A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence on Racial Disproportionality in Special Education

Autor/inn/en	Rachel Elizabeth Fish; Kenneth Shores; João M. Souto Maior
Titel	A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence on Racial Disproportionality in Special Education
Quelle	In: Exceptional Children, 92 (2026) 2, S. 144-163Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Rachel Elizabeth Fish) ORCID (Kenneth Shores) ORCID (João M. Souto Maior)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0014-4029
DOI	10.1177/00144029251350094
Schlagwörter	Disproportionate Representation; Race; Special Education; African American Students; Equal Education; Educational Policy; Educational Research; Data Analysis; Minority Group Students; Research Methodology; Data Collection; Children; Surveys; Longitudinal Studies; National Competency Tests; Individualized Education Programs; Demography; Disability Identification; Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey; National Assessment of Educational Progress + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Rasse; Abstammung; Special needs education; Sonderpädagogik; Sonderschulwesen; African Americans; Student; Students; Afroamerikaner; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Bildungsforschung; Pädagogische Forschung; Auswertung; Research method; Forschungsmethode; Data capture; Datensammlung; Child; Kind; Kinder; Survey; Umfrage; Befragung; Longitudinal study; Longitudinal method; Longitudinal methods; Längsschnittuntersuchung; Individualized education program; Individualisierendes Lernen; Demografie
Abstract	This essay provides a two-pronged critical assessment of a subset of the literature on racial disproportionality in special education: that which aims to estimate racial disparities among otherwise similar children. This body of research has shown that Black students are less likely than "comparable" White students to receive special education, and has been interpreted by many to mean that current policies meant to reduce Black over-representation may be exacerbating inequality. Our essay argues that this subset of research has fundamental limitations in its covariate adjustment practices and its data quality, making "under-representation" findings questionable. We argue that caution and further study are needed for an accurate understanding of the nature of racial disproportionality in special education. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Begutachtung	Peer reviewed
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2026/1/01