|Who Receives and Benefits From Special Education in the U.S.? Analyses of Three Nationally Representative Datasets
|Pennsylvania State University
|Systems, Policy, and Finance [Program Details]
|2 years (07/01/2020 – 06/30/2022)
Co-Principal Investigator: Farkas, George
Related Projects: ADHD: Population-Based Estimates of Diagnosis, Treatments, and School Outcomes (R324A120331); Risk Factors and Services for Vocabulary Delays in Early Childhood: Population-based Estimates (R324A120046)
Purpose: This Exploration grant will analyze secondary data from three nationally representative databases to examine significant disproportionality in special education, including to what extent disproportionality may be resulting from systemic bias in disability identification. A lack of scientific consensus has emerged regarding racial and ethnic disparities in disability identification. Until recently, over-representation was widely believed to result from U.S. schools inappropriately over-identifying students as having disabilities based on their race or ethnicity. Yet new empirical work repeatedly finds that students who are racial, ethnic, or language minorities are less likely to be identified as having disabilities than observationally similar White or English-speaking students, suggesting inequities in special education resource allocation in the U.S. To advance the current knowledge base, the research team will examine whether and to what extent (a) disparities in disability identification have changed over time in the U.S. including for disabilities generally and for specific conditions, (b) school-, district-, and state-level characteristics relate to these disparities, and (c) receipt of special education services is associated with or predictive of increased academic achievement, behavior, and socio-emotional functioning by students with disabilities including those who are minorities.
Project Activities: Researchers will conduct secondary data analysis with data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 (ECLS-K: 2011), conduct cross-cohort analyses with the ECLS-K Class of 1998–1999 (ECLS-K), and analyze seven cross-sectional surveys from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Products: The primary product of this project will be a set of studies and reports on racial, ethnic, and language disparities in the U.S. special education system as well as on observed associations between special education service receipt and the school functioning of students with disabilities. In addition, the research team will disseminate the project's findings to educational researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
Settings:Three nationally representative and multivariate samples of students attending elementary and middle schools in the United States.
Population/Sample: Two nationally representative cohorts of children entering U.S. kindergarten classrooms in 1998–1999 and 2010–2011. Seven nationally representative cross-sectional surveys of U.S. fourth and eighth grade students. All samples are diverse and include at-risk subpopulations (i.e., students with disabilities, racial/ethnic minorities, low-income students, language minorities). All students were individually assessed.
Malleable Factors: The project will examine factors predictive of or associated with disability identification in U.S. schools including student-level academic achievement and behavior as well as family and school contextual variables. The project will also examine to what extent receipt of special education services is associated with or predictive of the school functioning of students with disabilities.
Research Design and Methods:Secondary data analyses of two longitudinal cohorts and seven very large repeated cross-sectional surveys. The two longitudinal cohorts include repeated student-level assessments of academic achievement, behavior, and socio-emotional functioning. The cross-sectional surveys include student-level assessment of achievement. The three databases include additional measures of student, family, and school contextual variables. The project's methods will leverage these assessments including in analyses that approximate contrasts between observationally similar students.
Key Measures:Student-level measures include: (a) disability status generally as well as specific disability conditions, (b) individually administered reading and mathematics achievement, (c) student and family socio-demographics (e.g., SES, race/ethnicity, language spoken at home), and (d) school and neighborhood characteristics.
Data Analytic Strategy:The researchers will pool the data and use multilevel models to estimate disparities in the rates and processes by which students who are racial, ethnic, or language minorities are identified as having disabilities and receive special education services while attending U.S. schools. The researchers will estimate multilevel logistic, survival, and growth curve models as well as conduct latent class growth analyses. Regression adjustment, propensity score matching, and econometric techniques (i.e., school fixed effects) will be used to help account for selection bias.
