What are parents’ perceptions of the referral practices used when African American students are referred and assigned to special education and how do these practices affect the composition of special education enrollment?

The purpose of this grounded theory (GT) study was to generate an understanding and explanation of the processes related to the special education referral and assignment of African American students as perceived by teachers and parents in a public elementary school district located in southwestern United States. The points of views of parents and teachers enabled the researcher to develop a theory regarding the overrepresentation of African American students in special education. The current research will contribute to the existing knowledge of overrepresentation and disproportionality. The study involved the collection of data from a local context.
Research questions for this study:

1. What are parents’ perceptions of the referral practices used when African American students are referred and assigned to special education and how do these practices affect the composition of special education enrollment?
2. What are teachers’ perceptions of the referral practices used when African American students are referred and assigned to special education and how do these practices affect the composition of special education enrollment?
This chapter will include a discussion of the interpretation of the data and a summary of the participant setting and demographics, the data collection and analysis processes. Next I will show evidence of trustworthiness. Finally, the results of the data analysis and the chapter summary will be presented.