An Evidence-Based Approach to Reducing Disproportionality in Special Education and Discipline Referrals

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The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has been nationally recognized as a leader in education reform (Chandler, 2015). Our goal as a school district is to ensure that every DCPS school provides a world-class education that prepares all students, regardless of background or circumstance, for success in college, career, and life (DCPS, n.d.). We have invested substantially in creating schools where students can receive high-quality instruction, feel safe, and are satisfied with their school experience. Yet we still have some work to do. We must ensure that students of various racial and ethnic subgroups have the same access to the general education curriculum as do students from the majority culture because disproportionality is empirically linked to gaps in achievement (Hosp & Reschly, 2004). Disproportionality is defined as either the overrepresentation or underrepresentation of a particular population or demographic group in special or gifted education programs relative to the presence of this group in the overall student population (National Association for Bilingual Education, 2002).