Case Studies Of Minority Student Placement In Special Education

This book features vivid case studies that bring to life real children, school personnel, and family members from the bestselling book Why Are So Many Minority Students in Special Education? Once again addressing the disproportionate placement of minority students in special education programs, this new book includes the voices and perspectives of all stakeholders to show the tremendous complexity of the issues and the dilemmas faced by professionals, family members, and children. Challenging questions and scenarios are offered at the end of each case study to provide thoughtful follow-up activities and topics for further study. This collection of cases can be used—on its own or as a companion to the main volume—in elementary and special education courses and professional development workshops. “This book provides a thorough and detailed description of the multiple factors that combine to provide inequitable educational opportunities for minority students living in poverty . . . the authors do not shy away from discussion of racism on the individual and institutional levels . . . they engage in this discussion in a refreshingly detailed and nuanced way.” —TC Record “It is the best casebook on special education that I have seen.” —Velma L. Cobb, Vice President of Education and Youth Development, National Urban League

In this new edition, the author goes into more detail about the solutions to the problems identified in the book. The author, a clinical psychologist and special educator, points out the enormous disparities between the school experiences and educational outcomes for poor, non-European American, immigrant, rural, and limited-English proficient students with disabilities and their European American middle- and upper class peers. He also discusses the impacts of race and class prejudice and teacher expectations on the educational outcomes of students from impoverished and minority backgrounds via international comparisons and several case studies that illustrate the manner in which educational placement and support systems affect student outcomes. Grossman challenges all special educators to take the bold steps necessary to end the inequities experienced by low income and minority students in special education. The author makes three strong contentions. The first is that some students who do not need special education are inappropriately placed, whereas others may be overlooked. Second, he asserts that special education strategies are not equally effective across socioeconomic status, English language proficiency, and ethnicity. Finally, he calls into question many of the professional practices of teachers, psychologists, administrators, and professors who serve exceptional populations. The author provides many personal accounts of events and experiences that capture the essence of what he speaks of in this book. The content of this book is information to which all educators working with ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse children should have access. It is informative and presented in a no-nonsense fashion. The reader learns a great deal about practices that do indeed impede the academic achievement and school success of students with special needs from minority and traditionally underrepresented groups. The text can be used as supplemental reading in pre-service courses for general or special education. It is easy to read and cites many examples to reduce any possibility of misinterpretation. Teacher educators will find it especially useful as a tool to generate discussion on the difficult and threatening topics and issues associated with discrimination in public education as a whole and special education in particular. It will be of interest to special educators and administrators at all levels.

Bringing to life the voices of children, families, and school personnel, this bestseller describes in detail the school climates and social processes that place many children of color at risk of being assigned inappropriate disability labels. Now in its third edition, this powerful ethnographic study examines the placement of Black and Hispanic students in the subjectively determined, high-incidence disability categories of special education. The authors present compelling narratives representing the range of experiences faced by culturally and linguistically diverse students who fall under the liminal shadow of perceived disability. This edition updates the literature on disproportionality, highlighting the deeply embedded and systemic nature of this decades-old pattern in which reforms represent mere shifts across disability categories, while disproportionality remains. Applying lenses of cultural-historical and critical disability theories, this edition expands on the authors’ previous theoretical insights with updated recommendations for improving educational practice, teacher training, and policy renewal. Book Features: A unique examination of the school-based contributors to disproportionality based on research conducted in a large, culturally diverse school district.Holistic views of the referral and placement process detailing students’ trajectories across 4 years from initial instruction to referral, evaluation, and placement in special education.An update on the patterns and literature related to disproportionality.Analysis of the cultural-historical nature of disproportionality and the socially constructed nature of the high-incidence disability categories.Recommendations for changing the conceptualization of children’s learning difficulties, moving away from the presumption of children’s intrinsic deficits toward evaluations based on human variation.

