Solutions to Resolving Disproportionality in your District

The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education has been an important and persistent topic almost since the inception of special education. In an attempt to assess and remediate the problem, the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 97) mandated new state reporting requirements concerning minority enrollment in special education and the suspension and expulsion of students with disabilities. These new requirements make the issue of overrepresentation and school discipline a very practical issue for state departments of education. How should disproportionality be measured? What constitutes disproportionality? Is there disproportionality of special education students in school discipline? When disparities in enrollment or discipline are found, what does it mean, and how should it be remediated?