Research Question: Is the Disproportionality in Special Education creating a vicious circle of lower educational standards in Minority groups?

As many of you now the current economical conditions have effected all aspects of life in the United States. Families now more than ever are facing trials that only a few years ago were unimaginable. Home forecloses, lay-off, raising cost of living, tighter family budgets met with even tighter state and federal budgets. All aspects of our daily lives are being effected by the state of our current economy. As a result every state this year is trimming their budget once more and cutting back where ever they can. One area they are looking at is Education. Educational reform has been a buzz over the past 18 months in almost every state. The school districts are faced with new challenges, between a changing demographic of students and the lacking federal funding. The states are being forced to throw out their old strategies and consider new methods of funding and supporting their local schools.

One large part of the school budget that has been flying low in the debate over funding is IDEA and FAPE. Both of these acts provide and guarantee the funding of special education programs in public schools. Many families rely on these programs to help them provide the much needed developmental programs for their children. However there is an overwhelming lack of oversight and administration of these programs and funds. These current short comings are now met with smaller budgets and more students than ever before. Many children are simply left is a system that isn't working or placed into the wrong program base on outdated tests. The tests and placement evaluations currently being used, according to some, are not adequately adapted to the new demographic of students that is are entering into public schools.

As our schools become more diverse racially, ethnically, and culturally, Special Education programs have failed to provide testing and evaluations that take into consideration these students are born into different socioeconomic environments than the “traditional” student. This gap leads me to question whether these differences of culture, race and ethnicity are a driving force in the growing number of under educated minorities in the public education system. When we add in a budget that is already falling behind to provide needed funding for Special Education, what are the current state and local governments, who are responsible for over seeing Special Education, doing to make sure these evaluations are being adjusted and updated to accommodate the new demographics within our public schools system to avoid the Disproportionality in Special Education?