.S. ED's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) advises districts to:
Establish clear priorities.
Confront explicit bias.
Eliminate practices leading to inequitable outcomes.
Implement evidence-based interventions.
Additionally, OSEP recommends that policies include seven key elements:
Specific Commitment to Equity
Family Partnerships in Policy Development
Focus on Implementing Positive, Proactive Behavior Support Practices
Clear Objective Discipline Procedures
Removal or Reduction of Exclusionary Practices
Graduated Discipline Systems with Instructional Alternatives to Exclusion
Procedures with Accountability for Equitable Student Outcomes
Citation: Hanover Research. 2018. “Best Practices in Addressing Disproportionality for Students with Disabilities.” https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bxs72tmqck7zkcw79iov4/Best-Practices-Georgia.pdf?rlkey=ciz1ja0u09x53u4wqyj6dx3lz&st=n0cp1wtj&dl=0 (accessed, June 14, 2024).
This report examines compliance with federal laws designed to protect students of color with disabilities from discrimination, and whether the federal government’s enforcement of these laws adequately protects these students from discriminatory disciplinary actions and policies.
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. 2019. Beyond Suspensions: Examining School Discipline Policies and Connections to the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Students of Color with Disabilities. Washington, DC: Author.
This report examines compliance with federal laws designed to protect students of color with disabilities from discrimination, and whether the federal government’s enforcement of these laws adequately protects these students from discriminatory disciplinary actions and policies.
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. 2019. Beyond Suspensions: Examining School Discipline Policies and Connections to the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Students of Color with Disabilities. Washington, DC: Author.
This report examines the challenges and opportunities that Black students face in Los Angeles County. The report explores key academic and school climate indicators as they illustrate distinct differences between Black students and students of other racial and ethnic groups.
Noguera, Pedro, Joseph Bishop, Tyrone Howard, and S. Johnson. 2019. Beyond the Schoolhouse: Overcoming Challenges and Expanding Opportunities for Black Youth in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles, CA: Center for the Transformation of Schools, Black Male Institute, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, University of California.
This report examines the challenges and opportunities that Black students face in Los Angeles County. The report explores key academic and school climate indicators as they illustrate distinct differences between Black students and students of other racial and ethnic groups.
Noguera, Pedro, Joseph Bishop, Tyrone Howard, and S. Johnson. 2019. Beyond the Schoolhouse: Overcoming Challenges and Expanding Opportunities for Black Youth in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles, CA: Center for the Transformation of Schools, Black Male Institute, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, University of California.
Teacher adjusted bias levels are lower in counties with larger demographics of Black students. In counties where teachers hold higher levels of implicit and explicit racial bias have larger adjusted White/Black test score inequalities and White/Black suspension disparities.
Chin, M. J., Quinn, D. M., Dhaliwal, T. K., & Lovison, V. S. (2020). Bias in the air: A nationwide exploration of teachers’ implicit racial attitudes, aggregate bias, and student outcomes. Educational Researcher, 49(8), 566–578.
