Racial disproportions in a North Carolina exceptional children's program : a case study
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Kieran Danielle Foxx (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Candace Boan-Lenzo
Abstract: For several decades research has documented the overrepresentation of minorities in
special education programs. The public school system in Wayne County, North Carolina,
has been plagued by accusations of racial inequality, such as segregation of school
district lines to seclude children in the Goldsboro City district which is within the Wayne
County school system and primarily African American, from attending schools in higher-
SES districts, where the children are primarily white. Even though the racial inequity has
been identified with regard to the school district lines, researchers have not explored
additional acts of racial inequality in the public school system of Wayne County. This
study compared the racial composition of children in the Wayne County special
education program and their eligibility categories to the racial composition of the entire
Wayne County Public School student population to identify any potential issues of
minority overrepresentation in their special education program. Chi square analyses
revealed statistically significant results with African American students being the most
overrepresented minority group in the analyzed high-incidence special education categories, such as mild intellectual disability, moderate intellectual disability, serious
emotional disturbance, and specific learning disability. They were also overrepresented in
the category of severe intellectual disability. Implications of these results for the county
as they try to unravel possible discriminatory practices and policies that result in unequal
education experiences will be discussed.
Racial disproportions in a North Carolina exceptional children's program : a case study
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Created on 7/1/2013
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2013
- Keywords
- disproportionality, ethnicity, minority, overrepresentation, race, special education
- Subjects
- Minorities -- Education -- North Carolina -- Wayne County -- Case studies
- Discrimination in education -- North Carolina -- Wayne County -- Case studies
- Special education -- North Carolina -- Wayne County -- Case studies