The issue of disproportionality, or the over-representation of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in special education, has long been a challenge for school districts. This issue predates the implementation of PL 94-192. School building administrators are seen as agents of change, responsible for setting expectations…

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the perspectives of educational diagnosticians regarding male and female students receiving special education services in central Texas public schools. Since educational diagnosticians are the professionals who determine if students are eligible for special education services by administering…

This study investigates the overrepresentation of Black students in special education by looking at the association of race and related variables with referral, identification, and placement. Analyses were performed on a statewide sample of students and teachers to investigate relationships between student, teacher and school demographics, and…

The misrepresentation of certain student groups in special education is a multifaceted issue reflecting broader educational inequities. This article explores the complex dynamics of disproportionality, focusing on differences by race group and disability category in identification and placement for special education services. It examines the…

Researchers in the field of special education has voiced concerns about the disproportionality of diverse students identified for special education services for decades. However, most of the recent research has focused on showing this issue using quantitative data. The voices beyond the numbers are imperative in better understanding this decades…

The lack of involvement of students with disabilities in a regular classroom has remained a major concern in education. Every year, the number of special students escalates. For instance, in the United States, students with disabilities accounted for 13.7% of all students between the ages of three to 21 by 2018 (Kositsky, 2019). According to…

This study examines the effects of English Learner (EL) status on subsequent Special Education (SPED) placement. Through a research-practice partnership, we link student demographic data and initial English proficiency assessment data across seven cohorts of test takers and observe EL and SPED programmatic participation for these students over…

Research has indicated that African American children are placed in special education programs at a significantly higher rate than children from other races (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019b). Limited research has been conducted to address what is causing this overrepresentation. For this reason, research on African American…

The problem that was addressed in this study was a rural school district in southeastern Georgia was identified by the Georgia Department of Education as overidentifying African American students as having an intellectual disability (ID). The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of special education eligibility team members…

Background: Students of color are disproportionately placed in special education throughout the United States. Prior research suggests that special education is used too often in high-poverty schools partly due to limited resources available to support struggling students (Skiba et al., 2006). More recent studies, however, suggest that…

This study investigated how student and school-level socioeconomic status (SES) measures predict students' odds of being identified for special education, particularly high-incidence disabilities. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study--Kindergarten cohort, hierarchical models were used to determine the relations of student and school SES to…

Since the inception of special education, scholars and practitioners have been concerned about the disproportionate representation of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds among students identified with disabilities. Professional efforts to address this disproportionality have encompassed a range of targets, but scholars…

This report is part of a five-report series on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that identifies the challenges facing English learners with disabilities and their families, as well as the unique needs facing students with disabilities from low-income families, and it examines how they fare in the public education system. The…

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), in response to recommendations in the Annual Report of the Advisory Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented Students (2015), has produced this document to provide guidance for school districts to more equitably identify and meet the needs of traditionally…

The Office of Special Education Services (OSES) in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) supports students with disabilities in gaining college, career readiness, and independent living skills through active engagement in grade-level curriculum. The purpose of special education is to minimize the impact of the students' disability, while…