Since 1975 there has been a steady increase in the number of student receiving special education services (Essex, 2005 and Whorton, et. al. 2000). Which I think is a good thing because this means that more students with disabilites are receiving a free, appropriate public education. However, 2004 the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems presented research that showed that disproportional representation of minority and culturally and linguistically different students have been a problem since the enactment of P.L. 94-142 in 1975 (NCCRESt). That is not a good thing because it means that these students are not receiving the most appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.
The good news is that this problem got the attention of the federal government and in 1997 the IDEA mandated all states to monitor disproportionality by collecting data and taking steps to reduce disproportionality wherever it existed (Coutinho & Oswald, 2004). The IDEA of 2004 mandated that all states must ensure that systems and policies do not lead to over-identification of any ethnic group (Georgia Department of Education, 2005). States such as Georgia have implemented training programs aimed at eradicating this problem (Georgia Department of Education, 2005).
However, we must recognize that we must go further that acknowledgement of the problem and supperficial measures. States must set strict accountability measures and sanctions for school systems that continue to adopt polices that lead to over-identification of certain ethnic groups in special education.
References
Essex, n.L. (2005). School law and public schools. A practical guide for educational leaders. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Coutinho, M.J. and Oswald, D.P. (2004). Disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education: Measuring the problem. NCCRESTt. Retieved June 4, 2007 from http://www.nccrest.org/Briefs/students_in_SPED_Brief.pdf
Whorton, J.E., et. al. (2000). A two decade review of the number of students with disabilities receiving federal monies and the types of educational placements used. Education, 121 (2), 287-98.
Georgia Department of Education (2005). Ethnic disproportionality in Georgia schools. Retrieved on June 4, 2007 from http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ci_exceptional.aspx?PageReq=CIEXCModules
National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (2004). Addressing disproportionality: From planning to action. Retrieved June 4, 2007 from http://www.ncset.org/teleconferences/docs/2005_02_Kozleski.pdf
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