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Merits and demerits of special education
Positive effects of special education
Positive effects of special education
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The special education programs in the United States have been designed to help children with special needs learn easier and fit in better with the education program. Unfortunately, many minority students get caught up in the mix and don’t get the proper attention they deserve. Furthermore, minority students are seriously over-represented in the educational programs. Many minority students are misdiagnosed and put into special education programs when in fact; they do not have a learning disability. This has become a growing problem in this country because it is seen as the easy way out. Schools all over the U.S. are doing this in order to not have to properly test and evaluate students for learning problems. There have been numerous studies done on this topic, from assessing migrant students for special education programs to trying to understand why many language minority students are being put into special education programs. Data during the 1998-1999 school year showed that American Indians and Blacks were over represented in special education programs (National Center for Learning Disabilities [NCLD], n.d.). The term special education is hard to define because recently, it has taken on many new meanings. During the 1960’s people were trying to get the Federal government to fund efforts to provide a free and appropriate education for children with disabilities. Also during this time and into the 1970’s, parents of children with disabilities began to address state laws that would require local education agencies to give special education services to students with disabilities (ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education [ERIC], 1998). Even after the passage of these laws in many states, children still ... ... middle of paper ... .... & Costellano, J. (1999, January). Assessing LEP Migrant Students for Special Education Services. ERIC Digests #425892. This talked more about migrant students and how they are affected by the education system. National Center for Learning Disabilities. Minority Students Special Education. Retrieved April 18, 2003, from http://www.ncld.org/advocacy/MinorityStudents.pdf This Website is affiliated with many organizations that are helping with the fight for equal rights of minority students. Mainly, this article talks about the basic idea of overrepresentation of minority students in special education programs. Olsen, P. (1991, March). Referring Language Minority Students to Special Education. ERIC Digests #329131. This article talked about the actual evaluation process of special education and how students are assessed to be put into these programs.
While differentiating instruction and being able to design lessons geared towards the needs of diverse learners are currently highly prized skills for teachers, this has not always been the case. The history of education in the United States is a history of segregation. Even today, schools and curriculum are designed to meet the needs of a core group of students, which does not include students with disabilities (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002). In the past, learners who were different, out of the mainstream, or did not fit into the mold to which teachers taught (were not part of the core) learned how or lost out on learning. This is not to say that teachers of the past did not care about their students, about being effective teachers, or about student learning. However, as schools are mirrors reflecting mainstream societal norms (Chartock, 2010; Delpit, 2006)—and, given that our society has not always valued diversity in people, be it due to disability, class, culture, or race—teachers in the past have largely focused their efforts where they could earn the largest return on their investment: the average student .
Disproportionality, in special education, is the overrepresentation or under-representation of a particular population or demographic group relative to their presence in the overall student population (Ralabate, & Klotz, 2007). There are many factors thought to contribute to disproportionality: cultural differences, lack of appropriate assessment strategies, socioeconomic status, race, and gender (Kanaitsa, 2010).
...vironments then blacks. Minority students are being over represented in special education programs. As an African American, I will need to prepare myself for my future as an educator. When I become a teacher, I may encounter a student that has difficulties keeping up with his peers. I need to know whether this student is a slow learner or a victim of the achievement gap. This research has taught me abo¬ut the factors that have disproportionately affected African-American, Latino, Asian, and other non-white students. I will use this information to contribute to both my future research and career.
There are a number of possible causes behind the amount of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in the special education system. One of the main causes is the potential for racial bias to affect the diagnostic and referral process. Arnold and Lassmann, (2003) suggest that by looking closely at the diagnostic process, it is possible to find sources of unconscious bias against specific races or ethnic groups. F...
Novel ideas in special education have unlocked the gate for developing a more heterogeneous and comprehensive approach of thinking about agendas in special education. While a number of topics have captured the attention of educators and advocates, perhaps one of the most anticipated areas of discussion continues to be the ED population. The overrepresentation of United States minority students identified ED in special education programs plagues schools and challenges researchers and practitioners. While Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 (IDEA) does specify guidelines, the process of identifying learners as ED and thus qualifying them for services can nevertheless be a subjective process. Research emboldens this subjective process and the issues surrounding the robust inequities among the ED population (Oswald & Coutino, 1999). Additionally, the next step is to openly critique, discuss and debated the issues and foster policy change. Moreover, this paper discusses the ED population and the critical issues regarding eligibility/labeling, FAPE, access to the general curriculum and continuum of placement.
