Meet Joseph
Joseph was five years old when his parents, Fabiola and Paul, sought rescue in a New World after hurricane Mathew destroyed their Haitian home in 2016. Joseph’s parents landed in the United States (U.S.) with a hope to build a new home and future for their son. Everything was new to Joseph, Fabiola, and Paul in a new country, including language, food, and culture. Joseph’s parents had to adjust swiftly to provide for their child. Fabiola took on cleaning and Paul on construction jobs. Fabiola and Paul were encouraged to place Joseph in a special education classroom due to what was perceived as Joseph’s disruptive behavior and limited English language proficiency. Having limited understanding about how schools work in the U.S., Joseph’s parents followed teachers’ recommendation. Since then, Joseph’s education has been in the special education classroom.
There are many learners like Joseph in schools. In 2022, the narrative of education in the U.S. took a new turn with the unveiling of the U.S. Department of Education’s yearly report, aptly titled “The Condition of Education” (Irwin et al., 2022). The report is the culmination of extensive data collection from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, providing an insightful exploration of the U.S. educational landscape. The report chronicles the lives of school-aged children, examining their demographic diversity and the particulars of their experience in the special education system, while also casting light on those who guide them in their educational journey. Three key threads have emerged from this grand narrative that weave through the fabric of U.S. education.
The first thread is the tale of unprecedented diversity. U.S. public schools are home to a student body that is more racially, ethnically, and linguistically varied than ever before, a testament to the changing demographic tides of the nation. The second thread forecasts the future, with signs indicating that this rich tapestry of diversity is poised to persist and deepen (Frankenberg et al., 2019). Yet, running counter to these threads is a third narrative. The faces at the front of the classroom remain largely the same as the demographics of the education workforce continue to be predominantly White, marking a stark contrast with the student populations they serve (Boser, 2014).
In an intriguing subplot, the report exposes an issue of lingering concern in the world of special education. Despite years of dialogue and policy efforts, the overrepresentation of Black, Hispanic, and non-English proficient students in special education persists, signaling that the battle for educational equity is far from over (Artiles & Trent, 1994; Tefera et al., 2023). The 2022 report “The Condition of Education” tells a poignant story of growing diversity among students juxtaposed against a largely unchanged educator demographic, with pressing challenges in the realm of special education, underscoring the imperative for action in shaping a more inclusive and equitable educational landscape (Irwin et al., 2022).
The legislative backdrop of special education traces back to the 1970s, starting with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504. This Act prohibited discrimination against individuals with disabilities in programs receiving federal funding. Shortly afterward, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) was enacted in 1975, mandating Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for all children with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990 and its reauthorizations in 1997 and 2004 mandated parental participation in the decision-making process in special education (Turnbull et al., 2015). These laws emphasized the importance of the families’ involvement in planning, implementing, and evaluating special education services. However, engaging families, especially CLD families, in special education has proven to be a significant challenge (Harry,2014; Love et al., 2021). As in the case with Joseph’s parents, multiple factors complicate the implementation of these policies. For example, limited English language proficiency, lack of familiarity with the U.S. educational system, socio-economic challenges, and perceived cultural insensitivity by school staff often hinder CLD families’ engagement (Harry, 2008).