The Disproportionate Placement of African American Males in Special Education Programs: A Critique of the Process

Standardized test outcomes for students engaged in inquiry‐based science curricula in the context of urban reform

“…These are generally attributed to a number of contextual factors that limit or discourage learning for boys (Graham, 2000;Graham, Taylor, & Hudley, 1998;Harry & Anderson, 1994;Rascoe & Atwater, 2005). Examination of the 8th grade science MEAP scores in the Detroit population demonstrates a similar gap in achievement by gender in our comparison pool, with boys scoring significantly lower than girls.…”

Rite of Passage Programs as Effective Tools for Fostering Resilience Among Low‐Income African American Male Adolescents

“…Oftentimes, counselors and educators serve as gatekeepers, deciding which students are placed in enrichment and magnet programs and which ones are placed in special education and remedial behavioral programs (Cartledge, Tillman, & Johnson, 2001). Because this kind of tracking greatly influences achievement in later years and may be influenced by cultural misunderstandings (Harry & Anderson, 1995), counselors must change how they work with low-income, African American male students to use a strength-based, culture-centered framework (Amatea et al, 2006;Ivey & Pedersen, 1993).…”

Retention and special education referral practices before and after the implementation of high-stakes testing

“…Of particular importance is how decisions related to retention and special education referrals impact students from lower socioeconomic communities and those from culturally diverse backgrounds. Research has supported that students with the aforementioned backgrounds are more likely to be retained and referred for special education (Anderson, 1997;Brantlinger, 1997;Figueroa & Artiles, 1999; Harry & Anderson, 1995;McNamara, 1998). This information has important consequences related to the use of financial resources, the implementation of legislative action and the development of social policy.…”

“…Concerns regarding the disproportionate representation of minority and low-income students continue (Brantlinger, 1997;Figueroa & Artiles, 1999;Harry & Anderson, 1995). African-American children have been consistently overrepresented in all disabling categories, particularly in the "high incidence" categories of mental retardation, speech-impaired, and emotionally disturbed (Harry & Anderson, 1995) and Hispanic students are overrepresented in programs for learning disabilities and speech and language impairments (Harry, 1992).…”