This issue of NASET’s Classroom Management series was written by Roxana Fleneury. For several years the over representation of students of a diverse race, ethnic, cultural and linguistic background in special education classes has caught the attention of many researchers. Many studies have focused on ways to address the issue within schools and classrooms. Finding a means to provide an equal and fair education as well as provide the necessary services to all students, regardless of their background, is the driving force behind Culturally Responsive Teaching in all classrooms. Studies have shown that the impact has provided a positive change in perceptions by school personnel, parents and the students as well.
Abstract
For several years the over representation of students of a diverse race, ethnic, cultural and linguistic background in special education classes has caught the attention of many researchers. Many studies have focused on ways to address the issue within schools and classrooms. Finding a means to provide an equal and fair education as well as provide the necessary services to all students, regardless of their background, is the driving force behind Culturally Responsive Teaching in all classrooms. Studies have shown that the impact has provided a positive change in perceptions by school personnel, parents and the students as well.
Several studies indicate an overrepresentation of minority students receiving special education services in schools (Morgan, Farkas, Cook, Strassfeld, Hillemeier, Puk, Wang, & Schussler, 2018). Concerns of misidentifying children with disabilities based on their race, culture, ethnicity and linguistic background have led to researchers to delve deeper in this field (Morgan, Farkas, Hillemeier & Maczuga, 2012). The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) also partly aims at federally legislating and setting policies to address the overrepresentation of minorities in special education by seeking to give all students an equality in education. Researchers in multiple studies have found disparities among various minority groups as well. This is an important topic because questions keep rising about whether minority students are being referred due to their race and behavior instead of their possible disability (Connor, Cavendish, Gonzalez & Jean-Pierre, 2019). These are questions that bring to light the issues of historical and contemporary racism. The main goal in overrepresentation is to maintain equality despite the necessary challenges the students might be facing without having race or cultural backgrounds being a factor (Connor, et al., 2019).
The apparent disconnect between schools and minority students leads to the use of innovative practices to bridge this gap. Researchers believe this relates to the under achievement and over representation of students based on their race, culture, ethnicity and linguistic diversity in special education classes (Griner & Stewart, 2013). Incorporating strategies that are Culturally Responsive can aid to ensure all students receive an equitable education regardless of their backgrounds (Griner & Stewart, 2013). Researchers say policies, practices and individuals should work collaboratively to help address these issues (Griner & Stewart, 2013). Collaboration is key when seeking solutions and choosing strategies to benefit all students across all areas of education.
Perceptions
Perceptions can play a role in setting expectations, limitations and goals for students. School personnel, families and students can form perceptions that ultimately impact the student’s academic experience (Morgan, et al., 2018). Researchers have found that many parents of minority students in special education held beliefs that their child would not receive a college degree when compared to similar peers that did not have the disability label (Gaitlin & Wilson, 2018). Unfortunately, these perceptions gave parents a negative view of special education services by lack of initial understanding. The perceptions of school personnel can also impact the student’s education. A teacher’s bias has been found by researchers to also play a role in special education and services. School personnel have been found to perceive a family structure in a negative way or preconceived ideas and project those thoughts to the student (Gaitlin & Wilson, 2018). The third way perception plays a part, is in how the minority student views him or herself. The self-perception of the student can negatively influence their academic gains and successes according to various researchers (Gaitlin & Wilson, 2018). The impact of being in self-contained special education classrooms, low positive relationships with peers and struggles understanding how to progress in their academics led many to struggle and negatively impacted their education. It is important to know factors that can impact the outcomes of minority students and how they can be misrepresented within the area of special education to teachers, researchers and policy makers.
These findings of perceptions should be shared with school personnel in order to keep in mind the issues of misconception from all sides of special education (Connor, et al., 2019). Minority students have been overly misrepresented, and the trend continues. Helping all the parties involved with the referral process by keeping in mind the practicality and realistic suggestions to redirect perceptions, can avoid many from being incorrectly misplaced. Establishing high expectations from school personnel remains a key factor for eliminating negative perceptions. Along with the importance of establishing parental and teacher support to the student can also aid in the student’s personal perception and help motivate them (Gaitlin & Wilson, 2018).
Culturally Responsive Teaching
In order to help address the overrepresentation of minority students in special education, the practice of culturally responsive teaching is one practice being implemented (Gaitlin & Wilson, 2018). The implementation of the practice focuses on decreasing the misplacement of students with disabilities. Increasing learning gains and regular monitoring are the attempts used to accomplish these practices (Irvine, 2012). Findings from different studies suggest the need to increase the use of culturally sensitive and language-sensitive disability screenings, as well as identification process (Morgan, et al., 2018). The importance of teacher expectations and the practices implemented in the class plays an enormous role in the success students achieve (Gaitlin & Wilson, 2018).
