Educators and policymakers alike have long been concerned that children of color are over-represented in special education, placed in more restrictive educational settings, and disciplined at high rates.
In fact, data from the Office of Civil Rights shows that in 2011-2012:
- 1 in 4 boys of color with disabilities were suspended
- 1 in 5 girls of color with disabilities were suspended
- 75% of students physically restrained have a disability
- 58% of students secluded have a disability
(And more information on disproportionality is here)
Now, the U.S. Department of Education is asking the public for advice in addressing this issue. Specifically, the Department wants your feedback related to:
- Significant disproportionality based on race and ethnicity in the:
- identification of children as children with disabilities, including identification by disability category;
- placement of children with disabilities in particular educational settings; and
- the incidence, duration, and type of disciplinary action taken with respect to children with disabilities; and
- Ensuring that funds reserved for comprehensive, coordinated early intervening services under Part B of the IDEA are used to effectively address significant disproportionality.
You may remember that in IDEA 2004, a provision was added to allow states to use up to 15% of their IDEA Part B funding to support Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS). CEIS are activities (i.e. professional development, educational supports such as RTI) for K-12 students (emphasis on K-3)who are not currently identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general education environment.
And school districts that are found to have significant disproportionality must use the full 15% of their IDEA Part B funding to support CEIS. According to the Government Accountability Office, in 2010 states required only 2% of school districts provide CEIS. Half of these districts were clustered in five states – LA, FL, DE, RI, and MS. 73 districts were in Louisiana alone.
While CEIS funding hasn’t been used often, the data on identification, discipline and educational setting paint a different story. Tell us your thoughts on disproportionality in the comments section below.