This powerful and timely analysis takes stock of race and education sixty years after the historic Brown vs. Board of Education decision. This volume examines education as one of the most visible markers for racial disparities in the US as well as one of its most visible frontiers for racial justice. Featuring original research, educators’ insights, and perspectives from communities of color, it documents the complex impact of social/educational policy on social progress. Chapters on charter schools, curriculum content, performance measurement, and disproportionalities in special education referrals shed light on entrenched inequities that must be confronted. The book also makes it clear that leveling the playing field calls for not only better schools, but also addressing pervasive social problems such as poverty and housing segregation. Included in the coverage: School Policy is Housing Policy: Deconcentrating Disadvantage to Address the Achievement Gap. Charter Schooling, Race Politics, and an Appeal to History. The Data Quality Movement for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community: an unresolved civil rights issue. Critical Ethnic Studies in High School Classrooms: Academic Achievement via Social Action. Mexican American Educational Stagnation: The Role of Generational Status, Parental Narratives and Educator Mes sages. p/pp Pinpointing crucial issues and opportunities for solutions, Race, Equity, and Education has immediate salience for educators and researchers studying the intersection of race and education.

This work explores the quadruple disadvantage faced by the parents of poor, minority, handicapped children whose first language is not that of the school that they attend. The author's ethnographic study of 12 low-income Puerto Rican American families serves to illustrate how the present structure of the special education system disempowers parents, excluding them from the decision-making processes that categorise their children as handicapped - and ultimately, often place them at a permanent educational disadvantage.

Special education and gifted and talented programs were designed for children whose educational needs are not well met in regular classrooms. From their inceptions, these programs have had disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic minority students. What causes this disproportion? Is it a problem? Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education considers possible contributors to that disparity, including early biological and environmental influences and inequities in opportunities for preschool and K-12 education, as well as the possibilities of bias in the referral and assessment system that leads to placement in special programs. It examines the data on early childhood experience, on differences in educational opportunity, and on referral and placement. The book also considers whether disproportionate representation should be considered a problem. Do special education programs provide valuable educational services, or do they set students off on a path of lower educational expectations? Would students not now placed in gifted and talented programs benefit from raised expectations, more rigorous classes, and the gifted label, or would they suffer failure in classes for which they are unprepared? By examining this important problem in U.S. education and making recommendations for early intervention and general education, as well as for changes in referral and assessment processes, Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education will be an indispensable resource to educators throughout the nation, as well as to policy makers at all levels, from schools and school districts to the state and federal governments.

Without proper training on the intricacies of race and culture, pre-service and in-service teachers may unwittingly continue outdated and ineffective pedagogies. As the demographics of student bodies shift to include more diverse backgrounds, fluency in the discourse of social justice becomes necessary. The Handbook of Research on Promoting Cross-Cultural Competence and Social Justice in Teacher Education elucidates the benefits, challenges, and strategies necessary to prepare teachers to meet the needs of a diverse student body. Featuring the newest research and pedagogical tools written by diverse scholars in the field of teacher training, this expertly crafted handbook is ideal for teachers, administrators, students of education, and policymakers.

'Multicultural Education' is a reader which helps educators understand the concepts, paradigms and explanations needed to become more effective practitioners in culturally, racially and language diverse classrooms.

Inclusion for immigrant students with special educational needs (SEN) is a neglected area of research. This edited volume addresses this problem, providing up-to-date insights into the provided support and special needs education (SNE) for immigrant students in different contexts of the Nordic countries. This important book explores the diversity of student experiences, addressing both compulsory schools and vocational education, and examines how different Nordic countries conceptualise and approach support and SNE for immigrant students. Readers will get an opportunity to read various studies that address gaps in the realisation of inclusion and special need education. This book initiates a dialogue on generating new knowledge, approaches, and methods to expand the flexibility necessary to implement a fully inclusive education. The book offers research that includes strong theoretical and practical frameworks, interviews, interventions, assessments, case studies as well as offers future directions for inclusive and special needs education. By exploring the process of inclusion and special needs education in the Nordic countries, this book is an essential read for those who intend to deepen their understanding and to enact inclusion, and the development of special needs education for immigrant students.

This volume in The SAGE Reference Series on Disability explores education issues for people with disabilities and is one of eight volumes in the cross-disciplinary and issues-based series, which examines topics central to the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families. With a balance of history, theory, research, and application, specialists set out the findings and implications of research and practice for others whose current or future work involves the care and/or study of those with disabilities, as well as for the disabled themselves. The concise, engaging presentational style emphasizes accessibility. Taken individually, each volume sets out the fundamentals of the topic it addresses, accompanied by compiled data and statistics, recommended further readings, a guide to organizations and associations, and other annotated resources, thus providing the ideal introductory platform and gateway for further study. Taken together, the series represents both a survey of major disability issues and a guide to new directions and trends and contemporary resources in the field as a whole.