Town Hall Meeting
Thursday, April 4, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Addressing Disproportionality in Special Education and School Discipline: Where Do We Stand and Where Are We Going?
Leaders: Russell Skiba, Indiana University, Bloomington and Eleanor White, Michigan Department of Education, Lansing
The landscape regarding disproportionality in special education and school discipline remains highly complex. The presence of IDEA provisions concerning disproportionality in special education was a major step forward in bringing attention to the issue, yet issues of implementation of those regulations have created confusion and even controversy. In the area of discipline, there are some encouraging signs that racial and ethnic disparities are receiving greatly increased attention, but there remain few concrete initiatives or interventions to address wide disparities in suspension and expulsion. This town hall will provide a status report of where the field stands with respect to policy regarding racial/ethnic disproportionality in special education and discipline. The presenters will also and address many questions concerning this topic such as: Where are the policy mandates addressing disparities? How well are they working? What types of local or state initiatives are addressing disproportionality in special education and school discipline? What are the obstacles to addressing disproportionality and how might they be addressed? What key attitudes, perspectives, and knowledge might be required to be effective in moving this issue forward?
At the end of this session, participants will:
- Understand the status of policy regarding racial and ethnic disparities in discipline and special education.
- Increase their awareness of promising practices at the LEA and/or SEA level for addressing disproportionality.