The parents' perspective: deconstructing the overrepresentation of African American males in special education

Nationwide, there has been an overrepresentation of students of color in the special education programs in public schools. There were multiple factors researchers theorized that contributed to such overrepresentation. Despite the vast amount of research analyzing the overrepresentation of African American males in special education, there was a lack of research that focused on the African American parents' involvement in the special education process. With the overrepresentation of African American males in special education, parents are a vital part of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) referral process. The purpose of this study was to examine the parents' experiences and perspectives of the IEP process and to understand what extent the parents were involved in the decision making process for their male children. By using a mixed methods study through the lens of critical race theory, the researcher examined to what extent practices within a school district can help to redress the overrepresentation of African American male students in special education programs.