Building a case for culturally responsive practices used with response to intervention models to reduce disproportionate representation among African Americans in special education

Author

Sonia Perry Barber

Date

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Leadership & Policy Studies

Committee Chair

Reginald Green

Committee Member

Charisse Gulosino

Committee Member

William Hunter

Committee Member

Laura Casey

Abstract

The federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which was enacted to provide funds to states to support special education programs and to ensure that children and parents rights are protected, has been reauthorized several times. Yet, despite the multiple amendments to improve the law, there remains a disproportionate representation of minority students in special education. Such disparity creates a plethora of problems for African-American students. This study extends a previous case study in relation to using culturally responsive practices to reduce disproportionate representation among African Americans in special education. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent a Culturally Responsive approach to Response to Intervention may have decreased disproportionate representation among African Americans in special education in two school districts. The researcher used content analysis in order to develop a consensus on the knowledge and use of culturally responsive practices aligned with Response to Intervention techniques to decrease disproportionate representation in special education among African- American students in Florida and Virginia. The findings, implications, and recommendations for using culturally responsive practices with Response to Intervention models could reduce disproportionate representation among African American students in special education by using a theoretical framework as guide for implementation. The results also suggested the need for continued research to improve how states define the criteria for determining disproportionate representation for all subgroups of students.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest

Recommended Citation

Barber, Sonia Perry, "Building a case for culturally responsive practices used with response to intervention models to reduce disproportionate representation among African Americans in special education" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2440.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/etd/2440