In the United States, the white middle class is used as the educational reference point for which all students are compared. This inherently disadvantages students who are POC or of low socioeconomic status, as cultural differences may “mark” these students as having academic and behavioral problems that go against the accepted norm — therefore making them more likely to be placed in special education. 


University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Minority overrepresentation in special education has been a topic of debate since the 1960s, when sociologists estimated that 60-80% of students identified with disabilities were of low socioeconomic status or were of an ethnic minority. 

The Links Between Socioeconomic Status, Race, and Special Education

O’Connor, C., & Fernandez, S. D. (2006). Race, Class, and Disproportionality: Reevaluating the Relationship between Poverty and Special Education Placement. Educational Researcher, 35(6), 6–11. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3876747

Race, Class, and Disproportionality: Reevaluating the Relationship between Poverty and Special Education Placement

In the absence of “hard disabilities” such as blindness or deafness, teachers are often responsible for marking students for possible “soft disabilities”, like learning disabilities. This is often done by comparing individual student performance to the normal distribution curve of academic performance within their classrooms. Teachers will refer students performing significantly below their peers by learning and behavioral standards to be evaluated for potential disabilities. 


Teachers’ Roles in Determining Disabilities in Students

The Normative Frame of the White Middle Class

Students of color with disabilities are disproportionately more likely to end up in the American prison system. 

Learn Before

Related