Experimental Evidence of Race/Ethnicity and Gender Effects on Teachers' Referrals to Special and Gifted Education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: Criminalizing Youth of Color and the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Disciplining Race, Gender, and Disability

Abstract

Students of color and boys are identified with disabilities at far greater incidences than their white and female peers, while they tend to be much less likely to be identified with giftedness. In this paper, I use an experimental survey to test for race/ethnicity, nativity, and gender effects in how teachers respond to children indicating academic and behavioral differences in the classroom. I found that boys of color were more likely to be suspected of disabilities when they exhibit behavioral challenges. I argue that the category of emotional disorder, in particular, may maintain or exacerbate racial/ethnic inequalities in education.

Author

• Rachel Elizabeth Fish, University of Notre Dame