Can Equity Be Mandated and Achieved? Examining the Relationships Among Policy, Local Context, and the Production of Racial Inequities in Special Education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Interrogating Race, Policy, and Dis/ability in Global Contexts

Abstract

Despite legal protections provided by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students of color are disproportionately represented in high incidence disability categories and disciplinary outcomes. This issue has been under examined in suburban communities. We used mixed methods to understand the contextual factors that contribute to the educational paradox between a policy framework designed to provide equal opportunity and persistent racially disproportionate outcomes. Findings show: (1) among suburban districts, the greater percentage of students of color and higher poverty rates increased the likelihood of disproportionality, and (2) IDEA mandates were disassociated from contextual factors, such as residential segregation and sociodemographic changes, which practitioners reported as having a strong influence on practice.

Authors

• Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides, New York University

• Alexandra Aylward, New York University

• Adai A. Tefera, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Alfredo J. Artiles, Arizona State University