Giving Compass' Take:
- A study by Portland State University shows that many students of color are being put in special education classes, but socioeconomic inequalities are usually reason rather than biased teachers.
- How can socioeconomic inequalities severely affect a child's learning process? And how can teachers and educators work to mitigate those challenges?
- Read about how social-emotional learning can help students with handling students' needs.
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Many students of color are put in special education for learning disabilities, but it’s more often due to social injustices rather than racially biased teachers, according to a study by Portland State University.
A student’s socioeconomic status is a predominant factor in predicting academic achievement, and academic achievement is often used to diagnose learning disabilities, with students also often incorrectly classified as having a disability because of language barriers and immigration history, the study says.
The study’s findings reveal a broad problem: Calling a lack of achievement — which is often based on socioeconomic status — a disability doesn’t address the achievement gap and the issues behind it.
Minority students, including those who are African-American or Hispanic, often face economic, health or educational disadvantages, the American Psychological Association says. They’re more likely to be in poverty, have poor access to health care, or face psychological distress.
Solving the problem, or taking the first steps to address it, needs to go farther than a label. More funding for early childhood education programs and greater transparency from teachers, Shifrer said, will get support for the students who need it the most.
Read the full article about socioeconomic inequalities by Jessica Campisi at Education Dive.