QuantCrit Investigation Examining Representation in Special Education: Intersectionality and School Characteristics

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 12:40 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Reimagining Special Education: Integrating Equity and Community Knowledge (Table 4)

Abstract

Scholars, researchers, and policy makers continue to be concerned about the overidentification of
students for special education in the United States. Our concerns extend to that of students in urban school districts.
Therefore, we conducted a research investigation, using QuantCrit, to identify the prevalence of students receiving
special education services, based on middle school students’ intersecting identities of race/ethnicity and gender in
five Urban School Districts. We also explored within district differences of representation among schools and
considered whether key school characteristics of middle schools had implications for students overrepresented.
From a racial justice standpoint, our results indicate that there needs to be radical changes in policy and practice,
when it comes to identifying students in urban school districts.

Authors

• Nicholas S. Bell, University at Albany - SUNY

• Laura M. Desimone, University of Delaware

• Joshua Wilson, University of Delaware