An analysis of an urban school district's general education intervention to reduce overrepresentation of minority students in special education

Minority students are overrepresented in special education in many urban school districts across the United States. The purpose of this study was to analyze the results of the implementation of policies and training related to the use of a problem solving general education intervention model in an urban school system. Disproportionate representation is problematic if the programming is stigmatizing or ineffective, or if the process of identification is not applied equally to different groups of students (NRC, 1982). The Metropolitan School District of Pike Township administrators elected to begin a general education intervention initiative to address overrepresentation of minority students in special education within the school district. The initiative included all nine of the elementary schools in the district. It included training teams in each school in the use of a problem solving process as a key component to the general education intervention team. The results of this study will be used to make further recommendations regarding the school district's general education intervention initiative.Department of Special EducationThesis (D. Ed.