Voices beyond the numbers: a systematic review of qualitative studies of disproportionality in special education

Abstract

Researchers in the field of special education has voiced concerns about the disproportionality of diverse students identified for special education services for decades. However, most of the recent research has focused on showing this issue using quantitative data. The voices beyond the numbers are imperative in better understanding this decades long phenomenon. Unfortunately, these voices are rarely present within the context of disproportionality in special education. The present study reports a systematic review of qualitative articles to highlight findings in the literature to contextualize current quantitative data and provide a more representative picture of the phenomenon in the U.S. Results show the over and underrepresentation of students of color in special education according to the voices of educators, family members, and others supporting these students.