Contact: Ramona Parks, (202) 822-7823, rparks@nea.org

December 3, 2007 

NEA Offers Strategies To Tackle Unusual Number of Minorities Referred to Special Education

WASHINGTON -- Black students are labeled mentally retarded three times as often as White students. Native American children receive special education labels and services at twice the rate of the general student population. And Hispanic and Asian and Pacific Islander students are under-identified for special education. 

In a new report, Truth in Labeling: Disproportionality in Special Education, the National Education Association offers strategies to address the problem of mislabeling students.

"The results can be devastating," said Reg Weaver, NEA president.  "Students who are unintentionally labeled are not exposed to the same expectations as students in general education programs.  And underrepresentation is a concern because students may not get the services they need. The strategies NEA outlines here offer real solutions so we can make sure all children have the opportunity to succeed."

There are a number of factors that contribute to this disproportionality. High-stakes testing can pressure teachers to cover content on a specific schedule, and students who can't keep up may be seen as needing special education. Limited access to preschool and support services, like reading improvement classes or counseling, may also lead to increased referrals because students don't receive the attention they need. And schools with rigid discipline systems may inadvertently promote less tolerance for cultural differences, leading to more students being placed in special education programs. 

From teachers to parents to community leaders and lawmakers -- everyone plays an important role in addressing disproportionality. NEA's comprehensive and practical recommendations include:

• Offering early intervention services to address gaps in student achievement and school behavior;
• Implementing schoolwide programs to teach expected behavior instead of using negative punishing policies;
• Increasing "academic language" proficiency to ensure English language learners can not only hold conversations in English, but also grasp academic concepts;
• Ensuring quality, early childhood education, as certain academic skills are established before age five;
• Strengthening parental/family involvement and community partnerships; and
• Developing culturally responsive teaching skills and using culturally responsive assessments.

"We must start having some critical conversations in our communities," Weaver added.  "We need to talk about curriculum, parental involvement, support systems and funding to help get our students the resources they need.  This needs to happen at the state, local and classroom levels. Diversity adds value to our public schools. We should support students, not stigmatize them unnecessarily." 

There are key questions people can ask in order to take an active role in addressing disproportionality in their communities. The questions include:

• Are quality early childhood services available in your community?
• How culturally appropriate are special education assessments and the general curriculum?
• Does your school or district provide early intervention programs that offer academic help before a child is referred to special education?  Are the programs available to all students who need them?
• Is professional development available to help teachers strengthen their culturally responsive teaching strategies and classroom management skills?
• To what extent are the school discipline policies responsive to cultural differences?  Are disciplinary actions broken down by race or ethnicity?

For additional top questions, resources or to download the report: www.nea.org/specialed/disproportionality.html

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The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.