Not so Special Education

Special Education classes within the United States have been seen as the solution to providing equal education for all learners, but some view it as one of the most hindering and purely idealistic methods within education as well. A disturbing trend throughout a majority of schools depicted an overrepresentation of minority students placed in special education. Within this minority, the most overrepresented group was African American males. The manner in which special education classrooms are structured and the way placement procedures are carried out will only perpetuate this debilitating trend for minority students. What exactly causes this overrepresentation must be paid careful attention, but the possible solutions elicited by several researchers shows hope, should the current process be changed to the benefit of all students.

The exact cause of the overrepresentation cannot be pinpointed, but several factors have proven to contribute to this tendency. The most controversial piece of special education is the assessment and referral process that places students in special education classes. Teachers have the most contact with the students and are able to observe their academic progress more closely and comparatively than outside specialists. The teachers themselves do not make diagnosis of a disability, but they do initiate a referral that leads to a diagnosis. Although this technique makes sense with its general description, there are many problems that ensue. Often, teacher evaluations are not culturally conscious and are biased. Sometimes, a student may come from a home environment where they are required to take on a non-typical role as means of survival, or several other reasons. When they come to school, they bring this environmental reaction with them and it can be translated wrongly as aggression or behavioral disorders. Teacher expectations also factor in to how a student may act in class. If a teacher does not have high expectations of a student, this automatically puts them at a disadvantage. They may not be pushed harder to complete work, or be expected to complete quality work that reflects their actual potential because it is never required of them. A final critique of teacher referral and assessment contributions points to the fact that they are not qualified or trained to look for what constitutes a learning disability. A student who performs a bit slower or at a lower level than the majority of the students may make it onto the teacher’s radar, and they seek outside help form there. However, many times, students who actually need specialized attention get overlooked and aren’t assessed until much later. Rather than being misdiagnosed, they go undiagnosed; keeping the child from getting resources they could have had access to much earlier. Often overlooked is the possibility that a student is not used to a teachers instruction styles. Students who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds may be more accustomed to a skill-based instruction style, and the teacher may be using an instruction-based style. Due to the fact that they are assessed so early- usually starting during the winter of kindergarten- they are not given time to adjust to this different style. Several others just haven’t reached a maturation point where they are ready to take in so much information because they are not developmentally ready. These factors tend to go unnoticed and are not considered in the assessment process, accounting for an increased number in students entering special education that are more subject to these types of experiences.

Another cause for overrepresentation in special education can be seen in the classification of learning disabilities itself. Learning disabled is a small category under what was once called simply “autism.” Due to the inconsistent characteristics of each type of autism, the term was later broadened to “autism spectrum” to account for the wide range in umbrella classifications. Most will agree that children who are determined to have a specific learning disorder should be placed in special education so that they receive the services they need to help them get around their disability. However, when the term itself has no concretely defined characteristics, judgment is often subjective and can become inconsistent. Several students are classified based on behavior during class, which is not necessarily their fault. Even when students are placed in some disability category, often times it does not interfere with their ability to learn in the mainstream classroom, should they have certain resources. Just because someone is diagnosed does not mean they should automatically be isolated or separated from the mainstream.

One advancement made to stunt the trend that put a higher percentage of minority students in special education came with the Larry P v Wilson Riles court case of 1979 that banned the sole use of IQ tests to determine placement in special education. The tests being used were deemed culturally biased and unreliable indicators of a student’s ability to learn. The use of IQ tests is still permitted, but they must have the approval of parents and cannot be the sole determining factor of where a child is placed.

Another group that is often overrepresented within the minority category are the non-English speakers. The lack of American English linguistic skills often is translated as a need to special education where, often times, they do not receive the resources they need. A major reason for this is due to the fact that bilingual assessors are usually not present when it comes to the decision about placement and whether it can be deemed a learning disability. They tend to have little influence and consideration in the process, putting those who do not have English as their first language at a large disadvantage. Once placed, the students are at an even bigger disadvantage because, not only are their abilities not closely considered, but they do not received the services they need to become proficient in English while keeping up in their other academics. English submersion classes are one alternative many seek, but forbidding them to speak the language they know best and continuing on in one they don’t fully understand creates frustration and lost motivation. It is important to find a way to service one area of learning without sacrificing another for these children.

It is possible that placement in special education would not be viewed so negatively if it wasn’t seen as such a dead end option. One book focusing on why there are such a large percentage of minorities in special education asks, “Is special education really a solution, or is it more of an exile method?” Researchers observed that the ideal special education classroom boasts smaller classes, which are rarely a reality. Individual attention and instruction was not present and the style was similar to that of a general education classroom, defeating the purpose of the student’s initial placement. Special education classes were often too restrictive and didn’t have their main focus at mainstreaming the students, reflected in the low rate of exiting from special education.

