The packing of black males in special education

Yolanda Richard
Professor Diem
Critical opinion
The absence of black males in education
The perfect student is quiet, can sit still for long periods of time, has a long attention span, can work independently, is passive, is a left brain learner, speaks Standard English, lives in a two parent household, and learned reading before second grade. Children who do not fit this mold are usually considered to be a different kind of student; one who needs special attention or immediate correction. Those who “act up” in the classroom or portray behavior that goes against the teacher’s authority are seen as a problem. These children are labeled “at risk” students, sent to the special education program, prescribed some Ritalin, and ripped from their classrooms to be dealt with elsewhere. African American children constitute a mere 17 percent of the school population. Of this 17 percent 80 percent of African American males are disproportionately placed in special education. I believe that this is a huge problem in our educational system today and it is derived from the stereotypes that society has placed on black males.
The educational system seems to be harsher towards African American males than toward their white counterparts. Is this a systemic issue or is it an internal malfunction of black males? The stereotypes we create of different social groups dominate individual thought, group behavior, and cultural practices. The way we treat black males in the classroom and even the job market are highly predicated on the stereotypes and assumptions made of black males in the surrounding society. African American males are stereotyped as being naturally more aggressive than white males. They are more likely to be stereotyped a criminal in comparison to males of other racial groups. In his article, “Kidnap hoax case stereotypes fictional black male villain”, Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III gives several instances of this. He reports, “On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith reported to police that she had been carjacked by a black man who drove away with her sons still in her car. Nine days after her initial report and a nationwide manhunt for the "black man in the knit cap," Smith admitted to letting her car roll into a lake, killing her two sons… On May 26, 2009, Bonnie Sweeten dialed 911, claiming that she had been carjacked, forced into the trunk of a car by two African-American males. She told police the men had driven off with her daughter in the carjacked vehicle. Her frantic calls resulted in Philadelphia police issuing an Amber Alert for the missing mother and girl. Both were later found alive and well at Disney World. Today, Bonnie Sweeten pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of issuing a false police report and identity theft, and was sentenced to at least nine months in prison.”
Leon concludes that Society has created a picture of the “black male villain” which acts to justify discriminatory practices like what we are seeing in our schools. It justifies the disproportional packing of African American males in special education and the subsequent apathy that develops toward the high dropout rate of these students. It seems that when a white child misbehaves he or she gets a slap on the wrist, but when a child of color misbehaves he or she is more likely to be considered “at risk”, placed in special education, suspended or even expelled. There is an expectancy of black male aggression which makes it easier to dump them in special education programs.

http://www.thegrio.com/2009/08/what-do-bonnie-sweeten-ashley.php
http://www.teachersofcolor.com/2009/04/black-boys-and-special-education-change-is-needed/