This study examines autism diagnosis prevalence within the New York City (NYC) Universal Pre-K for All (UPK) program expansion into racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse NYC neighborhoods. Here, it is hypothesized that racial/ethnic differences in autism diagnoses may close as more children are referred for testing by UPK programs,…

Response to intervention (RTI) is a method for providing academic support to students and for identifying specific learning disabilities (SLDs). Using interrupted time series and hazard models, we examined if statewide RTI adoption in the U.S. state of Tennessee was associated with changes in rates of SLD and first-time SLD identification in…

Asian American students are underrepresented in special education, a state of affairs that threatens their access to academic resources. We propose that student race may influence educators' likelihood of recommending them for special education services. In two studies, participants working in the field of education (total N = 1195) read a…

This research focuses on Black male students in special education; of the 50.4 million students in the public education system, 24.6 million are White students, and 7.8 million are African American students (NCES, 2016). However, of the 6.5 million students in special education, Black students account for 16 percent (975,000) of the population…

African American male students are disproportionately represented in special education. The purpose of the current study is to examine the disproportionality of African American male students who are referred to special education programs and are identified special education services, specifically in the areas of Emotional Disturbance (ED),…

This study addresses one possible barrier to more African American (or Black) males with learning disabilities moving through the educational pipeline -- the dearth of African American (or Black) teachers. Despite recent attention being given to the educational benefits to Black (and other) students from the presence and contributions of Black…

An essay collection with leading experts sets out ways to improve the quality of apprenticeships and ensure fair access to training. Despite the United Kingdom's recent apprenticeship reforms, the number of apprenticeship starts is down 25%, leaving the government increasingly off target for its aim of three million starts by 2020. The essays also…

Children and youth with mental health issues and learning difficulties are common in the juvenile justice system and finding ways to effectively rehabilitate, treat, and educate them is complicated, yet imperative. In this article, we examine the prevalence rates of mental health disorders in youth involved in the juvenile justice system, discuss…

Under Part B of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA"), states must collect and examine data to determine whether significant disproportionality on the basis of race and ethnicity is occurring in the state, or its school districts, with respect to the identification, placement, and discipline of students…

The issue of over or under representation of ethnic minority students in special education placement has received a great deal of attention in recent years. An equally important question that has not received as much attention centers on the impact of special education placement, particularly early in a child's education career, on subsequent…

This study explored the extent of disproportionality in the identification and placement of culturally and linguistically diverse students identified as English language learners in special education. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses examined patterns and predictors of identification and placement in special education among English…