Excerpt from Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu’s book, KEEPING BLACK BOYS OUR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION

In my research on the plight of African American males being disproportionately placed in special education, I discovered an enormous amount of literature describing the problem. And it is a tremendous problem in America. African American males make up only 8 percent of the public school student population but constitute almost 30 percent of the students placed in special education.

While I do provide an analysis of this problem, which has global and far-reaching implications, you will find that the heart of my work focuses on solutions and implementation strategies.

I am concerned about the field of special education. It was never designed to be a dumping ground for African American students, particularly males. When I meet educators who tell me they are special education teachers, I ask them, Why is there a disproportionate percentage of African American children in special education? Why the disproportionate percentage of African American male students? In fact, why are there more male students of all races in special education?

The situation is parallel to the one I encountered when I wrote Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys. I felt compelled to write Conspiracy after visiting schools and observing large numbers of Black boys in special education, remedial reading, and the principal’s office awaiting suspension.

As an outsider, I raised the simple question, Is this normal? Is this acceptable, and are there any plans to reduce the imbalance? When a people, an institution, or a country can live with a disease so long that they have come to accept it as normal, you know they are in trouble.

The disproportion of Black male students in special education is not normal, and it is not acceptable. Anyone who calls himself or herself a professional in this field should be embarrassed. They should be looking not for rationales to justify continuance of the problem but strategies to eliminate it.