Is Dis-Ability a Foregone Conclusion? How Equity and Disproportionality Are Conceptualized in Research (Poster 15)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Fourteen
  In Poster Session: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis SIG Poster Session

Abstract

A complex mix of legislation, policies, and context-driven practices govern education, and these influences are particularly salient in special education. However, these governances are often at odds with equity-focused scholarship. Disproportionality in special education represents one area in which research might influence policy to rectify educational inequities. In this meta- ethnography, we investigate how disproportionality researchers have operationalized dis-ability and evaluate the coherence between this research and related policy. We found that studies using medical/rehabilitative frameworks to define disability offered recommendations for preventing inappropriate identification and enhancing access to early interventions. In contrast, studies situated in social models offered recommendations for improvement of educational systems. Studies that used legal frameworks often advocated for policies regarding racism without addressing ableism.

Authors

• Rebecca A. Cruz, Johns Hopkins University
  Presenting Author

• Allison Firestone, San Francisco Unified School District
  Presenting Author

• Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides, Hunter College - CUNY
  Presenting Author

• Logan McDermott, Johns Hopkins University
  Presenting Author

• Zhihui Feng, Johns Hopkins University
  Presenting Author