Harry, B., & Klingner, J. (2006). Why are so many minority students in special education? Understanding race and disability in schools. New York and London: Teachers College, Columbia University.
Sullivan, A. L. (2011). Disproportionality in Special Education Identification and Placement of English Language Learners. Exceptional Children, 77(3), 317-334.
Diversity among students including differences in culture, language and socioeconomic stance is not a new trend. The difference, however, is that today, the school system realizes that all students, including those who differ in some way from the "average" student, or those “at-risk” must be provided with an equal, opportune education (Morris, 1991).
Disproportionate identification of minority students in special education is a major concern in schools today. This paper describes the issues in the assessment process with minority students and how we have arrived at a situation where minorities are being misdiagnosed into special education programs. Additionally, several legal cases are mentioned which show numerous actions and rulings that have tried to correct the disproportionate identification in special education. Some of the legal cases discussed include Larry P. v Riles, Diana v. State Board of Education, and Guadalupe v. Tempe Elementary School, which all significantly impacted special education today. Additionally, the Individual with Disabilities Education Act has enforced that minority groups must receive an equal education in the least restrictive environment possible. It is our duty as teachers and citizens to abide by these laws and find different ways to assess and correct the disproportionality of minority groups that exists today.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2012) in United States’ public schools, English Language Learners (ELL), formally known as Limited English Proficient (LEP) is the fasted growing student population. Between 2009 and 2010, approximately 10% or 4.7 million students enrolled in public schools were ELLs. School districts data from 2000-2001 reported about 9.2% of the ELLs were served in Special Education, compared with 13.5% of all students in special education, the highest percentage of students being classified with learning disabilities (Zehler, Fleischman, Hopstock, Stephenson, Pendzick, & Sapru, 2003).
There are many challenges that teachers encounter when teaching children with learning disabilities, learners that are English language learners, or learners who are culturally and linguistically diverse. As a nation we are faced with the challenged that our schools are becoming more diverse. The majority of our schoolteachers are still predominately white females, but our student population is slowly changing. We are seeing more minority groups in our schools that are facing different challenges. The scary part of it all is that our teachers do not have the skills to accommodate those differences. “The nation’s changing school demographics are creating a demand for new teaching skills” (Utley, Obiakor, & Bakken 2011, pg. 5). Our student population
Mazurek, K. & Winzer, M.A. (Eds.). (1994). Comparative Studies in Special Education. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
“Education of physically, mentally, and emotionally handicapped children in the United States, until the 1960’s was provided through a mixture of institutionalization, private tutoring, private schooling, or state-run schools for the handicapped” (Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources). Before President Gerald R. Ford signed the Education for all Handicapped Children Act on December 2, 1975, “students with such conditions that prevented or hampered walking, developmental disabilities, or genetic conditions, such as Down Syndrome were often ignored, institutionalized, or kept at home without schooling” (Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources). After this act was enacted, the view of “special needs” was reformed. Individuals understood the concept more thoroughly, and tended to be more accepting to the idea. “The understanding of dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, auditory processing disorder, speech and language disorders, and other behavioral and neurological disorders improved” (Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources). The Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 required that all children, regardless of severity of disability must receive FAPE from their local public school district. The significance o...
However, it still met with inconsistent criticism due to the myth that “positive intervention” doesn’t work and draining resources of regular courses. However, evidences shown prove the opposite effect. Special education is constant need of more funding – especially when it constantly gets budget cuts from congress and thus, schools are unable to keep up with the afford to provide the necessary need of special education (Wall 2014). So the myth of special education draining resources is the no way the truth. How could they be able to drained resources from other students if the programs themselves are in limited supply? Lack of understanding and easy to become a scapegoat for the blame of overall score of a school being poor is quite easy to pit the blame. Another reasoning is due to socialization—the label of being placed in special education is rather an unfortunate burden that could follow the child (Huerta 2015). Often times, stereotypes are attached and are considered inferior to other students, potentially adding onto potential fears. In order to improve any form of education for special education, funding a provided them resources should be considered the first thing to look
“in order for your child to qualify for the services the student must be found to have one of the 13 categories of special education and it must adversely affect their educational performance” (Hancock, 2016). So to get a better understanding of the special education process we have to view it from both sides of the situation, that is, a parent whose child was diagnosed with a disability, and a professional who works with special education for a living. Knowing both sides and their views we can get a better grasp of the whole system and the flaws and strengths that come with the whole process and