ERIC Number: EJ1158181
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Oct
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0014-4029
EISSN: N/A
Using an Ever-English Learner Framework to Examine Disproportionality in Special Education
Umansky, Ilana M.; Thompson, Karen D.; Díaz, Guadalupe
Exceptional Children, v84 n1 p76-96 Oct 2017
Whereas most existing research has examined the prevalence of current English learners (ELs) in special education, we propose and test the use of the ever-EL framework, which holds the subgroup of EL students stable by following all students who enter school classified as ELs. Drawing on two administrative data sets, discrete-time hazard analyses show that whereas current EL students are overrepresented in special education at the secondary level, students who enter school as ELs are significantly underrepresented in special education overall and within most disability categories. Reclassification patterns, in part, explain these findings: EL students with disabilities are far less likely than those without disabilities to exit EL services, resulting in large proportions of dually identified students at the secondary level. These findings shed new light on EL under- and overrepresentation in special education and offer insights into policies and practices that can decrease EL special education disproportionality.
Descriptors: English Language Learners, Special Education, Disproportionate Representation, Disabilities, Longitudinal Studies, Cohort Analysis, Comparative Analysis, Classification, Elementary Secondary Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305H140072; R305A110670