This report provides data on the State of Delaware's performance goals and indicators for children with disabilities, their participation in assessments, the rate of long-range suspensions and expulsions, and disproportionalities based on race in identification and placement. The report is intended to serve as a baseline for future reporting on…

The overrepresentation of African American students in special education programs is of national concern. Research has identified a higher special education placement rate of African American male students with Caucasian teachers. Yet the current U.S. teaching force includes only 4 percent African American teachers. To identify factors predictive…

This paper focuses on the outcomes of the social forces that operate against African American males in school and society and their all too frequent placement in special education programs, with the core of the problem remaining in the Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). Reasons for the overrepresentation of African American children and youth…

This issue describes how researchers are studying ways to reduce the overrepresentation of students from minority backgrounds in special education. It begins by discussing problems associated with inappropriate classification and placement of minority students, including being denied access to the general education curriculum, being placed in…

Created through Woodrow Wilson's Responsive Ph.D. initiative, "Diversity and the Ph.D." looks at a range of mechanisms through which foundations, government agencies, and nonprofits have sought to recruit and retain more minority students in U.S. doctoral programs. Drawing on interviews with the leaders of 13 such programs, the report also points…

Limited information is available regarding the factors that promote persistence by women in engineering programs. Stated simply, the problem is that the number of women engineers continues to fall short in comparison to the gender ratio of women to men in the population in the U.S. (BEST, 2002) and worldwide (Hersh, 2000). More women engineers are…

This paper presents facts about postsecondary access and success. They include: (1) Ensuring that more students succeed in postsecondary education is vital to the nation's economic health; (2) Too few students from low-income backgrounds and from underrepresented minority groups graduate from high school prepared for college; (3) Enrolling in…

This document presents a description and explanation of the MUSE module, a multimedia, computer-supported, problem-based learning (CS-PBL) unit that provides users with a simulation of the special education referral process. The module, developed by Leafstedt et al. (2000) depicts an elementary Hispanic student who is limited in English…

The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education programs has been a persistent problem in American education. Being labeled as disabled often has a negative impact on social relationships and self-concept and long-term outcomes such as graduation and employment. Disproportionate identification of students from certain…

In addressing the problem of disproportionate placement of minority students with special education in charter schools, Fierros describes the commentaries of this issue's contributing scholars. The contributions expose a variety of topics to address the needs of inequities experienced by students with special needs. These topics include: the…

This paper examines the cultural differences that arise because of disability, ethnicity, and social status and their impact on assessment practices, programming, goal setting, and the special education processes established by legislation, especially in light of the over-representation of minorities in special education. Suggestions for resolving…

This paper presents the findings of a study that investigated whether members of culturally diverse populations could be more adequately represented in elementary gifted and talented programs through the use of a non-traditional assessment method. Teachers nominated students for gifted programs from multiple assessments and observations. The…

This book discusses findings and recommendations of the Committee on Minority Representation in Special Education of the National Research Council. In chapter 1, the current study of the disproportion of minorities in special and gifted education is put into historical context. In chapter 2, an analysis of federal data on the representation of…

This self-study guide is intended to help in understanding issues of ethnicity in special education in the context of increasing interest by the federal Office for Civil Rights in the overrepresentation of minority students, especially black students, in special education classes. Part 1 provides a brief overview of the topic of disproportionate…

States and localities face a range of issues related to English language learners (ELLs) or limited English proficient (LEP) students with disabilities, including referral and identification, service delivery, staffing, data collection and parent outreach. Much of the research has focused on the identification process and has shown that there are…