Please check, just in case

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Please check, just in case
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Todays Topic

• The Social Construction of Disability from the
  Perspective of Bilingual Special Education

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Announcements

• The book review assignment is due next week.
• Come and see me if you have questions.

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Quick questions or quandaries?
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Disproportionate Representation - Definition

• What is disproportionate representation?

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Disproportionate Representation - Definition

• Definition
• Either a higher or lower percentage of students
  from a particular ethnic group in special
  education than is found in the general student
  population.
• (Yates, 1998)

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Disproportionate Representation - Representative
Studies

• Mercer, 1973
• Heller, Holtzman, Messick, 1982
• Ortiz Yates, 1983
• Chinn Hughes, 1987
• Harry, 1994
• Losen Orfield, 2002
• Donovan Cross, 2002

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Disproportionate Representation - Definition
One recent study

• de Valenzuela, J.S., Copeland, S.R., Qi, C.H.,
  Park, M. (2006). Examining educational equity
  Revisiting the disproportionate representation of
  minority students in special education.
  Exceptional Children, 72(4), 425441.

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Disproportionate Representation - Concerns
Is disproportionate representation in special
education a problem?
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Disproportionate Representation - Concerns
Common Arguments

• Minority students are disproportionately
  represented in Head Start deliberately.
• Even if students dont really have a
  disability, they can get extra help through
  special education.

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Disproportionate Representation - Concerns
Potential problems

• Potentially negative effects of stigmatizing
  labels on students,
• Restricted access to the general education
  settings, and
• Lack of consistent and conclusive evidence that
  special education programs are effective.

Hosp Reschly, 2003
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Disproportionate Representation - Definition
Our study examined

• Relationships between student ethnicity and
  language proficiency status with
• Number and type of disability labels, and
• Placement in different educational settings.

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Disproportionate Representation - Definition
Results

• African American, Hispanic, Native American, and
  ELL students were disproportionately represented
  in most special education exceptionality
  categories
• Over represented in stigmatized categories.
• Under represented in socially valued
  exceptionality (gifted).

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Disproportionate Representation - Definition
Examples
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Disproportionate Representation - Definition
More results

• There was a significant difference in the number
  of disability labels between ethnic groups.
• African Americans were identified with more
  disability labels than were White students.

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Disproportionate Representation - Definition
Additional Findings

• African American, Hispanic, Native American, and
  ELL students were placed in more segregated
  settings than White, Asian/PI, Other, and non-ELL
  students.

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Educational Settings
Disproportionate Representation - Definition

• General education classrooms 80 or more of the
  time.
• Resource room placement 20-60 of the time.
• Separate class 60 or more of the time.
  (segregated placement)

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Percentage of Students in Different Settings (RI)
Disproportionate Representation - Definition
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Summary
Disproportionate Representation - Definition

• Minority and ELL students over represented in
  stigmatized exceptionality categories.
• Minority and ELL students under represented as
  gifted.
• Minority and ELL students educated in the most
  segregated settings.

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Small group activity

• Consider the quotes from Terman and discuss
  whether or not you think that the ideas he
  expresses are still held by people today (albeit
  in more up-tp-date language).

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Quick Write

• Do you believe that there is a 'level playing
  field' for all Americans? Why or why not?

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Reasons for Disproportionate Representation

• Harry Klingner, 2006
• Why are so many minority students in special
  education?

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Reasons for Disproportionate Representation

• Minority students, especially African American
  students in poor neighborhoods, had significantly
  less opportunity to learn in school, because of
  school-related factors.

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Reasons for Disproportionate Representation

• More bad teachers in poor minority schools
• Poor classroom management.
• Poor teaching (do your lesson plans!!!).

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Reasons for Disproportionate Representation

• Negative assumptions
• Families are the problems.
• Kids cant learn.
• Not the fault of poor teaching.

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Reasons for Disproportionate Representation

• Results
• By the time students were referred to special
  education, they WERE behind other students.
• Their problems were a result of poor teaching
  over time, not a real disability.

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Discussion question

• How does this relate to the social construction
  of disability?

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Critical theory is critical in two senses it
brings to our consciousness oppression of which
we may or may not have been aware, and it calls
for criticism of life to resist and change the
existing system of domination and exploitation.
Kirkpatrick, Katsiaficas, Emery, 1978
http//www.mega.nu8080/ampp/176krkpt.htm
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Mercers Quadrant

• Heterogeneous

Critical Theory
???
Objective
Subjective
Interpretivism
Positivism
Homogeneous
Note This table is adapted from Mercer, J.
(1992). The impact of changing paradigms of
disability on mental retardation in the year
2000. In L. Rowitz (Ed.), Mental retardation in
the year 2000 (pp. 15-38). New York
Spring-Verlag.
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Society as Homogenous

• This is the assumption that societies are based
  on a broad value consensus that provides unity
  and cohesion (Mercer, 1992, p. 18).
• Perspectives based on this assumption define
  behaviors that interfere with the smooth
  operation of society as dysfunctional and persons
  who behave dysfunctionally as deviant or
  disabled (Mercer, 1992, p. 19).

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Society as Heterogeneous

• This perspective focuses on structural cleavages
  between social classes ad ethnic groups and on
  differences between their social power, their
  cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and their
  norms and values. Society is characterized by the
  struggle for economic and political dominance.
  Inevitably, more powerful groups dominate less
  powerful groups and are able to enforce their
  norms, language, and culture on those who are
  subordinated

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Society as Heterogeneous

• Part of the process of subordination consists
  of defining the language, behvior, values, and
  life-style of subordinated groups as
  unacceptable, thus disabling many members of
  subordinate groups by making the ineligible for
  full participation in the most desirable roles in
  society. (Mercer, 1992, p. 19).

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What does this have to do with (Special)
Education today?

• Over-identification of minority students and
  English language learners with disabilities.
• Under-identification of these students as gifted
  and talented.
• Inequitable application of school discipline.
• Documented poorer educational opportunities for
  minority, low-SES students.
• Assumptions that the fault lies within the
  students and their families, not within the
  system, even in light of convincing evidence to
  the contrary.

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Paradigmatic Change

• "Paradigmatic change compounds the problem of
  inadequate cooperation among systems. As the
  transformation to a different paradigm of
  learning disabilities is initiated, rigidity
  between the subsystems of education is likely to
  intensify, due to the lack of common values and
  ideals held by staff members

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Paradigmatic Change, cont.

• "Practitioners in special education who advocate
  a shift in thinking regarding students learning
  problems must face the inevitable pressure that
  erupts in the face of nonconformity and
  disagreement among staff to maintain the current
  dominant model of student learning and
  intervention."

(Wiest Kreil, 1996, p. 22)
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Discussion Question

• What examples of the inevitable pressure that
  erupts in the face of nonconformity and
  disagreement among staff can you provide?

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Looking ahead

• Emic perspectives of disability

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Please take a minute for the minute paper.