Why Are So Many Minority Students in Special Education?: Understanding Race and Disability in Schools

Number of Pages 256
Type Paperback
''The authors ask that we not concern ourselves with the kind of labeling and sorting that can serve to reinforce the negative stereotypes that this country's history has spawned. We just need to teach students what they need to know.''
--From the Foreword by Lisa D. Delpit, Florida International University.

The second edition of this powerful book examines the disproportionate placement of Black and Hispanic students in special education. The authors present compelling, research-based stories representing the range of experiences faced by culturally and linguistically diverse students who fall in the liminal shadow of perceived disability. They examine the children's experiences, their families' interactions with school personnel, the teachers' and schools' estimation of the children and their families, and the school climate that influences decisions about referrals to special education. Based on the authors' 4 years of ethnographic research in a large, culturally diverse school district, the book concludes with recommendations for improving educational practice, teacher training, and policy renewal.

Features:

* Examples that reveal how social processes and stereotypical expectations often lead to an inaccurate designation of disability.
* Real-life portraits showing that ''risk'' exists in schools, not only in families and communities.
* Recommendations for improving the placement process, including provisions based on a demonstrated need, rather than on a disability classification.''The authors ask that we not concern ourselves with the kind of labeling and sorting that can serve to reinforce the negative stereotypes that this country's history has spawned. We just need to teach students what they need to know.''
--From the Foreword by Lisa D. Delpit, Florida International University.

The second edition of this powerful book examines the disproportionate placement of Black and Hispanic students in special education. The authors present compelling, research-based stories representing the range of experiences faced by culturally and linguistically diverse students who fall in the liminal shadow of perceived disability. They examine the children's experiences, their families' interactions with school personnel, the teachers' and schools' estimation of the children and their families, and the school climate that influences decisions about referrals to special education. Based on the authors' 4 years of ethnographic research in a large, culturally diverse school district, the book concludes with recommendations for improving educational practice, teacher training, and policy renewal.

Features:

* Examples that reveal how social processes and stereotypical expectations often lead to an inaccurate designation of disability.
* Real-life portraits showing that ''risk'' exists in schools, not only in families and communities.
* Recommendations for improving the placement process, including provisions based on a demonstrated need, rather than on a disability classification.