Over Representation of Learning-Disabled Students in the Public Education System - Research Paper Example

 Overrepresentation Of Learning-Disabled Students In The Public Education System Learning disabilities are problems associated with the abilities of the students learning abilities because of neurological differences in processing information. Even though different people have different learning abilities, problems associated with learning disabled students are severe so that they cannot concentrate too much either on the learning tasks or on a job. Moreover, such people may also face problems in leading an independent life and building social relationships. Special attention is needed for these students in order to educate them properly. The education of learning –disabled students is a big problem in many countries. The question of whether these students should be permitted to educate along with the normal students or in separate classes is a big question. Some psychologists and educationalists argue that the learning-disabled students should be educated along with the normal students in order to avoid any feeling of discrimination. However, many others are of the view that separate classes are required for educating learning-disabled students properly since the educational methods used for the normal students may not be suitable for the learning-disabled students. Because of the above contrasting views, the current public education system gives overrepresentation to the educational needs of the learning disabled students. This paper argues against the overrepresentation of the learning-disabled students in the public education system. Education of learning-disabled students Overrepresentation of learning disabled students can result in the creation of stereotypes. Stereotyping is perceived as a big problem in the contemporary society. “Stereotypes are generalizations, or assumptions that people make about the characteristics of all members of a group based on an image (often wrong) about what people in that group are like” (Inaccurate and Overly Hostile Stereotypes, 1998). Stereotyping or classification of people based on their peculiarities can create both positive and negative changes. It is easier to create stereotypes when there is a clearly distinction between people which can be easily recognized. In the educational system stereotyping may cause the destruction of the self esteems of the students. Students always compare themselves with the peers. If they feel that they are some way inferior to others, their self esteem may not develop properly. In fact, uniforms and other measures are implemented in schools in order to eliminate the possibility of the creation of unwanted feelings in the minds of the students. Overrepresentation of learning disabled students may create such a stereotype feeling among the students so that they may develop inferiority complex. In schools, “the arbitrariness of the designation ‘disability’ for many students with mild learning disorders illustrates that the concept is more a reflection of social values than of objective reality (The Nexus of Race, Disability, and Overrepresentation, 2001, p.11). In many cases, stamping of some students as the learning disabled students is a norm enforced by the society against the will of the individual. In fact it is better for the learning disabled students like to study with the normal students in order to take lessons from the behaviors of the normal students. But overrepresentation of learning disabled students always eliminates such possibilities. Educators often unwittingly formulate procedures and policies in schools that contribute to the misdiagnosis of disability when students are not academically successful (The Nexus of Race, Disability, and Overrepresentation, 2001, p.12). In many cases, the policies and procedures formulated by the educators are not in line with the facts. They depends fictions for creating policies. Educators or teachers often label students with mild difficulties in learning as learning disabled students instead of attempting to know the truth. Such students often forced to study in special educational setups. In fact, normal educational system could be the most suitable system for such students. But, in order to achieve good results and to boost the image or brand name of the schools, teachers and educators often send such students to special education institutions. Because of federal involvement and the provision of a free, appropriate, public education, persons with cerebral palsy, persons who are deaf or blind, persons with autism and other individuals with significant disabilities are integral, highly productive members of our national community. These folks did not live in institutions (Arnold & Lassmann, 2003, p.1) Even though government spending on special education sector is more, the teachers and the educators are taking the needs of special education lightly. It is a fact that the students with severe problems should be educated with the help of special education curricular methods. At the same time, sending people to students to special education institutions based on some preconceived assumptions is not good for a civilized society. For example, in America, many of the African-American students or the black students are often perceived as less intelligent compared to their white counterparts by the teachers and they recommend special education to such students. Because of the above fact, in most of the special education schools in America, the representation of black is too large compared to the representation of whites. This is not because of the less intelligence of the blacks compared to that of the whites; but because of misconceptions of the teachers and the educators. The overrepresentation of Black students, especially Black males, is due to biased testing and the cultural misunderstanding of Black people. Some educators responsible for teaching Black students are not aware of the cultural differences and backgrounds of Black students, and therefore view these differences as learning disability (Peterz, 2010) The major criteria used by the teachers to assess the intellectual levels of the students is the IQ testing. But the teachers often don’t have enough knowledge in administering these tests. They often fail to recognize the fact that the scores of the IQ tests should be analyzed based on the cultural traits of the student rather than the value alone. For example, an Indian or African student may fail to adapt to the teaching environments of the American schools initially. It is quite possible that these students may underperform in the initial examinations. Labeling such students as less intelligent or students with special needs based on an IQ test alone may not be correct. Such students may take more time to adapt with American culture. Many teachers have the prejudice that American students or the white students have superior learning abilities compared to the black students and hence it is unwise to educate both in the same class. They should realize that even the current American president belongs to the black community and hence there is no point in making false assumptions with respect to intelligence based on culture or color. The following statistics will give us clearer picture about the overrepresentation of black community in special education institutions. The special education annual report indicated that African American students accounted for 39 percent of the total special education population. However, they made up 47 percent of the students labeled as having emotional and behavior disorders and 57 percent of students with intellectual disabilities. These data show that African American students were disproportionately represented in these two areas (Fanion, 2010) Conclusions Overrepresentation of learning-disabled students in the public education system may bring more harm than the good. Segregation or discrimination in any form may affect the healthy mental developments of the children and hence the practices or criteria for sending students to the special education institutions should be thoroughly revised. Bothe the white and black community should have similar norms and criteria while determining who needs special education and who do not. References 1. Arnold M and Lassmann M.E. (2003). Overrepresentation of minority students in special Education. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3673/is_2_124/ai_n29056984/ 2. Fanion, F. (2010). The Overrepresentation of African American Students in Special Education. Retrieved from http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2010/07/the_overreprese.php 3. Inaccurate and Overly Hostile Stereotypes. (1998). Retrieved from http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/stereoty.htm 4. Peterz, K.S. (2010). The Overrepresentation of Black Students in Special Education Classrooms. Retrieved from http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/peterz1.html 5. The Nexus of Race, Disability, and Overrepresentation.(2001). Retrieved from http://www.urbanschools.org/pdf/race.pdf Read More