Some other disadvantages seen by entering special education programs looks at the separation aspect. Students are taken away from the mainstream students and often labeled with terms holding a negative stigma. There is often a drop in the students’ self esteem when they are isolated into there classrooms form their normal group of peers. The most detrimental aspect to special education occurs when they are moved and they do not receive the resources required to compensate for their needs. The effectiveness of the classroom setting comes into question. If the special education classes are not serving their main purpose, then why have them in the first place? By moving them, we are not guaranteeing them the needed services they are hoping to receive. If the students’ progress is not monitored to make sure their move into the special education classroom is proving effective, then special education is a dead end point of no return for these children. Just by placing them into these classrooms cannot be seen as the immediate solution. They must be carefully monitored and observed just as they were in the mainstream classrooms to see if this switch is even a benefit to the child, or if it is hindering them even further from reaching their full potential.

Growing up, it was common to be the only African-American student in any of my classes. In my entire education from kindergarten to senior year of high school, the largest number of African-American students in one class was two- including myself. I witnessed the lacking expectations, despite the fact that I had a full load of advanced placement classes, and was discouraged from taking upper level classes when I requested a switch. Working in special education classrooms, it became a norm to see all but two African-American or Latino students. I have experienced the non-English speakers who didn’t belong there, but just needed a different approach to learning academics as well as English. Two students were mainstreamed who didn’t exhibit any learning disability, but rather a behavioral problem that was quickly resolved with a change in attitude and instructional style. The classroom had a clear goal of capitalizing on each student’s strengths and eventually mainstreaming every single student.

It is possible to make special education classes more effective and structured to benefit the students for whom they are created. Several solutions have been proposed, keeping in mind that special education doesn’t have to be limited to those with defined disabilities. Specifically looking at the case for African-American males, one journal proposed a three-part plan. The first step was to “create programs, opportunities, and incentives to increase the number of African-American teachers.” In doing so, they create role models for the younger African-American males so that they can see potential in themselves. A change in expectations will boost their motivation to do well and will be tailored to their preferred instruction style. The second step was to “train all pre-service and in-service educators to successfully teach African-American students,” essentially making them more culturally aware. Being more aware of the differences in culture and learning styles will allow teachers to be more effective in reaching out to more children outside the majority.
The final step of the proposed plan includes the creation of the “Black Male Classroom” that “caters to the education of black boys only.” This classroom would be characterized as having “black male teachers, twenty to twenty-four students per class, cooperative learning, a Self-Esteem Through Culture Leads to Academic Excellence curriculum, physical education, daily nutritional meals, whole-brain lesson plans and tests, mathematics word problems, academic contest and assemblies, and monthly parents meetings.” Although this final piece is a good solution, education should cater to all ethnic backgrounds. This “Black Male Classroom” can also be beneficial for other students and not specifically black males. In coming up with solutions, one must think inclusively rather than exclusively.

Some other solutions were described in the Journal of Negro Education. One of the most appealing solutions sought to restructure the entire segment of special education to label services rather than students. In doing so, all students can take advantage of the services offered. Special education becomes a support service for everyone, therefore releasing it of its negative stigma. A unified education system would be seen as “supportive rather than alternative” to avoid the separations created between students and the isolations of certain other students. In making these changes, special education would become more efficient and sought after by all students. This system is more inclusive of everyone, and not just those observed to need the services.

As far as assessment restructuring, a new focus and purpose would prove most effective. Testing and observation can still be a factor, but have the purpose of “guiding instruction, rather than determining program eligibility.” Assessment can be used in directing instructional styles and services needed by building off the strengths of the students. A major component to this program change’s success would come from parent involvement. The communication process between parents and teachers would change by creating a community where direct involvement is encouraged. When educators and parents show an active interest in a student’s education, they will see the importance, encouragement, and find motivation to further themselves.

“Schools need to become places whose goal is facilitating the process of learning for life. Where learning is perceived as valuable and the foundation on which more learning can be built. Where everyone learns rather than simply where students are sorted and prioritized to separate the more able form the less able.” The overrepresentation of minorities within special education is rooted in a multi-tiered and complex compilation of problems ranging from the cultural aspect to the structure of special education classrooms themselves. Special education reform must focus on creating an all-inclusive environment where all can benefit. Schools as sorting machines will always exhibit some form of misrepresentation of any group should they continue with this role. It is not until the grander problem is solved, or at least restructured, will we see the problem of overrepresentation of minorities resolved.