Establishing the core characteristics of Culturally Responsive Teaching improves the relevancy of learning and increases the effectiveness to students (Sisson, Whitington, & Shin, 2020). One of these characteristics focuses on acknowledging the legitimacy of cultural heritages and recognizes the importance of incorporating it within the curriculum (Irvine, 2012). Also creating connections between academic content and the experiences of real life at home builds a meaningful bridge between school and home for students. Another characteristic involves incorporating various instructional strategies to provide support to different learning styles (Morgan, et al., 2018). Also creating a positive cultural atmosphere with students in the classroom to add acceptance and awareness is also important. Adding culturally rich content such as information, resources and materials is another of the important characteristics of Culturally Responsive Teaching that can help bridge the relevancy of learning and the effectiveness of it to reach all students (Sisson, et al., 2020).
Strong key principles in Culturally Responsive Teaching can foster the necessary elements to even out the possibility of overly representing students based on their race, culture, ethnic and linguistic background (Griner & Stewart, 2013). Schools and teachers should focus on creating strong connections to a student’s personal life, as well as having an awareness of the cultural differences they may experience. Creating an atmosphere that is highly challenging intellectually, enables building critical thinking skills and incorporating various learning modalities work hand in hand as key principles in having a Culturally Responsive Teaching (Sisson, et al., 2020).
Conclusion
The connection and value of the local community is an important component in all aspects of education and especially within the classroom (Sisson, et al., 2020). Having a shared understanding of the values minority students have can help with preconceived notions from the side of school personnel (Sisson, et al., 2020). Acknowledging the issues of race and ethnicity that minority students face is a historical and contemporary issue still plaguing our society. Researchers agree that these challenges can impact the teacher and student relationship evolves (Connor, et al., 2019). By teachers having awareness of these potential issues, steps can be taken to eliminate these barriers for students of different race, culture, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. The aim is for students of all races, culture, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds to receive appropriately recognized and provided with the special education services they are entitled to.
Research findings have proven that racial differences in the classification of disabled students initially starts in the classroom (Irvine, 2012). The judgement of the teacher plays an important role at the initial referral process (Morgan, et al., 2018). Preparing educators to apply a culturally responsive teaching approach can lead to an awareness for both the school personnel and students in the classroom. A positive turn in identifying students that truly need additional support regardless of race or ethnicity is incorporating the pedagogy of a Culturally Responsive Teaching environment. As a teacher incorporating the ideals earlier presented can build caring relationships and also maintain high expectations between the student and the teacher. These approaches lead to a positive and engaging classroom helping to eliminate negative perceptions or potentially creating preconceived notions for both the school and home settings (Irvine, 2012). Along with incorporating aspects of the community, selecting effective learning strategies both combined should be infused within the curriculum to help continue bridging the gap between home and school (Irvine, 2012). Ultimately creating an environment free of judgement and preconceived notions can allow both students and educators to experience successful cooperative learning, positive student achievement, peer relationships, and a positive school climate while correctly identifying students who adequately need special education services regardless of their race, ethnic, linguistic backgrounds.
References
Connor, D. dconnor@hunter. cuny. ed., Cavendish, W., Gonzalez, T., & Jean-Pierre, P. (2019). Is a bridge even possible over troubled waters? The field of special education negates the overrepresentation of minority students: a DisCrit analysis. Race, Ethnicity & Education, 22(6), 723–745. doi-org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1080/13613324.2019.1599343
Gatlin, B. T. 1. bgatlin@gsu. ed., & Wilson, C. L. . (2016). Overcoming Obstacles: African American Students with Disabilities Achieving Academic Success. Journal of Negro Education, 85(2), 129–142. doi-org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.7709/jnegroeducation.85.2.0129
Griner, A. C., & Stewart, M. L. (2013). Addressing the Achievement Gap and Disproportionality through the Use of Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices. Urban Education, 48(4), 585–621.
Irvine, J. J. (2012). Complex Relationships between Multicultural Education and Special Education: An African American Perspective. Journal of Teacher Education, 63(4), 268–274.
Morgan, P. L., Farkas, G., Hillemeier, M. M., & Maczuga, S. (2012). Are Minority Children Disproportionately Represented in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education? Educational Researcher, 41(9), 339–351.
Morgan, P. L. 1. paulmorgan@psu. ed., Farkas, G., Cook, M., Strassfeld, N. M. ., Hillemeier, M. M. ., Wik Hung Pun1, Yangyang Wang1, & Schussler, D. L. . (2018). Are Hispanic, Asian, Native American, or Language-Minority Children Overrepresented in Special Education? Exceptional Children, 84(3), 261–279. doi-org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1177/0014402917748303
Sisson, J. H. jamie. sisson@unisa. edu. a., Whitington, V., & Shin, A.-M. (2020). “Teaching Culture Through Culture”: A Case Study of Culturally Responsive Pedagogies in an Australian Early Childhood/Primary Context. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 34(1), 108–126. doi-org.ezproxy.fiu.edu/10.1080/02568543.2019.1692110
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