Are African-American students overrepresented in special ed
classrooms? That’s the question asked by Destani Parker. After a
thorough review of the existing literature, Destani conducted a
series of qualitative interviews with parents and teachers.
Discussing samples of these interviews, Parker highlighted that
a lack of knowledge about test procedures, referral processes,
and the meaning of tests among the parents and the students is
crucial for understanding why so many students of color end up
in special ed programs. For instance, a student appraiser who
had tested students for seven years reported a ratio of 8 to 2
in referrals, meaning that out of every 10 students she referred
to special ed programs 8 were African-American students. This
interviewee explained the difference with black students’
underexposure to the learning materials. Parker stressed that
parents need to be educated better about their rights and that
teachers and student-appraisers need to be trained better to
avoid test bias. She concl