Felipe's Story in Response To The National Research Council Report

Abstract

The National Research Council (NRC) report on the disproportionate representation of minority students in special and gifted education represents an opportunity to draw national attention to the challenges faced by educators as they attempt to provide highquality educational opportunities for students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Although the report provides a thorough inventory of the factors that influence school achievement and behavior of students from diverse backgrounds, it generally overlooks the needs of English language learners. As educators and researchers attempt to address the issue of disproportionate representation, the experiences of students from diverse linguistic backgrounds must be considered. Drawing on the school experiences of Felipe, a native Spanish-speaking student, this article illustrates the dilemmas that educators of English language learners face and the resulting disproportionate representation of linguistically diverse students in special education. While Felipe’s case is not representative of all linguistic minorities in the United States, it provides a framework for considering issues that extend beyond the information included in the NRC report.