What are the statistics of special education students?

Question

I am a teacher of students with emotional disabilities, I am also enrolled in classes since I am on an emergency license. I am doing a project where I need the statistics of special education showing the races of students. So, I need to know the breakdown of each race in special education. I know that information is out there (it just has to be) but I cannot find it. Any help would be very much appreciated!! Thanks!!

Answer 1

I googled "special education statistics" and got lots of links to check.  Here are a few. Hope this helps!

www.library.ilstu.edu/page/467

www.brainstalk.com/special_education_s...

www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/ds

education.alberta.ca/admin/special.asp...

www.heritage.org/Research/Education/WM...

www.ericdigests.org/1992-4/trends.htm

www.thefreelibrary.com/Statistics-s130...

Answer 2

http://www.ecs.org/html/offsite.asp?docu...

The key words to search are: "overidentification," "African American," and also "Emotionally Disturbed" or "Special Education."

Your professor probably wants you to address the disproportionate numbers of African American males identified as "Emotionally Disturbed," as well as in other Special Education programs.  Looking at the statistics, it appears to be a case racism or a lack of understanding of non-Eurocentric cultures.  School values students who sit, raise their hands to speak, etc., which is thought to be Eurocentric and not sympathetic to the diverse cultural backgrounds of at-risk student populations.