Dissertation Proposal Announcement Ed.D. Program: Leisa Walker “Relationships with Educators: Perceptions of Preadolescent Black Males Served by Special Education”

The overrepresentation of Black males served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) within high-incidence and subjective disability categories is problematic. Although the theoretical intent of special education is to provide educational support for students in need, its conceptualization is vastly different from the realities faced by Black students served under IDEA. Black students with disabilities are placed in more restrictive educational settings, receive harsher discipline sanctions, and are less likely to graduate than their disabled peers. Consequently, it has been argued that special education determination has become “a new[ly] legalized form of structural segregation and racism” for Black learners (Blanchett, 2006, p.25).

This narrative study will explore the perceptions of preadolescent Black males served under IDEA within over-represented categories (i.e., Emotional Disturbance, Specific Learning Disability, Intellectual Disability). Using a multi-informant view, perceptions of student-teacher relationship quality will be studied from inside the dyad (students’ reports of the student-teacher interactions) and outside the dyad (parents’ perceptions of students’ experiences with teachers) through semi-structured student interviews and parent/guardian surveys. Twenty or more participants will be recruited from communities across the Eastern Region of the United States via purposeful sampling through gatekeepers within predominantly Black community organizations. Student participants will be chosen using the following criteria: (a) Black males in grades 4, 5, or 6, (b) classified with Emotional Disturbance, Specific Learning Disability, or an Intellectual Disability, and (c) educated in general education classrooms for 40-79% of the school day, or (d) placed in self-contained settings for emotional and behavioral concerns only.

By analyzing students’ and parents’ perceptions of education support, this study seeks to explore how race, gender, and ability overlap to shape the schooling experiences of Black males served under IDEA within over-represented categories. This research will build on theoretical understandings while empowering students and families to become catalysts for change.