Eight percent of the children in America’s public school are black boys, yet their representation in the nation’s special education classes is nearly twice that: 15 percent. African American males are also three times likely as white males to be enrolled in special education programs for "mildly to moderately mentally retarded," according to a 1992 report released by the Office of Civil Rights.

"When the schools were integrated, we thought many of our problems would be solved," says Michele March, the mother of two and a community organizer who helped conduct a city-funded study on institutional racism in Teaneck, New Jersey, three years ago. "We trusted the system. Now we know we were wrong. I see case after case of black boys being tracked automatically into lower level classes or put into the special education department where they don’t belong. Just because African American boys are in the same school as white kids doesn’t mean that they’re getting the same education."

Marcia James, a resource specialist teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District, also believes that black boys are too often misdiagnosed as learning impaired. "In most cases, these are kids who the teachers consider behavior problems," says James. "Putting them in special ed is just a way to get rid of them."

In many instances, a black boy referred to special education simply has a different learning style, says James. "He may be more of an auditory or a tactile learner," she explains. "Or he may have some problems at home that are hampering him." Such a child might also be cognitively above average, she adds, "but because his needs aren’t being addressed in class, he isn’t learning. So he acts out because he’d rather be considered bad than dumb. At least if you’re bad, you have some power."

But what often passes for racism is in reality frustration, other teachers maintain. "If 4 or 5 kids are always causing problems in your class, it’s not fair to the remaining 20 students," says Patricia Thurman, a white sixth-grade teacher in Minneapolis. So the troublemakers are frequently referred to special ed. "What else are you going to do?" she says. "You can either be their teacher or their therapist. You can’t be both."

Regardless of the reason for such referrals, the fact that African American children, particularly boys, are consigned to special education classes far out of proportion to their numbers has disturbing implications, according to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR).  In a 1992 report, OCR researchers found that the high proportion of minority student referrals to special education classes may amount to a kind of "within-school segregation." And although special ed programs do provide some children with an appropriate education, the report goes on to say that misclassifying students may effectively strip them of their civil rights by denying them access to a core curriculum. In short, a student who is unnecessarily placed in special education is not likely to get his needs met. Such a child may soon feel discouraged and trapped and is likely to act out, or perhaps even drop out, later on.