Students of color, English learners, and those from non-dominant cultures often face disproportionate identification and placement in special education, along with related disciplinary disparities. While special education services are crucial for students with actual disabilities, many students are wrongly referred to special education due to struggles stemming from inadequate education policies and classroom practices that fail to meet their needs. Pedagogical practices based on the dominant culture often lack culturally responsive elements, leading to classrooms that do not reflect or value the sociocultural contexts of these students. This disconnect can impede learning and result in teachers mistakenly perceiving these students as having learning or behavioral issues, prompting inappropriate special education referrals.
This brief suggests that district leaders tackle this critical issue by focusing on four key areas:
Implementing culturally responsive and sustaining policies and practices across all educational settings.
Enhancing the special education identification process.
Integrating culturally responsive and sustaining policies and practices specifically in behavior management efforts.
Developing culturally responsive data literacy among district staff at all levels.
Citation: Harvey, A. 2023. “Research-Based Strategies for Addressing Disproportionality in Special Education.” Western Educational Equity Assistance Center at WestEd. https://weeac.wested.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Addressing-Disproportionality-in-Special-Education.pdf (accessed, June 14, 2024).
Valenzuela includes student voice in this text documenting the need for kindness and caring for youth of color in secondary schools
Valenzuela, Angela. 1999. Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Valenzuela, Angela. 1999. Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring.
Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Based in activist tradition, Love persuades educators to teach students about racial violence, oppression, and their ability to change society for the better.
Love, Bettina L. 2019. We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom. Boston: Beacon Press.
In response to the racially and ethnically diverse classrooms of this century, Rodriguez, Bellanca, and Esparza use this volume to propose a framework for expecting and acquiring excellence from all learners.
Rodriguez, Eleanor Renee, Bellanca, James, and Esparza, Deborah Rosalia. 2017. What Is It About Me You Can′t Teach?: Culturally Responsive Instruction in Deeper Learning Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
