Resources Details

Training Module: Using the Annotated Checklist for Addressing Racial Disproportionality in Special Education (ONLINE TRAINING)

Provides an overview of the self-assessment tool developed by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Through MTSS, Empathic Discipline Program Can Mitigate Racial Disparities in Suspension Rates (Website)

This brief includes an empathic discipline program: an intervention for teachers that is designed to mitigate the consequences of bias on their students’ education outcomes with a focus on exclusionary discipline. Researchers tested whether the empathic discipline program could be implemented through MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) networks in a large and diverse school district and whether it could mitigate yearlong suspension rates. 

Three Ways to Mitigate Special Education Disproportionality (Webpage)

Dr. Fergus argues in this article that effectively utilizing data, considering potential solutions to misidentification in Special Education, and “practicing the pause” are three strategies that can start reversing disproportionality within special education.  The pause Dr. Fergus speaks of is an intentional act to ask questions and understand the background and experiences of each student in order to determine what supports are needed to support positive outcomes.  Dr. Fergus suggests three specific pauses that should be practiced to avoid or correct misidentifications of students as needing special education. 

The Science of Math: Inclusion, Opportunity, and Social Responsibility (Article)

The Problem of Disproportional Representation of Students from Minority Races in Special Education (PDF)

This research study examines the effects of integrating culturally responsive instruction into a course hosted by the school of education at a institution of higher education.

The Power of Parent Engagement: Sociocultural Considerations in the Quest for Equity (PDF)

This research article examines the differences between parent involvement (i.e., in activities structured by the school) and parent engagement (i.e. in school activities that parents help schools design and create). The researchers highlight parent engagement as an important strategy for preventing disproportionate representation.

The Power of Empathy Interviews in Family Engagement (Article)

The Landscape of Language Learners in California’s MTSS: Who Are California’s English Language Learners? (Website)

This brief depicts demographic trends and the rich diversity of the English-Learner (EL) classified students enrolled in California’s public schools.  These data include the number of language learners, geographic trends in where they live, their home language, and their race. 

The Landscape of Language Learners in California’s MTSS: The State of Academic Performance (Website)

This brief is part of the Landscape of Language Learners in California’s MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support). It depicts trends related to academic performance, namely trends in English-Learner (EL) classified student1 performance on Math and English Language Arts (ELA) SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment System) assessments.

The Effects of Student-Teacher Ethnoracial Matching on Exclusionary Discipline for Asian American, Black, and Latinx Students: Evidence From New York City (Article)

Greater proportions of ethnoracially matched teachers decreases the likelihood of suspension for Black, Latinx, and Asian American students. The magnitudes of these effects are small but suggest that diversifying the teacher workforce could lead to significant decreases in exclusionary discipline in urban districts.