Disproportionate Identification of Minorities in Special Education 1

Disproportionate Identification of Minorities in Special Education:

Underrepresentation vs. Overrepresentation
Shania Phillips
LIBS 490-01
Liberal Studies Senior Capstone Project Proposal
Senior Capstone Project Selection:
Secondary Research
03/09/2023
Delaware State University
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Special education services are offered to students with disabilities ranging from physical,
intellectual, learning, and much more. Over 6 million students ages 6-21 receive services under
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Only approximately 16% of African
American students receive special education services under the IDEA in 2016. The debate over
disproportionality has focused on the over-representation of minorities in special education. The
question is are minority students being overrepresented or underrepresented in special education.
Overrepresentation of Minorities in Special Education
An article written by the “National Center for Learning Disabilities” wrote an article
titled “Significant Disproportionality in Special Education: Current Trends and Actions for
Impact”. The National Center for Learning Disabilities goal is to improve the lives of children
and adults nationwide with disabilities. By empowering parents and young adults, transforming
schools and advocating for equal rights and opportunities. This article they have written goes
over the statistics, why and how minority students can be overrepresented in the school systems.
It discusses the factors such as income, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and racial biases that
could lead to the misidentifying of students with disabilities. Are schools using special education
to segregate students by race? If so, what can we as a society to fix this to ensure that all students
are receiving an appropriate equal education that fits their individualized needs?
Underrepresentation of Minorities in Special Education
A book titled “The Roles and Responsibilities of the Special Educator” written by Paula
Lombardi at Granite State College discussed the disproportionality of specific racial and ethnic
groups in special education. Paula Lombardi is the lead faculty for the Elementary and General
Special Education Programs at Granite State College. She discussed how minority students are
underrepresented in special education. She describes what is categorized under disproportioning
students, how the IDEA addresses disproportionality in special education. She also addresses the
action steps that should be taken for educators and school administrators to address this issues of
underrepresentation.
The topic of disproportionality in special education is very broad and important topic. It
is vital to ensure that each student is receiving the proper education they need, to ensure they are
learning the materials they need to succeed. It is important to figure out whether minority
students are being underrepresented or overrepresented and the cause so that we can figure out a
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solution that benefits the students. Regardless disproportionality of minorities in Special

Education is evident.
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References

Lombardi, P. (n.d.). Disproportionality of specific racial and ethnic groups in special education.
The Roles and Responsibilities of the Special Educator. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from
https://granite.pressbooks.pub/edu606-701/chapter/disproportionality-and-
overrepresentation-of-specific-racial-and-ethnic-groups-for-special-education/

Significant disproportionality in special education: Current Trends and Actions for Impact.
(2020, October 19). Retrieved March 10, 2023, from
https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020-NCLD-
Disproportionality_Trends-and-Actions-for-Impact_FINAL-1.pdf