Segregated Placement Patterns of Students with Disabilities in Three States

Abstract

This study examines placement patterns in New York, Louisiana, and New Jersey to determine why these states place nearly half of their students with disabilities in separate classrooms, when most states place the vast majority of students with disabilities in general classrooms. Using regression analysis and interviews, several factors were examined including the influence of the states 'prior practices and policies, economic and social variables, the consequences of state-funding formulas, and the effectiveness of federal monitoring. New York, Louisiana, and New Jersey have maintained a high proportion of separate placements regardless of disability far longer than most states. Each of these states has a large percentage of African American students and of students from poor families. Each of these states provides fiscal incentives for segregated placements. Federal monitoring is ineffective; the U.S. Department of Education is slow to act on placement variability across the states.