Why are all the Black kids in special ed? Or, why you should always demand a second opinion | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Why are all the Black kids in special ed? Or, why you should always demand a second opinion | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

Why are all the Black kids in special ed? Or, why you should always demand a second opinion

by Guest blogger

This guest blog post was written by Sonja Kerr and Dave Hanyok of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia.

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As demonstrated in study after study and acknowledged in the text of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), minority students (and especially Black students) are disproportionately diagnosed with disabilitiesand placed in special education or lowest-level courses.
Many people don’t understand how this is possible. They think: Isn’t it clear when someone has a disability? Can’t you just administer an IQ test, look at test scores, and be done with it?
Unfortunately, the evaluation process is much more complicated than that – and as it’s actually implemented, it leaves a lot more room for human error.
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