Racial Inequity in Special Education

Edited by Dan Losen and Gary Orfield Foreword by Senator James M. Jeffords Harvard Education Publishing Group, Copyright © 2002 ISBN 1-891792-05-9 cloth, $59.95 cloth ISBN 1-891792-04-0 paperback, $28.95 paperback 336 pp.

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About the Book

Racial inequities pervade special education in U.S. schools today. Minority children-especially African Americans-are far more likely than white children to be designated mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed and therefore in need of special education. Even when appropriately placed in special education classes, minority children often receive poorer services than disabled white children.

This book explores the inequities experienced by minority schoolchildren in special education. These issues are examined as problems in their own right, and as reflections of persistent racial inequities in our system of public education. Racial Inequity in Special Education describes the scope of these problems, and provides a comprehensive review of attempts by legislators, child advocates, and educational and civil rights enforcement agencies to address these complex issues. The authors outline essential areas for further research and dialogue.

An illuminating account of a widespread problem that has received little attention until now, Racial Inequity in Special Education sets the stage for a more fruitful discussion about special education and racial justice-a discussion that aims to advance racial equity in both special and general education.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Senator James M. Jeffords

Introduction (in HTML Format) (in PDF Format)
Daniel J. Losen and Gary Orfield

Community and School Predictors of Overrepresentation of Minority Children in Special Education
Donald P. Oswald, Martha J. Coutinho, and Al M. Best

Racial Disparities in the Identification, Funding, and Provision of Special Education
Thomas Parrish

Double Jeopardy: An Exploration of Restrictiveness and Race in Special Education
Edward Garcia Fierros and James W. Conroy

Of Rocks and Soft Places: Using Qualitative Methods to Investigate Disproportionality
Beth Harry, Janette K. Klingner, Keith M. Sturges, and Robert Moore

Schools Make a Difference: The Overrepresentation of African American Youth in Special Education and the Juvenile Justice System
David Osher, Darren Woodruff, and Anthony E. Sims

English-Language Learner Representation in Special Education in California Urban School Districts
Alfredo J. Artiles, Robert Rueda, Jesús José Salazar, and Ignacio Higareda

Disability, Race, and High-Stakes Testing of Students
Jay P. Heubert

Legal Challenges to Inappropriate and Inadequate Special Education for Minority Children
Daniel J. Losen and Kevin G. Welner

Evaluating the Office for Civil Rights' Minority and Special Education Project
Theresa Glennon

IDEA and Disproportionality: Federal Enforcement, Effective Advocacy, and Strategies for Change
Thomas Hehir

Ending Segregation of Chicago's Students with Disabilities: Implications of the Corey H. Lawsuit
Sharon Weitzman Soltman and Donald R. Moore