Are Students of Color Underrepresented in Special Education? The Case of Asian Americans

• In Event: 52.075 - Special Education Research SIG Paper Session 3: Issues About Disproportionality in Special Education

Abstract

School districts in the United States are required to monitor the overrepresentation of students of color in special education, yet such policies have largely overlooked the underrepresentation of Asian Americans. Underrepresentation, however, includes the possibility that some students may be excluded from needed services guaranteed under federal law. Using administrative data on all students from a suburban school district, this study probes deeper into underrepresentation by (1) examining whether the trend is similar for all Asian ethnic subgroups and (2) assessing whether differences in student background characteristics may explain any disparities in special education rates for Asian American students. Results indicate that Asian Americans are underrepresented across ethnic subgroups and remain so even after controlling for background characteristics.

Author

• North Cooc, The University of Texas - Austin