Term of Award

Fall 2021

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading

Committee Chair

Delores Liston

Committee Member 1

Joseph Telfair

Committee Member 2

Cordelia Zinskie

Committee Member 3

Kymberly Harris

Abstract

As the student population in many U.S. public schools grows increasingly more diverse, the need to assess the educational practices utilized in public schools grows as well. It is imperative for educators to make a concerted effort to ensure the rights and needs of minority students are being addressed in public schools. It is the duty of educators and policy makers to protect those students who are most marginalized by society. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the phenomenon of Black male overrepresentation in special education, and to ascertain the views and perspectives of special education teachers regarding this phenomenon. Additionally, this study sought to explore any commonly accepted school practices that may be contributing to disproportionality. The overarching research question that guided this study was: How do special education teachers view the phenomenon of Black male overrepresentation in special education?

A total of four current special education teachers participated in this study. Participation included completing a semi-structured interview, which contained questions and prompts relating to Black male overrepresentation in special education. The resulting interview data were transcribed and coded using qualitative analysis techniques, and three major themes were identified. The three major themes were: (1) Black male overrepresentation in special education is a commonly experienced phenomenon; (2) Social/personal factors are the best predictors of a Black male being placed in special education; and, (3) Educators feel powerless in regard to ameliorating the prevalence of Black male overrepresentation in special education. The results of this study suggest that Black male overrepresentation in special education is a racially driven phenomenon, and continues to plague many public schools.

OCLC Number

1288700951

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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