Identifying Disproportionality: Causes, Problems and Solutions Unconscious Discrimination and Racial Bias

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Identifying Disproportionality Causes, Problems
and SolutionsUnconscious Discrimination and
Racial Bias

• Markeda L. Newell
• Doctoral Student
• School Psychology
• University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Why Race Matters?

• Race is a factor
• See Losen Orfield (2002) for review
• Race matters because it is an imperfect proxy
  for racism and racial discrimination. (Randall,
  1999, p.1)
• Race matters because we have various perceptions
  of racial groups that affect our actions as
  professionals, which in turn directs a students
  educational path.

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Development of Racial Lens
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Race in Disproportionality

• Racial bias and discrimination
• Conscious and Unconscious
• Unconscious racial bias and discrimination
• Unknowingly or unintentionally being
  discriminatory based on race (Losen Orfield,
  2002)
• Impact
• Referral and identification process
• Placement
• Quality of services
• Schooling experiences of racially/ethnically
  diverse students

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Manifestations

• Inclination towards pathology, delinquency,
  criminality
• the bad conduct of a white male student is
  likely to be excused as a one-time slip
• while an African American youth who similarly
  misbehaves is labeled a perpetual
• troublemaker and severely punished, thought by
  the school that he has nothing to lose by
• being so classified (Fremon Hamilton, 1997 as
  cited in Schwartz, 2003)
• Low expectations
• Intellectually inferior
• Less capable of controlling behavior
• Stricter rules, more severe punishments, lower
  tolerance
• Problematic family or home-life
• Parents/guardians do not value education
• Students live in a broken home

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Implications

• Racially/ethnically diverse students are
• overrepresented in special education (in the most
  restrictive environments)
• underrepresented in gifted/talented and
• more likely to drop-out of school.
• Practice
• Need to put this issue on the table as a
  race-based issue
• Need to use authentic, individualized
  problem-solving
• Need to acknowledge and examine your racial lens
  in practice and its implications for students
• Need to rely on what you know as best practices
  as a professional

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What Can I Do?

• Understand Yourself
• Engage in Self-Awareness Development
• Culturally
• Racially
• Economically
• Understand the Client
• Use of an ecological perspective on behavior
  (Miranda, 2002)
• Develop cultural competence (i.e., knowledge,
  communication, skill) (Ortiz Flanagan, 2002)
• Develop strong home-school relationships (Esler,
  Godber, Christenson, 2002)

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Thank You!

• Questions and Comments