Related IES Projects: ADHD: Population-Based Estimates of Diagnosis, Treatments, and School Outcomes (R324A120331); Longitudinal Relations Among Social Contexts, Bullying, Victimization, and Elementary School Outcomes in a Nationally Representative Sample (R305A220293)
Ni nani anayepokea na kufaidika na Elimu Maalum nchini Marekani? Utafiti wa Takwimu za Taifa tatu: Mifumo, Sera, na Fedha (Pennsylvania State University) - Mwaka wa 2020 - 2020 - Mtaalamu Mtendaji Mshirika: Farkas, George, na miradi inayohusiana: ADHD: Makadirio ya Watu wa Utafiti wa Uchunguzi wa Uchunguzi wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti wa Utafiti. Ukosefu wa makubaliano ya kisayansi umeibuka kuhusu tofauti za kikabila na kikabila katika utambulisho wa ulemavu. "Hata hivi karibuni, ""uwakilishi wa juu"" uliaminiwa sana kuwa matokeo ya shule za Marekani zisizofaa kutambua wanafunzi kuwa na ulemavu kulingana na jamii yao au ukabila." "Hata hivyo, utafiti mpya unaonyesha mara kwa mara kwamba wanafunzi ambao ni wa jamii ndogo, jamii ndogo au lugha ndogo wana uwezekano mdogo wa kutambuliwa kuwa na ulemavu kuliko wanafunzi wazungu au wanaozungumza Kiingereza, na hivyo kuashiria ukosefu wa usawa katika ugawaji wa rasilimali za elimu maalum nchini Marekani, ""Alisema, ""Kwa kuendeleza msingi wa maarifa ya sasa, timu ya utafiti itachunguza ikiwa na kiasi gani tofauti katika utambulisho wa ulemavu nchini Marekani, ikiwa ni pamoja na ulemavu kwa ujumla na kwa ajili ya maalum, hali ya wilaya, na hali ya kitaaluma ya ngazi." Utafiti wa data ya msingi wa utafiti wa Longitudinal ya Watoto wa Mapema, Darasa la Kindergarten la 2010-2011 (ECLS-K), na Uchunguzi wa Uchunguzi wa Msalaba wa Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu ya Elimu. "Mfano: ""Mfano wa kwanza wa mradi huu utakuwa seti ya masomo na ripoti juu ya tofauti za rangi, kikabila, na lugha katika mfumo wa elimu maalum wa Marekani, pamoja na uhusiano uliotambuliwa kati ya kupokea huduma za elimu maalum na utendaji wa shule ya wanafunzi wenye ulemavu.""" Kwa kuongezea, timu ya utafiti itatangaza matokeo ya mradi huo kwa watafiti wa elimu, watunga sera, na watendaji. Mifumo: Sampuli tatu za kitaifa za uwakilishi na multivariate za wanafunzi wanaohudhuria shule za msingi na za kati nchini Marekani. Mfano: Kikundi cha watoto wa shule ya chekechea nchini Marekani mwaka 1998-1999 Uchunguzi wa msalaba wa kitaifa wa wanafunzi wa darasa la nne na la nane Mifano yote ni tofauti na ni pamoja na hatari subpopulations (yaani, wanafunzi wenye ulemavu, jamii za watu wachache, wanafunzi wa mapato ya chini, lugha ya wachache). Wanafunzi wote walipimwa kibinafsi. "Mfano: ""Mfano wa Uwezo wa Kuongoza"" ni utafiti wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza wa kuongoza." Mradi huo pia utachunguza kwa kiasi gani kupokea huduma za elimu maalum inahusiana na au kutabiri utendaji wa shule ya wanafunzi wenye ulemavu. Utafiti wa Utafiti na Utafiti: Uchambuzi wa data ya sekondari ya makundi mawili ya longitudinal na uchunguzi wa msalaba wa mara kwa mara wa ukubwa mkubwa. Makundi mawili ya muda mrefu ni pamoja na tathmini za mara kwa mara za kiwango cha mwanafunzi wa mafanikio ya kitaaluma, tabia, na utendaji wa kijamii na kihisia. Uchunguzi wa msalaba ni pamoja na tathmini ya mwanafunzi ngazi ya mafanikio. Hifadhidata tatu ni pamoja na vipimo vya ziada ya mwanafunzi, familia, na shule contextual vigezo. Mbinu za mradi huo zitatumia tathmini hizi ikiwa ni pamoja na uchambuzi ambao unakaribia tofauti kati ya wanafunzi sawa ya uchunguzi. "Hatua za msingi: ""Hatua za kiwango cha mwanafunzi ni pamoja na: hali ya ulemavu kwa ujumla, pamoja na hali maalum ya ulemavu; mafanikio ya kusoma na hisabati ya kibinafsi; tabia ya kijamii ya mwanafunzi na familia (kwa mfano, SES, jamii, lugha inayozungumzwa nyumbani); na sifa za shule na kitongoji." "Wanafunzi watatumia data na mifano ya ""multi-level"" kukadiria tofauti katika viwango na michakato ambayo wanafunzi ambao ni wa jamii, kikabila, au lugha ndogo hutambuliwa kama wenye ulemavu na kupokea huduma za elimu maalum wakati wa kuhudhuria shule za Marekani." Watafiti watakadiria mifano ya vifaa vya ngazi nyingi, kuishi, na mteremko wa ukuaji na pia kufanya uchambuzi wa ukuaji wa darasa la siri. Marekebisho ya kurudi nyuma, propensity alama mechi, na mbinu econometric (yaani, shule athari fasta) itatumika kusaidia akaunti kwa ajili ya uchaguzi bias. Utafiti wa IES: ADHD: Makadirio ya Watu wa Ugonjwa, Matibabu, na Matokeo ya Shule (R324A12331); Uhusiano wa Longitudinal Kati ya Mipangilio ya Jamii, Uonevu, Uharibifu, na Matokeo ya Shule ya Msingi katika Sampuli ya Uwakilishi wa Kitaifa (R305A22303)