Cultural Considerations and Disproportionality by Sarah Rosati

sarahrosati — 2024-06-26 22:13:11 UTC

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he risk ratio has been defined by Gamm (2010) as, "How
many more times one racial/ethnic group is more/less likely to be found eligible for
services than others." A risk ratio of 1 represents perfect proportionality. Generally, a risk
ratio that is between 0.50 and 1.5 is considered to be proportionate. Those that are less
than 0.25 or higher than 2 are problematic (Gamm, 2010)

sarahrosati — 2024-06-26 22:14:20 UTC

The identification of students with ED is particularly problematic and lends itself to racial and other biases given both the ambiguity of the federal definition and the subjectivity of the assessment process.

2024-06-26 22:15:20 UTC

Overall, this portion of the reading was very relevant to me as I am working in an area that is very culturally diverse (majority African American and Latino). So, this information is very useful when thinking about special ed.

2024-06-26 22:15:29 UTC

The most troubling point to me is the implication that race and cultural incongruence between teachers and students may influence inappropriate referrals to special education. Misidentification of students can have long-term consequences for students, affecting their educational opportunities and life outcomes.

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"Of particular concern is that race seems to play a role in the determination
of whether an individual is referred for intervention versus disciplinary action for exhibiting similar difficult behaviors."

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Teachers and students from different cultures often misunderstand each other, leading to wrong special education referrals. Teachers' views and the way they judge behavior can unfairly label students of color, causing ongoing educational problems.

2024-06-26 22:16:18 UTC

The overrepresentation of African American students receiving special education has been a consistent concern fo nearly four decades.

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The most personally relevant point for someone interested in special education and teaching, is the point about the subjective nature of assessment and the impact of teacher-student relationships might resonate strongly. It emphasizes the importance of cultural competence, fair assessment practices, and advocacy for students who may be unfairly labeled or overlooked in the educational system.

2024-06-26 22:16:30 UTC

African American students are at a particular risk for disproportionate representation in the ED category and are identified as having mental retardation and ED at rates greater than their white counterparts (Gamm, 2010). Nationwide, African American and Native American children are 1.92 and 2 times (respectively) more likely to be labeled ED than white children (National Research Council, 2002)

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African American and Native American students are often unfairly placed in special education for Emotional Disability (ED). Although African American children are 14.8% of the school-age population, they make up 26% of ED cases. This shows a big problem with bias in the system.

2024-06-26 22:17:47 UTC

Similar levels of risk have been found in Connecticut. According to 2009-10 state level data, African American children have a relative risk index of 1.8 for serious ED (SED)(CTSD, 2010). Interestingly, there is some variability at the district level with a few districts reporting overrepresentation of white students for this category. However, there is some suggestion that over-identification for white students may not have the same negative impact as it does for students of color (Cauce, 2002).

In her ethnographic study-examining

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role of race, class and family, Lareau (2003) documents the potential chasm between the

cultural and behavioral expectations of American teachers and their students of color.

Cultural incongruence between teachers and their students may result in inappropriate

referrals and should be carefully examined

2024-06-26 22:18:38 UTC

Research suggests that implicit biases among educators may contribute to the overrepresentation of certain racial and ethnic groups in special education categories. Implementing mandatory training and ongoing professional development could lead to more equitable assessment practices.

2024-06-26 22:19:05 UTC

The importance of strong teacher-student relationships is personally relevant to me as a future educator. Positive relationships can help teachers better understand their students' behaviors within their cultural and social contexts. By building trust and open communication, teachers are less likely to misinterpret behaviors and more likely to support students effectively. This reduces the chances of incorrect special education referrals and ensures that all students receive appropriate and fair support.

2024-06-26 22:19:40 UTC

This is especially true in the case of young ELLs who may demonstrate school behaviors such as playing in isolation, not speaking in either language, having trouble with following directions, expressing ideas and feelings, responding to questions consistently and experiencing crying and tantrum behaviors. Such behaviors may be misinterpreted or mislabeled as emotional or behavioral problems when in fact such behaviors are common to the typical developmental stages related to acquiring a new language.

2024-06-26 22:20:40 UTC

The implication of overrepresentation of students of color in the ED category is directly related to the overrepresentation of African Americans and Latinos in the judicial system at both the juvenile and adult correctional levels. African American adolescents with a mental health concern are referred to the juvenile justice system more than white adolescents (Cauce, 2002). Of particular concern is that race seems to play a role in the determination of whether an individual is referred for intervention versus disciplinary action for exhibiting similar difficult behaviors.

2024-06-26 22:20:53 UTC

When determining eligibility for special education under the category of ED, it is also critical
that the PPT consider linguistic differences and cultural influences in the analysis and
interpretation of student behavior. This is especially true in the case of young ELLs who
may demonstrate school behaviors such as playing in isolation, not speaking in either
language, having trouble with following directions, expressing ideas and feelings,
responding to questions consistently and experiencing crying and tantrum behaviors. Such
behaviors may be misinterpreted or mislabeled as emotional or behavioral problems when
in fact such behaviors are common to the typical developmental stages related to acquiring
a new language. It is therefore critical that PPT members and decision makers have an
understanding of the acquisition of a new language and that the information considered by
the team is gathered from a variety of sources. This ensures accurate information about
the linguistically diverse student's cultural and family background, knowledge and
developmental, functional and academic levels. Such an understanding of the individual
student will enable teams to distinguish between behaviors associated with second
language acquisition and those that might be indicative of an emotional or behavioral
disability

African American children being label as mentally retarded; when in actually dyslexia plays a major party in comprehension; however parent aren’t aware of get diagnoses done for the student.

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research shows that implicit biases can show overrepresentation of certain racial and ethnic groups in special education categories.

2024-06-26 22:22:24 UTC

I was a sub in a 2nd grade classroom for a couple of weeks and there was a new student in the classroom. He was a recent arrival to the country and had no fluency in English. He was constantly running out of the classroom, being disruptive etc., But he also had no one to really speak with as he was made to sit alone. He kept getting into trouble and it really broke my heart. He always smiled at me and would speak with me in Spanish hoping that I could understand him.

2024-06-26 22:23:38 UTC

I work with many students who are minorities. It is important to not misidentify "minority" children and limited English proficient children has having a disability.